Printed News Letter – 1614

With strict government control of the presses, handwritten letters and the spoken word were the most common news transmissions during this time. In this example from 1614, letters from Cesar de Vendome, illegitimate son of Henri IV, to his half-brother Louis XIII are printed for circulation. Henri IV was King of France from 1589 to 1610 and Louis XIII reigned from 1610 to 1643. In these letters, Cesar de Vendome complains to then French King Louis XIII about the way the court has treated him as he had been imprisoned and his property confiscated for his participation in the aristocratic revolts of 1614. This led to increased animosity between the two. In this instance, a manuscript news letter had become printed news.