Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, "Malta" to "Map, Walter" / Volume 17, Slice 5

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

42736

Title

Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, "Malta" to "Map, Walter" / Volume 17, Slice 5

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

This volume from the Eleventh Edition of Encyclopaedia Britannica offers concise, authoritative entries on a diverse range of subjects, including the geography and history of Malta, the feudal manorial system in medieval Europe, the culture and traditions of the Maori people, and the life and literary contributions of Walter Map. Written by various experts, it serves as a comprehensive reference for arts, sciences, literature, and general information.

Summary up to 500 words

This text from the Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, presents four distinct entries covering geography, history, ethnography, and literature. The first entry details Malta, a strategically vital Mediterranean island belonging to the British Empire. Geologically composed of Tertiary limestone and sandstone, the island features a magnificent natural harbor essential for maritime trade. Its climate is temperate but subject to strong winds like the Gregale. The text highlights unique geological formations that allow rainfall to soak through coralline layers, creating perennial springs critical for water supply. Flora and fauna are diverse, including marine life, migratory birds, and specific plants like the Malta heath and opium poppy. The second section traces the evolution of the manorial system from the decline of the Roman Empire to the Carolingian epoch. As central political power weakened, localized aristocratic structures emerged where landowners held jurisdiction over tenants and serfs. The text describes the economic fabric of the *seigneurie*, featuring home-farms, dependent holdings, and various dues exacted from the rural population. It notes regional variations in property rights between northern and southern France, particularly regarding the organization of village life and common pasture rights. The third entry profiles the Maori people of New Zealand, who arrived via six canoes from Samoa approximately five centuries prior to the text's writing. Described as tall Polynesians with elaborate tattooing, the Maori were skilled in wood-carving, weaving, and seafaring. Their society was democratic and tribal, with common land ownership and a warrior culture that included strategic fortification and, historically, cannibalism for courage. Their religion involved nature-worship and ancestor veneration, supported by a rich oral literature of songs and star legends. The final entry examines Walter Map (d. c. 1208/9), a medieval ecclesiastic and wit active in the court of Henry II. While traditionally credited with authoring vast Arthurian prose romances like *Lancelot* and *Mort Artus*, scholarly debate suggests he may have composed earlier poems or translated them rather than writing the full cycles himself. His certain contributions include his own work, *De nugis curialium*, and satirical poems against the clergy. The text concludes that while later copyists attributed Arthurian cycles to him, evidence points to him as a poet of an earlier source for these stories.

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• Encyclopedias