Counts · Markward of Annweiler's party · as at first light, 1 January 1200

Count of Malta

Malta and Gozo had been a county of the Sicilian crown since the 1190s: Tancred gave it to his admiral Margaritus of Brindisi in 1192, Henry VI took it from him in 1194, and the title went with the admiralty to William Grasso, a Genoese merchant who had made his name as a corsair in the Aegean (raiding Rhodes, seizing a Venetian convoy, and robbing Byzantine and Ayyubid envoys about 1190-1193).

Constance's regime was hostile to him and the islanders had risen against him by 1198. In 1199 Markward recruited him at Genoa, and in October Grasso's ships put Markward ashore at Trapani. On 1 January 1200 he is Markward's admiral and the papal court calls him a pirate. The islands themselves are mostly Muslim farmers and townsmen under a Christian count, with the walled town of Mdina on Malta and the Castello on Gozo.

Who he is

Name
William Grasso (Guglielmo Grasso), a Genoese merchant turned corsair
Title
Count of Malta (with Gozo) and admiral of Sicily
Since
Granted by Henry VI before his death in September 1197 (Dizionario Biografico); en.wikipedia gives 1197
Born
Not pinned (first possibly recorded in Genoa in 1186)
Family
Genoese; his son-in-law Henry, called the Fisherman (Enrico Pescatore), succeeds him as count of Malta and admiral (confirmed 1202-1203)
Confidence
medium

Dizionario Biografico (Guglielmo Grasso): in 1199 Markward approached him at Genoa for help in invading Sicily and Grasso's fleet carried Markward to Trapani; Innocent III called him a thief (latronem) in a letter to the Sicilian bishops; after Monreale (July 1200) he went over to the regency, which confirmed his titles; Markward later imprisoned him and he died in prison. en.wikipedia (County of Malta): the Maltese rose against him by 1198.

Overlord

The king of Sicily; that winter he serves Markward.

What it holds

  • The county of Malta and Gozo, with the walled town (Medina, Mdina) on Malta and the Castello above Rabat on Gozo (control that winter not pinned)
  • The title of admiral of Sicily and his own Genoese galleys
  • Comino and the channel islets

How it was acquired

Henry VI's grant (before September 1197), as admiral and count.

Allies and rivals

Ally: Markward. Enemies: the regency and the pope (who calls him a thief); Venice and Byzantium (his old victims). Genoa disowns him when convenient and tries to free him in 1201.

How things stand that morning

Grasso is with Markward, his fleet in western Sicilian waters. Whether his officers hold Malta and Gozo that morning is not pinned: the islanders rose against him by 1198 and the regency would not have helped him back. The islands are drawn with Markward's party but marked contested.

Wealth

Corsair prizes; the islands' cotton, cumin and grain (by later evidence); harbour dues.

Military

His Genoese galleys and crews; the walls of Mdina and the Gozo Castello. No numbers in the sources read.

Threats

  • Desertion by his crews
  • The regency's or the pope's reprisals
  • Markward's distrust (he will imprison Grasso in 1201)

What the year holds

What happened next, if nothing in play changes it. Each event carries what it depends on and what would stop it.

In 1200

  1. After 21 July 1200He abandons Markward and goes over to the regency, which confirms his titles of count of Malta and admiral.Depends on: Markward's defeat near Monreale. Stopped by: A Markward victory.

Later, on the likely course

  1. 1201Markward, back in power, imprisons him; he dies in prison despite Genoa's efforts to free him; Malta and the admiralty pass to his son-in-law Henry the Fisherman (confirmed by the chancellor in 1202).Depends on: Markward's return to Palermo. Stopped by: Markward's fall.

Places of note

  • Mdina (Medina): The walled town of Malta
  • Castello of Gozo: The citadel of Gozo above its suburb (Rabat)

Where the sources disagree

  • en.wikipedia (County of Malta) dates his grant to 1197 after Henry VI's death and gives him the county to about 1203; the Dizionario Biografico says the grant came from Henry VI and that he died in prison in 1201, with Henry the Fisherman confirmed in 1202. The campaign notes say only 'check who is count of Malta'.

Evidence: Grasso's career and his help to Markward rest on the Dizionario Biografico; who actually held the islands that winter is thin.

On the map: The whole county is drawn; who governs the islands on 1 January 1200 is not documented.

Primary sources for Markward

Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.

Sources and studies

  1. Guglielmo Grasso, Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani (Treccani)
  2. County of Malta (en.wikipedia)
  3. Alamanno da Costa, Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani (Treccani)

Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.