''La Gazette'' (), originally ''Gazette de France'', was the first weekly

magazine A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinatio ...

published in France. It was founded by

Théophraste Renaudot Théophraste Renaudot (; December 158625 October 1653) was a French physician, philanthropist, and journalist. Born in Loudun, Renaudot received a doctorate of medicine from the University of Montpellier in 1606. He returned to Loudon where he ...

and published its first edition on 30 May 1631. It progressively became the mouthpiece of one royalist faction, the Legitimists.

Pascal Ory Pascal Ory (born 31 July 1948) is a French historian. A student of René Rémond, he specialises in cultural and political history and has written on Fascism ever since his master's dissertation on the Greenshirts of Henri Dorgères. In the 1 ...

, "La nouvelle droite fin de siècle" in ''Nouvelle histoire des idées politiques'' (dir. P. Ory), Hachette Pluriel 1987, pp.457-465 With the rise of modern news media and specialized and localized newspapers throughout the country in the early 20th century, ''La Gazette'' was finally discontinued in 1915.

During the Ancien Régime

Before the advent of the printed ''Gazette'', reports on current events usually circulated as hand-written papers (''nouvelles à la main''). ''La Gazette'' quickly became the center of France for the dissemination of news, and thus an excellent means for controlling the flow of information in a highly centralized state.

Cardinal Richelieu Armand Jean du Plessis, Duke of Richelieu (; 9 September 1585 – 4 December 1642), known as Cardinal Richelieu, was a French clergyman and statesman. He was also known as ''l'Éminence rouge'', or "the Red Eminence", a term derived from the ...

and Louis XIII were frequent contributors, and until the revolution the magazine was frequently read by the nobility and aristocracy. Among the early members of the committee supervising ''La Gazette'' were Pierre d'Hozier,

Vincent Voiture Vincent Voiture (24 February 1597 – 26 May 1648), French poet and writer of prose, was the son of a rich wine merchant of Amiens. He was introduced by a schoolfellow, the count Claude d'Avaux, to Gaston, Duke of Orléans, and accompanied him ...

Guillaume Bautru Guillaume Bautru, comte de Serrant (1588, Angers – 7 March 1665, Paris) was a French satirical poet, court favourite and a protégé and diplomatic agent of cardinal Richelieu. Biography He was lord of Louvaines, conseiller d'État under ...

, and Gauthier de Costes. ''La Gazette'' had for objective to inform its readers on events from the

noble court A royal court, often called simply a court when the royal context is clear, is an extended royal household in a monarchy, including all those who regularly attend on a monarch, or another central figure. Hence, the word "court" may also be appl ...

and abroad. It was mostly focused on political and diplomatic affairs. In 1762, its name became ''Gazette de France'', with the sub title ''Organe officiel du Government royal'' (Official organ of the royal Government). The magazine was always one of the most expensive in Paris. In 1787, Charles-Joseph Panckouke already proprietary of the '' Mercure de France'' and the ''Moniteur universel''—which he had just founded—rented the magazine.

During the Revolution

''La Gazette'' remained silent about the birth of the revolution, and didn't even mention the storming of the Bastille on 14 July 1789, limiting itself to government acts. For the satisfaction of his customers, Charles-Joseph Panckouke published a supplement, ''Le Gazettin'' (little Gazette), that gave its readers summaries of debates at the National Constituent Assembly. In 1791, the ministry of foreign affairs, who owned ''La Gazette'', took it back.

Nicolas Fallet Nicolas Fallet (10 September 1746, in Langres – 22 December 1801, in Paris) was an 18th-century French playwright and journalist. Biography The son of a hatter, Fallet wrote quite a number of forgotten items, some of which were not without m ...

was named director and it became a tribune for the Girondists. He was succeeded by

Sébastien Roch Nicolas Chamfort Sébastien-Roch Nicolas, known in his adult life as Nicolas Chamfort and as Sébastien Nicolas de Chamfort (; 6 April 1741 – 13 April 1794), was a French writer, best known for his epigrams and aphorisms. He was secretary to Louis XVI's sist ...

. ''La Gazette'' became a daily magazine in 1792, 1 May. Following the execution of Louis XVI in 1793, 21 January, it was renamed ''Gazette nationale de France'' (National Gazette of France) The tone of its articles remained both very prudent and impartial.

References

Bibliography

* Jean Tulard, Jean-François Fayard, Alfred Fierro, ''Histoire et dictionnaire de la Révolution française 1789-1799'', Éditions Robert Laffont, collection ''Bouquins'', Paris, 1987.

External links

''La Gazette'' issues
in Gallica, the digital library of the BnF {{DEFAULTSORT:Gazette 1631 establishments in France 1915 disestablishments in France Political history of the Ancien Régime Arts and culture in the Ancien Régime Newspapers of the French Revolution French Third Republic Publications established in 1631 Publications disestablished in 1915 Defunct newspapers published in France

During the Ancien Régime

During the Revolution

See also

References

Bibliography

External links