In March 1639, an edict by Grand Master Lascaris forbade women to wear masks on the last three days of Carnival, and for the 'commedia' the Italian Knights were to hold on Carnival Saturday. The young knights protested, ended up ransacking the Jesuit College, and eventually asking for the Jesuits' expulsion from Malta. A manuscript account -discovered in Modena -narrates the unfolding of the events in detail. It throws light also on the mental state of the riotous knights who were adamant about the expulsion of the Jesuits whom they blamed for the grand master's edit and bando.peer-reviewe
