ABSTRACT
Like other military orders, property was a crucial economic asset for the Order of St John. From a legal point of view, property constitutes the holding of a geographic space, which implies a multitude of social interactions. By the 1630s, the Order’s magistracy at its new convent in Malta sought to reorder its local property so that it could increase its potential to generate revenue. 1 By acquiring new properties and reorganising those inherited from the Spanish-Sicilian Crown, the Order of St John secured its authority through such social and economic structures, representing an important aspect to its governance over the Maltese Islands.
