''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 combinati ...
published in
France. It was founded by
Théophraste Renaudot and published its first edition on 30 May 1631. It progressively became the mouthpiece of one royalist faction, the
Legitimists
The Legitimists (french: Légitimistes) are royalists who adhere to the rights of dynastic succession to the French crown of the descendants of the eldest branch of the Bourbon dynasty, which was overthrown in the 1830 July Revolution. They r ...
.
[ Pascal Ory, "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
The news media or news industry are forms of mass media that focus on delivering news to the general public or a target public. These include news agencies, print media (newspapers, news magazines), broadcast news (radio and television), and th ...
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
Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crown. ...
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,
Guillaume Bautru, 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
The was originally a French gazette and literary magazine first published in the 17th century, but after several incarnations has evolved as a publisher, and is now part of the Éditions Gallimard publishing group.
The gazette was published f ...
'' 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
In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...
, and didn't even mention the
storming of the Bastille
The Storming of the Bastille (french: Prise de la Bastille ) occurred in Paris, France, on 14 July 1789, when revolutionary insurgents stormed and seized control of the medieval armoury, fortress, and political prison known as the Bastille. At ...
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
The Girondins ( , ), or Girondists, were members of a loosely knit political faction during the French Revolution. From 1791 to 1793, the Girondins were active in the Legislative Assembly and the National Convention. Together with the Montagnar ...
. 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 siste ...
. ''La Gazette'' became a daily magazine in 1792, 1 May. Following the execution of
Louis XVI
Louis XVI (''Louis-Auguste''; ; 23 August 175421 January 1793) was the last King of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. He was referred to as ''Citizen Louis Capet'' during the four months just before he was e ...
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.
See also
*
Ancien Régime in France
''Ancien'' may refer to
* the French word for "ancient, old"
** Société des anciens textes français
* the French for "former, senior"
** Virelai ancien
** Ancien Régime
''Ancien'' may refer to
* the French word for " ancient, old"
** Société ...
*
Charles Maurras
Charles-Marie-Photius Maurras (; ; 20 April 1868 – 16 November 1952) was a French author, politician, poet, and critic. He was an organizer and principal philosopher of ''Action Française'', a political movement that is monarchist, anti-parl ...
*
History of French newspapers
Newspapers have played a major role in French politics, economy and society since the 17th century. 1789-1815: Revolutionary era Pre- and Early Revolution
Print media played a significant role in the formation of popular public opinion towards t ...
*
List of the oldest newspapers
This list of the oldest newspapers sorts the newspapers of the world by the date of their first publication. The earliest newspapers date to 17th century Europe when printed periodicals began rapidly to replace the practice of hand-writing news ...
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'' issuesin
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