Gozo (independent state)
| The Gozitan Nation | ||||||||||
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La Nazione Gozitana (Italian) In-Nazzjon Għawdxija (Maltese) |
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| De facto independent state | ||||||||||
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 Location of Gozo within the Maltese Islands
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| Capital | Rabat | |||||||||
| Languages | Italian, Maltese | |||||||||
| Religion | Roman Catholicism | |||||||||
| Government | Provisional government | |||||||||
| King | Ferdinand III | |||||||||
| Governor-general | Saverio Cassar | |||||||||
| Historical era | French Revolutionary Wars | |||||||||
| • | Revolt | 3 September 1798 | ||||||||
| • | Established | 28 October 1798 | ||||||||
| • | British protectorate established | 4 September 1800 | ||||||||
| • | Disestablished | 20 August 1801 | ||||||||
| Area | ||||||||||
| • | 1798 | 67 km² (26 sq mi) | ||||||||
| Population | ||||||||||
| • | 1798 est. | 16,000 | ||||||||
| Density | 238.8 /km² (618.5 /sq mi) | |||||||||
| Currency | Maltese scudo | |||||||||
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| Today part of |
 Malta
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The island of Gozo, which is today a part of Malta, was independent for nearly three years between 1798 and 1801 during the French Revolutionary Wars. This brief period is sometimes known as La Nazione Gozitana (lit. "The Gozitan Nation"), when Gozo was officially an independent state with King Ferdinand III of Sicily as its monarch, and with a provisional government led by Saverio Cassar, who became Governor-general.
The neapolitan flag was flown over Gozo and Cassar appointed Governor...Some munitions and other supplies also arrived from Naples, along with a letter from Ferdinand praising his "faithful Maltese subjects"...Dennis Angelo
Until 10 June 1798, Malta and Gozo had been administered by the Order of Saint John. When Napoleon ousted the Knights from the islands in the Mediterranean campaign of 1798, the French established garrisons in various locations in Malta, as well as the Cittadella and Fort Chambray, the main fortifications on Gozo.
On 2 September 1798, the Maltese rebelled against the French in Mdina, requesting to return under the "Kingdom of Sicily" rule. Word spread and the Gozitans revolted on 3 September. The archpriest and parish priest of the town of Rabat, Saverio Cassar, was chosen as the revolt's leader on 18 September. The rebel headquarters was established in the Banca Giuratale (which is now the seat of the Victoria Local Council). Saverio Cassar (who was born in a Sicilian family resident in the Maltese islands since the XIV century) organized the dejma("decima" in Italian) and collected money to pay the troops under his command. Pro-French partisans were arrested, including three canons.
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Wikipedia