Celebrations of power. Politics and the Press in Catalonia at the Beginning of the Early Modern Period

Abstract

Abstract: This article concerns the earliest news pamphlets printed in Catalonia, notably in Barcelona. Especially from the end of the 16th century, these (normally) single item publications played a crucial role in creating public opinion. Indeed, what is argued here is that they constitute, explicitly or implicitly, celebrations of the powers that be: royal, ecclesiastical, military, civic and divine. In particular, the topics covered by the news pamphlets include royal births, marriages and deaths; beatifications, canonisations, miracles and martyrdoms; victories against Moslem, Protestant and (in the case of the Catalan War of Secession) Spanish enemies; the fight against crime and disorder; and the acceptance of God’s will in the face of natural disasters. As in the rest of Europe, thanks to censorship and self-censorship, in Catalonia bad news simply did not find its way into print.

Key words: printed news pamphlets, press history, news, public opinion, celebrations of power, censorship, self-censorship.