In 2022, church historian Thomas Kaufmann published his highly acclaimed study Die Druckmacher, in which he argued that the spread and popularization of printing in the first half of the 16th century sparked a media revolution. This revolution was driven by a generation of young men, the “Luther Generation.” They turned printed materials into mass-produced goods, thereby triggering a sweeping cultural upheaval and bringing about lasting changes in public communication. Through printed works, information and sensational news circulated, journalistic battles were waged, and, not least, the ideas of the Reformation were disseminated.

Basic research in recent years has increasingly highlighted the importance of another medium for the establishment of Reformation thought and the formation of denominational communities: the letter. For in the 16th century, travel was arduous and time-consuming, making personal visits correspondingly burdensome. At the same time, it was a period of political, social, and religious upheaval, during which the need for news and the importance of news flows increased significantly.

In his evening lecture “Correspondence and the Media Revolution in the 16th Century,” Thomas Kaufmann will examine the relationship between these two media, both of which were crucial to the success of the Reformation. The lecture will take place as part of the symposium “Communication, Conflict, and Community. Early Modern Theological Correspondence in the Southwest of the Empire,” organized by the “Theological Correspondence” research project at the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities.

The lecture is open to the public; admission is free.

About the Speaker:

Church historian Thomas Kaufmann assumed the Chair of Church History at the University of Göttingen in 2000. He has been a member of the Göttingen Academy of Sciences since 2002. Since 2024, he has served as the scientific director of the Göttingen State and University Library. In addition to two honorary doctorates, he has received, among other honors, the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Award from the DFG (2020) and the Werner Heisenberg Medal from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (2023). Since 2020, he has also been a Corresponding Fellow of the British Academy.