“Foreign news” in occasional publications and libels during the French Wars of Religion
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Very early in the history of printed information, foreign news emerged alongside national life (structured around princes and nobles and some special events such as births, weddings, and entrances), in addition to miscellaneous events (e.g. bloody murders, queer sexualities, monsters, celestial phenomena, disasters). Coverage of the Italian Wars probably marked the starting point of the “international press” in France. From the outset, then, the press devoted itself to military glorification of the nation, of the nobles, and of the king. However, it was with the advent of civil and religious conflicts in the second part of the century that international news really increased. In a religious, diplomatic, and military space that was broadly European, people were on the lookout for news from the Netherlands, Spain, Germany, England, Switzerland, and Italy, as evidenced by the registers held by the best witness of this era, Pierre de L’Estoile, always looking for rumors and leaflets from abroad. For commercial reasons, the text of these leaflets was often shortened, as occurred with many placards at the time. But the “manipulation” of foreign news did not end there. Playing on their proximity in terms of both forms and production and distribution networks, political libels did not hesitate to present themselves as letters from England, Spain, or Italy (sometimes even from overseas): one of their means— national sentiment— developed on the basis of foreign stereotypes.
Réseaux sociaux