Mercurius Aulicus was one of the "most important early newspapers"[1] in England, famous during the English Civil War for its role in Royalist propaganda.
Creation
editThe Mercurius Aulicus newspaper originated during the English Civil War from a suggestion by George Digby, a key advisor to King Charles I, that the Royalist faction needed a method for promoting their views in Parliament-held London.[2] As a result, the publication was established in January 1643 - it is variously termed either a newspaper or a newsbook - the latter being an alternative term for this form of weekly news publication in a quarto format.[3]
John Birkenhead, a Fellow of All Souls College in Oxford, was appointed editor of the newspaper, receiving updates on events around the country from Digby's contacts,[4] although his colleague Peter Heylin appears to have done much of the practical editing himself.[5] The Mercurius Aulicus was printed in Oxford, which was at this time during the war the Royalist capital, for a penny a copy, then smuggled into London where it was sold on by local women, often at heavily inflated prices.[6] It was also reprinted on occasion - albeit not necessarily accurately - by local sympathisers in London itself.[7] When logistics made it impossible to print a copy for several weeks, Birkenhead would resort to including gaps in page numbers and issues to give the impression that the reader had merely missed a specific copy that had no doubt been delivered elsewhere across the country satisfactorily.[8]
Impact on the industry
editThe Mercurius Aulicus has been considered one of the "most important early newspapers"[9] in England. The newspaper revolutionised the industry in England, initiating the idea of popular journalism as a political tool for dividing and mobilising popular opinion.[10] Prior to the Mercurius, newspapers had purported to portray facts, avoiding commentary on current events[11] - by contrast, the Mercurius represented the Laudian, or more extreme, end of Royalist opinion, openly smearing and mocking its opponents in a way that was quite novel for the period.[12]
Final days
editReferences
edit- ↑ Peacey 2004, p. 189
- ↑ Wedgwood 1970, p. 153.
- ↑ Wedgwood 1970, p. 153.
- ↑ Wedgwood 1970, p. 154.
- ↑ Thomas 1969, p. 31.
- ↑ Wedgwood 1970, p. 153.
- ↑ Wedgwood 1970, p. 154.
- ↑ Sommerville 1996, p. 38.
- ↑ Peacey 2004, p. 189
- ↑ Sommerville 1996, p. 38.
- ↑ Clarke 2004, p. 20.
- ↑ Peacey 2004, p. 189.
- ↑ Wilcher 2001, p. 219.
- ↑ Sommerville 1996, p. 39.
Bibliography
edit- Clarke, Bob (2004). From Grub Street to Fleet Street: an Illustrated History of English Newspapers to 1899. Aldershot: Ashate.
- Peacey, Jason (2004). Politicians and Pamphleteers: Propaganda during the English Civil Wars and Interregnum. Aldershot: Ashgate.
- Sommerville, Charles John (1996). The news revolution in England: cultural dynamics of daily information. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- Thomas, Peter William (1969). Sir John Berkenhead, 1617-1679: a Royalist career in politics and polemics. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
- Wedgwood, C.V. (1970). The King's War: 1641-1647. London: Fontana.
- Wilcher, Robert (2001). The Writing of Royalism, 1628-1660. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Further reading
edit- Williams, J.B. (1907–1921). "XV: The Beginnings of English Journalism § 3. Berkenhead, Dillingham, Audley, Nedham, Smith, Rushworth and Border". In Ward, A.W.; Waller, A.R. (eds.). The Cambridge History of English and American Literature. Vol. VII: Cavalier and Puritan (XVIII volumes ed.). New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons.