{"id":6556,"date":"2025-10-14T13:33:43","date_gmt":"2025-10-14T13:33:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fasttxt.es\/en\/?p=6556"},"modified":"2025-10-14T13:35:20","modified_gmt":"2025-10-14T13:35:20","slug":"the-printing-press-and-the-rise-of-censorship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fasttxt.es\/en\/blog\/the-printing-press-and-the-rise-of-censorship","title":{"rendered":"The Printing Press and the Rise of Censorship"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

The arrival of the printing press in 1450 revolutionised <\/span>the\u00a0<\/span><\/span>production<\/span><\/span><\/span> of books<\/span> and changed the way ideas circulated across society. For the first time, works that had once been confined to monasteries or private libraries could be reproduced and made available to a much wider audience. However, <\/span>religious<\/span> and political authorities regarded this innovation with suspicion, seeing it as a threat to their control.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

In Europe, the Protestant Reformation made strategic use of the press to rapidly distribute sermons, Bible translations, and texts critical <\/span><\/span>of the <\/span><\/span><\/span>Catholic Church at a pace that outstripped traditional mechanisms of control. In response, religious authorities introduced new systems of surveillance and censorship to restrict their circulation.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

The Control of the Church and Political Power <\/b><\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

One of the most emblematic measures was the creation of the <\/span><\/span>Index <\/span>Librorum<\/span> Prohibitorum<\/span><\/i><\/span> (Index of Forbidden Books) by the Catholic Church in 1559. This list included books considered heretical or <\/span><\/span>immoral<\/span><\/span><\/span> \u2014from Protestant writings to literary, <\/span>philosophical<\/span> and scientific works. Printers, authors, and translators <\/span>were required<\/span> to <\/span>comply with<\/span> th<\/span><\/span>ese<\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0regulations under penalty of fines<\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span><\/span> or, in extreme cases, execution. The most well-known example is that of Giordano Bruno, who was executed in 1600 for <\/span>disseminating<\/span> cosmological and theological ideas in various languages.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

In addition to the <\/span><\/span>C<\/span><\/span><\/span>hurch, many European monarchs introduced their own control systems. The press enabled rapid spread of political pamphlets, satires, critiques of power or alternative interpretations of sacred texts \u2014all of which alarmed the authorities. As a result, many countries introduced prior censorship: texts had to be <\/span>submitted<\/span> for approval before printing, and printers needed an official licen<\/span><\/span>c<\/span><\/span><\/span>e to publish any work. In France, for example, only a handful of printers were authorised to publish books, and every <\/span>book required<\/span> royal privilege<\/span> before it could be published.<\/span> In England, Parliament passed the Licensing Order in 1643, which required authors to register their works before printing. Even officially approved texts could later be banned: in Spain, for example, philosophical works <\/span>allowed<\/span> under Charles III were <\/span>later censored<\/span> under Charles IV.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

These systems created a climate of constant self-censorship and surveillance. Many authors toned down their texts in anticipation of censorship<\/span>;<\/span>\u00a0others published abroad, and some \u2014such as Jovellanos\u2014 circulated manuscripts clandestinely to avoid persecution.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Yet despite these efforts at control, the circulation of banned texts was never fully suppressed. Instead, it gave rise to a clandestine publishing scene. In countries like the Netherlands and Switzerland, where the<\/span>se<\/span> regulations were not as strict, forbidden books were printed and then distributed covertly across Europe.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

Censorship in Spain<\/b><\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Spain was one of the first countries to introduce the printing press, around 1470, but it did so under intense scrutiny. The Inquisition supervised not only religious content\u00a0<\/span><\/span>but <\/span>profane <\/span>works that could be <\/span>deemed<\/span> <\/span>immoral<\/span><\/span><\/span> or subversive. In the 16th and 17th centuries, censorship particularly targeted literary works originating from Italy. Works such as Giovanni Florentino\u2019s <\/span><\/span>Il <\/span>Pecorone<\/span><\/i><\/span> or some editions of Jacopo <\/span>Sannazaro\u2019s<\/span> <\/span>La Arcadia<\/i><\/span><\/span> were banned for their amorous or sensual tone, which was seen as inappropriate by Catholic moral standards.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Censorship did not only apply to entire books<\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span><\/span> but also to specific passages, words<\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span><\/span> or even names. Surviving copies from the period often show crossings-out, substitutions, and partial rewritings<\/span><\/span>\u2014<\/span><\/span> especially in texts <\/span>containing<\/span> references to religion, politics, or sexuality. The archives of Spain\u2019s National Library preserve specific instructions such as: \u201cCross out the name of Venus due to its lascivious connotation.\u201d <\/span>Furthermore<\/span>, to justify publication and avoid reprisal, translators and editors often added moral warnings or critical commentary. Statements like \u201cThis text is offered as an example of the mistakes to be avoided\u201d or \u201cI translate solely for educational purposes\u201d served as strategies to distance the author from the content.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

The Transition Towards Liberalism and Press Freedom<\/b> <\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

It was not until the 19th century that Spain began to break away from this long-standing tradition of censorship. In 1810, <\/span><\/span>the <\/span><\/span>C\u00e1diz Cortes<\/i><\/span><\/span> issued a decree that legally abolished prior censorship for the first time. This shift was not only legal but also conceptual: Spain transitioned from a system of preventative control to one of post-publication accountability<\/span>. Authors no longer needed permission to publish their <\/span><\/span>work, <\/span><\/span><\/span>but<\/span><\/span><\/span> they <\/span><\/span><\/span>could still be prosecuted (and even imprisoned) if their content <\/span>was<\/span> deemed<\/span> to undermine religion, morality, or national security. <\/span>The aim was to encourage public debate and a free political press at a time when Spain was <\/span>attempting<\/span> to legitimise its new constitutional regime. However, this period of relative freedom was short-lived: in 1814, with the restoration of absolutism under Ferdinand VII, prior censorship was reinstated, and those who had taken advantage of that brief period of freedom were actively persecuted.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Over the following decades, <\/span>press freedom gradually expanded. Yet many censorship practices, rather than <\/span><\/span>disappearing<\/span><\/span><\/span>, adapted to new political contexts. Under Franco\u2019s<\/span> regime, for instance, the revision and censorship of literary translations remained in place under the control of the Ministry of Information, <\/span>which continued practices rooted in inquisitorial and absolutist traditions<\/span>. This historical continuity <\/span><\/span>helps to <\/span><\/span><\/span>explain<\/span><\/span>\u00a0the complexity of the history of free speech in Spain.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Maddi Orue Azpiazu<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The arrival of the printing press in 1450 revolutionised the\u00a0production of books and changed the way ideas circulated across society. For the first time, works that had once been confined to monasteries or private libraries could be reproduced and made available to a much wider audience. However, religious and political authorities regarded this innovation with … Leer m\u00e1s<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":6557,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6556","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-translation-and-interpretation-services"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t