For more than two and a half centuries, Malta formed part of the Aragonese Crown together with part of Spain, Sicily, Sardinia and parts of Greece. The Aragonese kings governed this vast area by appointing viceroys to each province and this practice caused a continuous struggle for the rule over various parts of the Empire. Malta and Gozo were treated as parts of the Kingdom of Sicily.
The King was a symbol of security, justice and prosperity for the Maltese people. In fact, as we have seen, every time the King was hard pressed for money and let our Islands to any of his nobles, the Maltese protested and strongly asked to continue to form part of the Royal Lands. They knew from experience that this meant fairer taxes and better treatment and protection.
The Sicilian rulers always wanted to keep Malta under their care, the Muslims of North Africa were also eager to take hold of the Islands as a springboard for an attack on Sicily. So, the Sicilian rulers wanted Malta to remain in friendly hands at all costs. Although Malta was of little commercial value to the Aragonese, yet its harbours were of great help to Their ships attacking the Muslims of Africa.
The Arabs from Tunisia raided our shores very frequently, between 1412 and 1526 not less than six major invasions were launched against our Islands; the effects were disast­rous and were felt for many years after. As a remedy for this sorry state the university often asked the King to allow grain and other foodstuffs to be imported tax-free from Sicily he granted their requests and helped to keep the sea route to Malta safe for these food-laden vessels.
During the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries groups of friars from Sicily arrived here and opened their religious houses. The Franciscans, the Augustinians, the Carmelites and the Dominicans all established themselves in our island, giving help to the poor and the sick, opening a school for Maltese youth, performing all acts of piety and looking after the spiri­tual care of the Maltese, a grammar school was also maintained by the Town Council and the Cathedral.
When, in the beginning of the sixteenth century, the Crown of Aragon and Castile fell to Charles V, who was already head of the Holy Roman Empire, the government of all these vast lands in Europe, Africa and even America, became too complicated. Charles V, wishing to protect Malta from the Muslims, granted Tripoli and the Maltese Islands to the Order of St. John in 1530: a date which marks the last years of the Middle Ages in Malta.

GUILDS

Merchants and artisans in Malta united themselves into corporations or 'guilds' similar groups of tradesmen are known to have existed in Malta since Roman times but during the late Middle Ages these be­came more organised and powerful.
Mutual help in all spiritual and tem­poral needs was the main aim of the guilds or 'confraternities' as they were called later. Each member paid a fee and made other contributions to the common fund to help sick and needy members and their families, widows and orphans were also taken care of, people in jail were not neglected and all works of piety and charity were performed by members of the guilds.
Members took active part in religious ceremonies; they accompanied the viaticurm and took part in funerals. Each guild was put under the patronage of a saint and his feast day was a great day for all members. They took part in the procession wearing the distinguishing dress; each guild had a special altar under its care in the church. Members elected a representative or 'consul' to sit on the Consiglio Popolare. It was only on his approval that one was allowed to open a workshop, the guilds controlled work and standard of workman­ship.

Mdina and Birgu were the two important towns in Malta. The Grand Castello was the citadel of Gozo, both Mdina and the Gran Castello were the seats of civil government and the Church. Behind the walls of these towns the population sought shelter in all dangers, the nobles fixed their abode inside there and artisans and merchants practised their trades at Mdina and Rabat.
Birgu was the maritime port where ships were re-fitted and repaired, here im­ports were unloaded, and our small exports were loaded on to the ships. The rest of the population lived in the countryside, up to 1436 all formed part of a single parish with the Cathedral, but in that year the Bishop established ten new parishes comprising some 60 small hamlets. Each village had already been ac­customed to elect a representative to the Consiglio Popolare. Each hamlet had its common pasture and all were free to gather thistles, very useful for domestic fuel. The peasants paid rent or gave a portion of their crops to the landlord; they bred farm animals and grew cotton of a very high quality. Infect, the exportation of cotton was strictly controlled. Small quantities of cumin seed and honey were also sent abroad.