Enrico Mizzi
Encyclopedia
Enrico "Nerik" Mizzi was a Maltese
politician, leader of the Nationalist Party
and Prime Minister of Malta
.
Mizzi was born in Valletta
on 20 September 1885, son of Fortunato and Maria Sofia Folliero de Luna. He was educated at the Gozo
Seminary and Flores College and in 1903 he started his studies in literature and science at the University of Malta
. In 1906 he began reading law at the Universities of La Sapienza
(Rome) and Urbino
, returning to Malta in 1912. After obtaining his warrant he spent a short period of time practicing as a lawyer, mostly in Gozo
. He married Bice nee Vassallo and they had one son, Fortunato, who later became a priest and founder of the Social Action Movement.
In 1917 Mizzi was arrested and court-martialled on charges of sedition
, under the Malta Defense Regulations for writings and statements against the British. In these writings Mizzi expresses the opinion that there could be an Anglo-Italian pact whereby Malta would be an autonomous regional entity within Italy, with full access to Maltese harbors and shipping facilities guaranteed to Britain
.
He was sentenced to a year's imprisonment with hard labor, the loss of civil rights and the withdrawal of his lawyer's warrant. The sentence was commuted by Governor Methuen to a "severe censure", while his civil rights and warrant were restored following the cessation of hostilities in 1918.
In 1919 Mizzi was unanimously elected Secretary at the first meeting of the National Assembly, convened to petition to British for autonomous government. It was also the year of anti-British riots, in which a number of Maltese demonstrators were killed or wounded by British troops. They are commemorated every year on the Sette Giugno
.
. Mizzi was co-leader of the party with Sir Ugo Mifsud.
Nerik Mizzi held the post of Minister of Industry and Commerce (1924–27), Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Posts (1932), Minister of Education (1932–33). He was member of the legislative assembly (1921–30), (1932–33), (1947–50); and Leader of the Partito Nazionalista (1942–50), and Leader of the Opposition (1947–50). He founded the Circolo Giovane Malta and was life president of the Societa' Dante Alighieri.
declared war on Germany
in 1939, with Italy
joining the Axis
on 10 June 1940, Malta was drawn into the conflict. In the Nationalist tradition, particularly after 1880, Enrico Mizzi had expressed a consistent call for retaining close ties with Italy, a Fascist state after 1922, but especially for the retention of the age-old italianita'- latinita Mediterranean heritage of the Maltese Islands.
This position made him a staunch opponent of British military despotism in the 'fortress colony' of Malta. Under strong Imperialist pressure led by the Anglo-Maltese Strickland family, as a precaution against a possible Italian invasion and the establishment of some puppet Fascist regime under Enrico Mizzi, a number of Italian sympathizers were arrested on suspicion of possible disloyalty to the British Crown, without charge or trial. On the 30 May 1940, while Mizzi was at the Malta Printing Press, he was arrested and interned in the Fortizza tas-Salvatur.
In February 1942, Governor Dobbie issued a warrant for the deportation of 47 Maltese, amongst whom was Enrico Mizzi, who were exiled to Uganda. Together with the group of deportees he was repatriated from Uganda on 8 March 1945 and immediately returned to Maltese politics by attending the Council Sitting on the 15 March.
The Nationalist Party
won a relative majority in the 1950 elections
and Enrico Mizzi was appointed Prime Minister
in a hung parliament. He died at his residence, in Valletta, only three months later and was accorded a state funeral. To date, he is the only Maltese prime minister to die in office. His is remembered by the Maltese
as a contributing force in the Maltese national and European identity.
A foundation, to promote and better appreciate his life and works and that of his father Fortunato, was founded in 2010.
Maltese people
The Maltese are an ethnic group indigenous to the Southern European nation of Malta, and identified with the Maltese language. Malta is an island in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea...
politician, leader of the Nationalist Party
Nationalist Party (Malta)
The Nationalist Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in Malta, along with the Labour Party. It was founded by Fortunato Mizzi in 1880 as the Anti-Reform Party, opposing taxation decreed by the British colonial authorities and measures to Anglicise the educational and the...
and Prime Minister of Malta
Prime Minister of Malta
The Prime Minister of Malta is the Head of Government of Malta.-Establishment of the office and developments:The office of "Head of Ministry" was created as soon as Malta was granted autonomous government in 1921. The 1921 constitution was suspended twice before being revoked...
.
Mizzi was born in Valletta
Valletta
Valletta is the capital of Malta, colloquially known as Il-Belt in Maltese. It is located in the central-eastern portion of the island of Malta, and the historical city has a population of 6,098. The name "Valletta" is traditionally reserved for the historic walled citadel that serves as Malta's...
on 20 September 1885, son of Fortunato and Maria Sofia Folliero de Luna. He was educated at the Gozo
Gozo
Gozo is a small island of the Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is part of the Southern European country of Malta; after the island of Malta itself, it is the second-largest island in the archipelago...
Seminary and Flores College and in 1903 he started his studies in literature and science at the University of Malta
University of Malta
The University of Malta is the highest educational institution in Malta Europe and is one of the most respected universities in Europe. The University offers undergraduate Bachelor's Degrees, postgraduate Master's Degrees and postgraduate Doctorates .-History:The University of Malta was founded in...
. In 1906 he began reading law at the Universities of La Sapienza
University of Rome La Sapienza
The Sapienza University of Rome, officially Sapienza – Università di Roma, formerly known as Università degli studi di Roma "La Sapienza", is a coeducational, autonomous state university in Rome, Italy...
(Rome) and Urbino
University of Urbino
The University of Urbino "Carlo Bo" is an Italian university located in Urbino, a walled hill-town in the region of Marche, located in the north-eastern part of central Italy. The university was founded in 1506, and currently has about 20,000 students, many of whom are from overseas...
, returning to Malta in 1912. After obtaining his warrant he spent a short period of time practicing as a lawyer, mostly in Gozo
Gozo
Gozo is a small island of the Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is part of the Southern European country of Malta; after the island of Malta itself, it is the second-largest island in the archipelago...
. He married Bice nee Vassallo and they had one son, Fortunato, who later became a priest and founder of the Social Action Movement.
Council of Government
Mizzi was first elected to the Council of Government in 1915 as Member of the Comitato Patriottico representing Gozo.In 1917 Mizzi was arrested and court-martialled on charges of sedition
Sedition
In law, sedition is overt conduct, such as speech and organization, that is deemed by the legal authority to tend toward insurrection against the established order. Sedition often includes subversion of a constitution and incitement of discontent to lawful authority. Sedition may include any...
, under the Malta Defense Regulations for writings and statements against the British. In these writings Mizzi expresses the opinion that there could be an Anglo-Italian pact whereby Malta would be an autonomous regional entity within Italy, with full access to Maltese harbors and shipping facilities guaranteed to Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
He was sentenced to a year's imprisonment with hard labor, the loss of civil rights and the withdrawal of his lawyer's warrant. The sentence was commuted by Governor Methuen to a "severe censure", while his civil rights and warrant were restored following the cessation of hostilities in 1918.
In 1919 Mizzi was unanimously elected Secretary at the first meeting of the National Assembly, convened to petition to British for autonomous government. It was also the year of anti-British riots, in which a number of Maltese demonstrators were killed or wounded by British troops. They are commemorated every year on the Sette Giugno
Sette Giugno
Sette Giugno is a Maltese national holiday celebrated annually on 7 June. It commemorates events which occurred on that day in 1919 when, following a series of riots by the Maltese population, British troops fired into the crowd, killing four.-Historical setting:In the aftermath of World War I,...
.
Legislative Assembly
In 1921 Nerik Mizzi formed the Partito Democratico Nazionalista. In the election of the 1 November 1921, Mizzi's party won four seats in Gozo. After the 1924 elections, Mizzi's party formed a coalition government with the Unione Politica Maltese. In 1926 the two parties merged as the Nationalist PartyNationalist Party (Malta)
The Nationalist Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in Malta, along with the Labour Party. It was founded by Fortunato Mizzi in 1880 as the Anti-Reform Party, opposing taxation decreed by the British colonial authorities and measures to Anglicise the educational and the...
. Mizzi was co-leader of the party with Sir Ugo Mifsud.
Nerik Mizzi held the post of Minister of Industry and Commerce (1924–27), Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Posts (1932), Minister of Education (1932–33). He was member of the legislative assembly (1921–30), (1932–33), (1947–50); and Leader of the Partito Nazionalista (1942–50), and Leader of the Opposition (1947–50). He founded the Circolo Giovane Malta and was life president of the Societa' Dante Alighieri.
Journalism
Mizzi was the founder of the Eco di Malta e Gozo, organ of the Partito Democratico Nazionalista in 1921, and was founder of Malta, organ of the Nationalist Party (1926–40).Exile
When BritainUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
declared war on Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in 1939, with Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
joining the Axis
Axis Powers
The Axis powers , also known as the Axis alliance, Axis nations, Axis countries, or just the Axis, was an alignment of great powers during the mid-20th century that fought World War II against the Allies. It began in 1936 with treaties of friendship between Germany and Italy and between Germany and...
on 10 June 1940, Malta was drawn into the conflict. In the Nationalist tradition, particularly after 1880, Enrico Mizzi had expressed a consistent call for retaining close ties with Italy, a Fascist state after 1922, but especially for the retention of the age-old italianita'- latinita Mediterranean heritage of the Maltese Islands.
This position made him a staunch opponent of British military despotism in the 'fortress colony' of Malta. Under strong Imperialist pressure led by the Anglo-Maltese Strickland family, as a precaution against a possible Italian invasion and the establishment of some puppet Fascist regime under Enrico Mizzi, a number of Italian sympathizers were arrested on suspicion of possible disloyalty to the British Crown, without charge or trial. On the 30 May 1940, while Mizzi was at the Malta Printing Press, he was arrested and interned in the Fortizza tas-Salvatur.
In February 1942, Governor Dobbie issued a warrant for the deportation of 47 Maltese, amongst whom was Enrico Mizzi, who were exiled to Uganda. Together with the group of deportees he was repatriated from Uganda on 8 March 1945 and immediately returned to Maltese politics by attending the Council Sitting on the 15 March.
Legacy
Nationalist Party (Malta)
The Nationalist Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in Malta, along with the Labour Party. It was founded by Fortunato Mizzi in 1880 as the Anti-Reform Party, opposing taxation decreed by the British colonial authorities and measures to Anglicise the educational and the...
won a relative majority in the 1950 elections
Maltese general election, 1950
|-!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=left valign=top|Party!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=right|Votes!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=right|%!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=right|Seats|-...
and Enrico Mizzi was appointed Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Malta
The Prime Minister of Malta is the Head of Government of Malta.-Establishment of the office and developments:The office of "Head of Ministry" was created as soon as Malta was granted autonomous government in 1921. The 1921 constitution was suspended twice before being revoked...
in a hung parliament. He died at his residence, in Valletta, only three months later and was accorded a state funeral. To date, he is the only Maltese prime minister to die in office. His is remembered by the Maltese
Maltese people
The Maltese are an ethnic group indigenous to the Southern European nation of Malta, and identified with the Maltese language. Malta is an island in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea...
as a contributing force in the Maltese national and European identity.
A foundation, to promote and better appreciate his life and works and that of his father Fortunato, was founded in 2010.
See also
- Prime Minister of MaltaPrime Minister of MaltaThe Prime Minister of Malta is the Head of Government of Malta.-Establishment of the office and developments:The office of "Head of Ministry" was created as soon as Malta was granted autonomous government in 1921. The 1921 constitution was suspended twice before being revoked...
- List of Prime Ministers of Malta
- Italia irredentaItalia irredentaItalian irredentism was an Italian Irredentist movement that aimed at the unification of all ethnically Italian peoples....
- Maltese peopleMaltese peopleThe Maltese are an ethnic group indigenous to the Southern European nation of Malta, and identified with the Maltese language. Malta is an island in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea...
- Nationalist Party (Malta)Nationalist Party (Malta)The Nationalist Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in Malta, along with the Labour Party. It was founded by Fortunato Mizzi in 1880 as the Anti-Reform Party, opposing taxation decreed by the British colonial authorities and measures to Anglicise the educational and the...