Medieval censorship

Medieval Censorship

Introduction

Censorship in the Middle Ages (11-15th centuries) was present and persistent. Throughout this time period there were pockets of censorship in the public sphere as well as in the academic setting. In the more public setting, censorship came in several different forms, but most included the censorship of texts and pamphlets. In the academic sphere, following the construction of the University, and the re-introduction of Aristotelian thought, censorship intensified. The initial re-introduction of Aristotelian thought did not come about without resistance. At around this time the Medieval university began to diversify the contents of the academic curriculum, and the university as it was then known, changed. Universities began to offer differing courses and majors that all came about mainly due to the reemergence of Aristotle's teachings.

Types

There were several different types of censorship in the Medieval Era. There was the physical enforcement of censorship. This included guards and soldiers of whichever medieval country or nation physically going around the city and countryside enforcing the censorship that was in effect.

A few other instances of censorship would fall under the burning of libraries. In the Medieval world, texts and manuscripts were kept safely in the world's libraries, usually located in a capital or large city. In some instances, the burning of a library was accidental, while in others very intentional. Whether the burning of entire libraries and the contents kept within was intentional or not, those precious few, or in some cases last, texts and manuscripts were lost forever. Before the invention of the printing press by Johann Gutenberg in 1450, texts and manuscripts had to be copied by hand, which was very time-consuming, and only a few texts that were used often and in many locations were copied. This left the texts and manuscripts that were not translated in the libraries, and so when the libraries went up in flames, the priceless and precious few texts and manuscripts were burned. Following the invention of the printing press, the organized burning of books as a form of censorship passed into the realm of just being symbolic as opposed to actually accomplishing censorship. The amount of copies the printing press’ were churning out very quickly outpaced the censorship that preceded the printing press.

There were also several events which involved the organized mass burning of books as a form of censorship, usually when a government, king, queen, Pope, religion etc., rejected or outright denied a book or text to be published. That book or text would be systemically destroyed by search and destroy tactics, which was usually religiously or government backed with the outlawing of a certain text or book. This tactic would continue a downward spiral in terms of a form of censorship.

Another tactic used by religious and government entities was the actual physical imprisonment of certain persons. These persons in the medieval era were often of a scientific spectrum. The increasing number of clashes between religion and the scientific world would ultimately lead to more and more capture of notable scientists. These scientists often times had, for the medieval era, controversial theories that were in direct opposition to the then dominant religious explanation of the world and space. These scientists would often be captured by state governments, kings or religious institutions, and either be forced to stop their works or face punishment. The medieval Christian church often would seek to eradicate the books and texts that spread these “new” scientific theories; the church would succeed in some instances and fail in others (Masterson, section - Middle Ages).

Material being censored

Religious texts

These texts were censored in a few instances in medieval history. Jewish literature was often a target for censorship and destruction by the medieval Christian church and its Popes. As with many other books and texts, following the invention of the printing press by Johann Gutenberg, the systemic destruction of Hebrew texts became nothing but a gesture. In the early 16th century the Bible was translated into English by William Tyndale. The Church of England became enraged by this translation of a traditionally Latin text to English. The Church of England preferred a Latin only bible, as the leaders of the church were the only few in England who could read and understand Latin. This would effectively funnel followers of the church through the leaders, as opposed to letting the English speaking followers interpret the content of the Bible for themselves. This would keep the power of the church to the select and privileged few who could read Latin.

Scientific Theory

Throughout the medieval era, the continual censorship of scientific discovery and theory became more intense as the amount of scientific experiments being conducted increased. The Catholic Church heavily censored the findings and theories of Galileo Galilei, which were in direct opposition to what the church had said was fact about the Earth and Space.

Censors

Throughout the medieval era, the Christian Church was one of the largest sources of censorship in nearly all of Europe and wherever the church’s reach extended to. There were also countries, kings and queens who also committed serious acts of censorship. The Christian Church often censored material and certain individuals who would release information that was contradictory to what the church believed and preached. This would lead to many instances of the Church being involved in the censorship of scientists, philosophers, and material from other religious institutions. When kings and queens would involve themselves with the censoring of material or people, it would most likely involve the censoring of individuals because of the way they talked about the leader of that country. When someone would speak ill or badly about a king, that person was usually captured, tortured and executed. In the feudal system of Europe, there was near absolute power for whoever sat on the throne. So when an individual or group of people would speak openly and negatively about the king, consequences were swift and deadly.

Effects

From the censorship of the medieval era, there are several effects that can still be understood and relevant to even today's population.

• The various burnings of libraries through the medieval world would ultimately result in the loss of thousands upon thousands of texts and manuscripts.

(Masterson, section - Middle Ages)

• The printing press was invented and thus made it possible to outpace book burnings and make such book burnings obsolete as a form of censorship. After this invention, book burnings were simply symbolic gestures. (Masterson, section - Middle Ages)

• In the 16th century, Martin Luther translated the Catholic bible into German, with the intention to educate and make the German population able to read the bible for themselves. This angered the Pope and this version was banned in 1624. This instance of censorship would lead to the creation of the Lutheran Church.

References

• Weatherford, Jack (2004). "Excerpts from "Genghis Khan & the Making of the Modern World"". http://www.mongolianculture.com/. Crown Publishers, Random House. Retrieved 13 May 2014.

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