Luther and the Broadsheet
By Michael Stagnitto
Before the printing press was invented, communication was very limited. Books were hard to reproduce as they had to be copied by hand. With the invention of the printing press communication by paper became a much easier task, as books could be mass produced. Literacy rates rose, although many remained illiterate and books were still expensive. Thus books could be an ineffective way to transfer information, especially laws and decrees.
Literacy existed on a number of levels ranging from learned to illiterate. Learned meant that one went to formal schooling and was educated in many subjects including Latin. Literate might mean that one was capable of reading the local language, with or without official schooling. Illiterate entailed no education and no reading or writing skills. Political activists, the church, and government needed to find an effective but cheap way to reach out to all members of society. This was especially important when trying to sway the masses in your favor.
The solution to this issue was the broadsheet. The broadsheet could combine all three levels of literacy into one document. For the learned, there was the Latin title; for the literate, a short message in the native language; and for the illiterate, a drawing captured the author’s message.
In my source, Martin Luther uses a broadsheet to criticize the Pope and the Catholic Church. He uses political satire in the title, which translated means Adoration of Pope’s Crown, but as you can tell in the picture, what is happening is that several commoners are defecating in the crown. Luther argued on the broadsheet that the Pope is two-faced and that the Pope is treating commoners as his crown is here being treated. Luther’s use of this imagery effectively brings the Pope down a level in the Germans’ eyes.
Although many satirical broadsheets were produced anonymously, Luther included a signature on his critique so all would know whose work it was.
Literature:
Scribner, Robert. For the Sake of the Simple Folk. Oxford University Press: USA. 1994