Mikiel Anton Vassalli (1764-1829), scholar
Mikiel Anton Vassalli (1764-1829) was a Maltese scholar.
Biography
Vassalli was a philosopher and linguist, one of the father of modern Maltese language. After studying at the University of Roma La Sapienza, he became the first Professor of Maltese language at the University of Malta. He was twice exiled for political reasons and lived in Spain and France. At the end of his life he converted to Protestantism and worked on the first translation of the New Testament in Maltese. He could not finish his work and only the Gospels and the Acts were published posthumously in 1829. In 1847 Mikiel Anton Camilleri revised and completed Vassalli's work.