as maltese evolved after count roger i of sicily ended arab rule on the island at the end of the 11th century, there was little interest in developing a written form of the language. initially only the clergy, aristocracy and bourgeoisie were able to read and write and much of their communication was conducted in latin. throughout the centuries use of the maltese language was often discouraged with varying enthusiasm, ostensibly in the hope that supplanting it would strengthen ties with the country which held possession of malta at that particular point in time. under the knights of st john both italian and french were used for official documents and correspondence. during the british colonial period the use of english was encouraged through education, with italian regarded as the next most influential language. it was not until 1936 that maltese was recognised as the island's official language. uniquely, no other european country lacked a standardised written form of its language until the 19th century, when men such as mikiel anton vassalli made a concerted effort to transcribe spoken maltese into a written form, although examples of written maltese exist from as early as the 15th century.