The Pamphlet: The Tool That Allowed the Reformation to Succeed

Print and the Reformation share a codependent relationship that was built through Martin Luther. The printing industry was dependent on the church and the state for a steady income. Publishers who have taken the risk and worked with Martin Luther did not know that eventually the printing of Luther’s work would allow them to breakthrough by having a great number of published pamphlets in a very short period of time. Luther’s thoughts were intended for a greater number of readers who did not fall under the same consumer market that read solely the books of the church or the state. Nevertheless, Luther’s righting required “shorter, simpler books, cheaper to produce, in German rather than Latin, and selling to local audiences” (Pettegree, 982). Therefore, the new printing technology, the pamphlet has been born. The publishers who agreed on producing Luther’s work have worked on refining the design of the pamphlet where it can be more attractive, easier to print, easier to read, and sustainable. However, the greatest design invention towards the pamphlet was the title page designed by Lucas Cranach. 

The cherry on top in Luther’s growing printing network was Lucas Cranach. Cranach, originally an artist who has created many portraits of Martin Luther (including the Augustian Monk portrait found in this exhibition), is a major figure in the printing industry of Wittenberg.  Cranch has introduced new forms of printing design such as the introduction of having a title page frame that has only one woodcut. Without the support and alliance of Luther with Cranach, it would have been difficult to have Luther become the most published author at that time. Luther had already created good relationships with other printers such as: Melchior Lotter Jr. prior to working with Cranach, however, since Cranach was a dominant figure in the printing industry of Wittenberg who has perfected the design of a the cover page, a combination of Luther’s words and Cranach’s design has fulfilled both Luther’s agenda and generate greater profit of Cranach. Together they have created “brand Luther” where “both booksellers and their customers were keenest to get hold of” (Pettegree,986).  If we would pick a symbol for the Revolution movement it would be the pamphlet. The introduction of new ideas especially if it is against the teachings of a stable establishment such as the Christian Church, a new method of communication must be used to compete with or advance against the traditional methods of information circulation. The Pamphlet has proven to be this tool that carried a speed and effectiveness that the traditional book usually printed by the church did not. Luther became the most published author and the most read within a decade to an extent that counter-Reformation authors began to also use pamphlets to fight back the ideas of the Reformation as other methods of communication has failed to compete with it.