Many are familiar with the hardships that the Maltese people endured while under Napoleon’s forces but very few are familiar with the faces that helped the people rise up against them and one of them was Dun Mikiel Xerri.We all studied this historical figure in our school years but do you actually know about the bravery and stoicism he and his associates had to show to stand up to the French?On the day when one of Malta’s heroes was executed, let’s find out what he actually did for our country.Who was Dun Mikiel Xerri?He started studying to be a priest at the Rabat seminary. After that he went to study in Naples in city Gian Battista Vico in the 1750s and Montpellier where he drilled in philosophy and mathematics.When he came back to Malta, he founded a school for the youths who went on to become priests, lawyers and leaders of the country.He was invited by Grand Master de Rohan and Bishop Labini to teach mathematics at the Bishop’s Seminary in Mdina, and was also appointed Professor of Philosophy at the University prior to the French occupation of Malta. Over the course of his career, he authored several books, which are now preserved at the Floriana Seminary.Xerri and his pupils were influenced by Rousseau’s philosophy. One of his teachings is that government is based on legitimacy, but not legitimacy that comes from the strength of the ruler, the dynasty, or the divine right of kings and queens, as well as their courts.He also lived in difficult times, during an era of despotism, when priests and clerics—led by Dun Gejtanu Mannarino—prioritised the value of being good over defying authority.Thus, although Xerri was a priest, he was very much in touch with the people. One of the things in his favour is the fact that he lived in Valletta and thus saw what was happening at the time first hand.Malta under the FrenchNapoloeon’s forces took over the islands in 1798 when the last Grand Master of the Order of St John serving in Malta surrendered and yielded. The Order was exiled from our shores and the French started to bring in all that was happening in France following the French Revolution.After 268 years under the Order of St John, the Maltese did not warmly welcome the French, especially because of the way the French treated the community and religion. First and foremost, the pensions that were formerly paid for by the Order of St John were suspended and of course, the people were enraged.The French also carried out a sack of the Monte di Pietà which was a charity at the time. Accounts even recall French troops carrying people’s personal belongings in the streets after having sacked residences.Another instance was when French officials were sent from Valletta to Mdina with the aim of disposing of certain items belonging to the local Carmelite church by public auction. This was not a standalone event in fact.Each religious order was permitted to keep just one convent, while churches were shut down and stripped of their assets. An inventory compiled by two French officers recorded that the total value of what was taken from St John’s came to 420,438 scudi.The French could not be appealed and communication with the pope was prohibited. Additionally, all foreign clergymen were taken overseas so as to retain the minimum number of religious figures on the islands.Much like nowadays, religion at the time was a central part of Maltese life and in the days after the incident in Mdina the people rallied and united under the clergy as well as a few local nobles to liberate their island.Indeed the nobility was not amused with the French, especially after their precious heraldic arms were taken down. This was a direct result of what France went through during the French Revolution.What did Dun Mikiel Xerri do for the revolt?Xerri had clandestine contacts with the leaders of the insurrection away from city streets. The conspirators’ aim was to safeguard a catholic and free Malta. The clergy at the time was considered as one of the highest classes of society and for Xerri to be conspiring with the lower classes was a very rare occurrence, especially because of the influence he had on the people.Through Xerri’s choice of words and the discarded writings he left behind, one can gain a better understanding of our hero. A strong sense of secular patriotism is evident. He even uses the word “freedom.” One can also discern the scepticism he harboured toward Bishop Vincenzo Labini’s rather cordial relationship with the French.The leader of the revolt was named Colonel Guliermu Lorenzi who was joined by Xerri, official D’Amato, official Peralta, Matthew Pulis, official Satariano, captain Mikiel Vella Dun Midi ta’ Nurata, Fra Dumink Falzun, Censu Dimech and others.The revolt was a direct result of the restrictions imposed on clergy and other religious figures, as well as the abuse and theft from churches and monasteries.Unfortunately, the conspiracy wasn’t carried out successfully- some people started to be disheartened because the leadership of the country was in the foreigners’ hands and in the last minute, when it failed, Satariano ratted them out to wash his hands of the ordeal.The conspirators’ execution and legacyThe conspirators were arrested and imprisoned. The commander of French forces in Malta, Vaubois, sought to extract as much information as possible about their fellow conspirators while they were under custody.47 people were executed by the firing squad and were quickly buried in Floriana to prevent the Maltese from making them into martyrs and from uprising against the French.Like the other conspirators, when Xerri was taken out of prison to be executed, he displayed courage to the very end, facing the guns with his head held high while clutching a crucifix in his hand. His execution took place that day at what was then called the “Place de Liberté.”Their execution did not silence liberty, much less the struggle for it. By resisting foreign control and valuing the protection of Maltese religious and civic life, Xerri contributed to the formation of a national consciousness in Malta, inspiring later organised revolts to rise up against the French as well as future generations to value freedom, justice and civic responsibility.Tag a history buff•