A Messrelation (IPA: /ˈmɛsʀɛlaˌt͡si̯oːn/,
Early Modern German
Early New High German (ENHG) is a term for the period in the history of the German language generally defined, following Wilhelm Scherer, as the period 1350 to 1650.
The term is the standard translation of the German (Fnhd., Frnhd.), introduce ...
for 'trade fair report') was a print published in the 16th to 18th century for the book fairs in
Frankfurt
Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , " Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on it ...
and
Leipzig
Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as ...
(the largest in Europe at their time) which reported news about political and military news since the last fair. ''Messrelationen'' are seen as precursors to modern
newspapers
A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background.
Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, sports ...
as they were the first printed news media to be published
periodically.
The
Austrian
Austrian may refer to:
* Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent
** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law
* Austrian German dialect
* Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...
scholar
Michael von Aitzing (ca. 1530–1598) is commonly seen as their inventor, having published for the first time a ''Relatio Historica'' ('Historical Report', printed in
Cologne
Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...
) at the autumn 1583 book fair in Frankfurt, in which he related the events in the
Low Countries
The term Low Countries, also known as the Low Lands ( nl, de Lage Landen, french: les Pays-Bas, lb, déi Niddereg Lännereien) and historically called the Netherlands ( nl, de Nederlanden), Flanders, or Belgica, is a coastal lowland region in N ...
since February 1580 on 144
quarto
Quarto (abbreviated Qto, 4to or 4º) is the format of a book or pamphlet produced from full sheets printed with eight pages of text, four to a side, then folded twice to produce four leaves. The leaves are then trimmed along the folds to produc ...
pages. This was a huge success and from 1588 Aitzing published his "relations" twice a year, for the Easter book fair at Leipzig and for the autumn book fair at Frankfurt. Since 1590, competitors published their own ''Messrelationen''. The first one from Frankfurt was published in 1591 (running until 1806), the first one from Leipzig in 1605 (running until 1730).
The historian Ulrich Rosseaux argues „to view the ''Messrelationen'' as a separate type of Early Modern media whose essential properties are the periodicity, respectability and compactness of its reports. From the perspective of their publishers, they acted as a continuously amended chronicle of the present and therefore a constitutive part of contemporaneous historiography.“
The ''Messrelationen'', which encompassed on average 100 pages, drew their news from correspondents or (non-periodical) newssheets (''Newe Zeytungen''). Often they contained reports by postmasters, merchants or travellers.
References
{{reflist
Further reading
* Juliane Glüer: ''Meßrelationen um 1600 - ein neues Medium zwischen aktueller Presse und Geschichtsschreibung. Ein textsortengeschichtliche Untersuchung''
essrelationen around 1600 - a new medium between contemporary press and historiography. An inquiry into the history of text types(2000).
* Esther-Beate Körber: ''Messrelationen. Geschichte der deutsch- und lateinischsprachigen "messentlichen" Periodika von 1588 bis 1805''
essrelationen. A History of German- and Latin-language trade-fair periodicals from 1588 till 1805(2016).
* Ulrich Rosseaux: "Die Entstehung der Meßrelationen. Zur Entwicklung eines frühneuzeitlichen Nachrichtenmediums aus der Zeitgeschichtsschreibung des 16. Jahrhunderts"
he emergence of Messrelationen. On the development of an Early Modern news medium from the 16th century historiography of the present in ''Historisches Jahrbuch'' 124 (2004), pp. 97–123.
* Rudolf Stöber: ''Deutsche Pressegeschichte. Einführung, Systematik, Glossar''
History of German press. Introduction, Classification, Glossary(2000).
External links
Central database of 16th century German prints often provides digital copies. Search for ''Relatio historica''.
Central database of 17th century German prints often provides digital copies. Search e.g. for ''Messrelation''.
History of journalism