Gazette d'Amsterdam
Encyclopedia
Gazette d'Amsterdam was one of the most important international Europe
an newspaper
s of the Enlightenment period
and a major source of political information. It was a French language
bi-weekly newspaper published in Amsterdam
from the second half of the 17th century till 1796, during the Batavian Republic
.
were very tolerant in matters of freedom of the press
and religious freedom. Unlike most contemporary countries, such as France, Great Britain or the states of the Holy Roman Empire, there was little government interference in matters of censorship
or protected monopolies
there. Many Huguenots fled to the Netherlands during the reign of Louis XIV, and the numbers of French refugees increased with the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685. Several of them began publishing newspapers in various European cities covering political news in France and Europe. French was both their native tongue and the lingua franca
of European diplomacy. Read by the European elites, these papers were called in France the gazettes étrangères, the "foreign gazettes".
Jean Tronchin Du Breuil (Dubreuil) is commonly seen as the paper's founder and first editor (given the establishment date in 1691). His descendants controlled the newspaper till its demise in the late 18th century.
Like many other contemporary early newspapers, the Gazette printed a juxtaposition of news from various sources, presented in order of geographic point of origin without unifying speech or apparent editorial. Confusingly, for example, in wartime, the terms "our armies" or "enemy" can designate the same subject, depending on who wrote a given piece for the newspaper. Most of the authors were French emigrants. It was relatively expensive, seen as a luxury good
, and it is estimated that its circulation was never higher than approximately 1,250. It was also relatively small: usually composed of 6 pages 12x 20 cm, printed in two columns.
It had international range, and was distributed throughout Europe, including France, where it was generally tolerated. It was neither overly supportive nor overly oppositional with regards to the French government, though certainly much more liberal than the official Gazette de France. This was tolerated and even encouraged by the authorities, who often used it for their own ends, when wishing to publicize information that couldn't be released via the official channels. The paper gave voice to institutions that were finding it difficult to publish in the official Gazette de France, like the Parlement of Paris. The independence was not complete; like many others of its period, editors of Gazette d'Amsterdam agreed to be censored, or at least "advised" on many occasions by the French authorities.
It began its decline in the second half of the 18th century, when the French government made it easier for other titles to compete on the French market. As the Gazette was seen as too close to the French government's official position, its readership declined, and it was overtaken by the Gazette de Leyde (Nouvelles Extraordinaires de Divers Endroits), which was seen as much more independent. By 1789, it was no longer seen as a significant European paper.
In its views, in the late 18th century, Gazette d'Amsterdam was opposed to the Dutch Orangist
s, supporters of the Stadtholder
, and with regards to France, leaned towards anti-aristocratic and pro-revolutionary views.
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
s of the Enlightenment period
Age of Enlightenment
The Age of Enlightenment was an elite cultural movement of intellectuals in 18th century Europe that sought to mobilize the power of reason in order to reform society and advance knowledge. It promoted intellectual interchange and opposed intolerance and abuses in church and state...
and a major source of political information. It was a French language
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
bi-weekly newspaper published in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
from the second half of the 17th century till 1796, during the Batavian Republic
Batavian Republic
The Batavian Republic was the successor of the Republic of the United Netherlands. It was proclaimed on January 19, 1795, and ended on June 5, 1806, with the accession of Louis Bonaparte to the throne of the Kingdom of Holland....
.
Background
In the 18th century, the Netherlands (United Provinces)Dutch Republic
The Dutch Republic — officially known as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands , the Republic of the United Netherlands, or the Republic of the Seven United Provinces — was a republic in Europe existing from 1581 to 1795, preceding the Batavian Republic and ultimately...
were very tolerant in matters of freedom of the press
Freedom of the press
Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the freedom of communication and expression through vehicles including various electronic media and published materials...
and religious freedom. Unlike most contemporary countries, such as France, Great Britain or the states of the Holy Roman Empire, there was little government interference in matters of censorship
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
or protected monopolies
Monopoly
A monopoly exists when a specific person or enterprise is the only supplier of a particular commodity...
there. Many Huguenots fled to the Netherlands during the reign of Louis XIV, and the numbers of French refugees increased with the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685. Several of them began publishing newspapers in various European cities covering political news in France and Europe. French was both their native tongue and the lingua franca
Lingua franca
A lingua franca is a language systematically used to make communication possible between people not sharing a mother tongue, in particular when it is a third language, distinct from both mother tongues.-Characteristics:"Lingua franca" is a functionally defined term, independent of the linguistic...
of European diplomacy. Read by the European elites, these papers were called in France the gazettes étrangères, the "foreign gazettes".
Contents and history
There is some confusion regarding the year that Gazette d'Amsterdam began publishing: sources give dates from 1663, 1668 or 1691; they all agree that the Gazette ceased publication in 1796. The confusion over the year of establishment may be explained by the fact that in the 17th century many readers did not distinguish among different titles of journals published in Amsterdam (and the Netherlands in general), and different titles were often referred to as "d'Amsterdam" (of Amsterdam) or "d'Hollande" (of Holland).Jean Tronchin Du Breuil (Dubreuil) is commonly seen as the paper's founder and first editor (given the establishment date in 1691). His descendants controlled the newspaper till its demise in the late 18th century.
Like many other contemporary early newspapers, the Gazette printed a juxtaposition of news from various sources, presented in order of geographic point of origin without unifying speech or apparent editorial. Confusingly, for example, in wartime, the terms "our armies" or "enemy" can designate the same subject, depending on who wrote a given piece for the newspaper. Most of the authors were French emigrants. It was relatively expensive, seen as a luxury good
Luxury good
Luxury goods are products and services that are not considered essential and associated with affluence.The concept of luxury has been present in various forms since the beginning of civilization. Its role was just as important in ancient western and eastern empires as it is in modern societies...
, and it is estimated that its circulation was never higher than approximately 1,250. It was also relatively small: usually composed of 6 pages 12x 20 cm, printed in two columns.
It had international range, and was distributed throughout Europe, including France, where it was generally tolerated. It was neither overly supportive nor overly oppositional with regards to the French government, though certainly much more liberal than the official Gazette de France. This was tolerated and even encouraged by the authorities, who often used it for their own ends, when wishing to publicize information that couldn't be released via the official channels. The paper gave voice to institutions that were finding it difficult to publish in the official Gazette de France, like the Parlement of Paris. The independence was not complete; like many others of its period, editors of Gazette d'Amsterdam agreed to be censored, or at least "advised" on many occasions by the French authorities.
It began its decline in the second half of the 18th century, when the French government made it easier for other titles to compete on the French market. As the Gazette was seen as too close to the French government's official position, its readership declined, and it was overtaken by the Gazette de Leyde (Nouvelles Extraordinaires de Divers Endroits), which was seen as much more independent. By 1789, it was no longer seen as a significant European paper.
In its views, in the late 18th century, Gazette d'Amsterdam was opposed to the Dutch Orangist
Orangism (Netherlands)
Orangism is a monarchist political support for the House of Orange-Nassau as monarchy of the Netherlands. It played a significant role in the political history of the Netherlands since the Dutch revolt...
s, supporters of the Stadtholder
Stadtholder
A Stadtholder A Stadtholder A Stadtholder (Dutch: stadhouder [], "steward" or "lieutenant", literally place holder, holding someones place, possibly a calque of German Statthalter, French lieutenant, or Middle Latin locum tenens...
, and with regards to France, leaned towards anti-aristocratic and pro-revolutionary views.
Further reading
- Popkin, Jeremy D, The Eighteenth-Century French Periodical Press, Eighteenth-Century Studies - Volume 37, Number 3, Spring 2004, pp. 483–486
- Retat, Pierre. LA GAZETTE D'AMSTERDAM Miroir de L'Europe Au Xviiie Siecle. Voltaire Foundation, Oxford, 2001. ISBN 0729407691
- Retat, Pierre, Les collections, la diffusion », dans La ‘Gazette d’Amsterdam’ miroir de l’Europe au XVIIIe siècle