Johann Carolus facts for kids

Title page of the Relation from 1609

Johann Carolus (born March 26, 1575 – died August 15, 1634) was a German publisher. He is famous for creating what many consider the world's first newspaper. This newspaper was called Relation aller Fürnemmen und gedenckwürdigen Historien. That means "Account of all distinguished and commemorable stories."

The Relation is recognized by the World Association of Newspapers as the first newspaper. Many experts agree with this. Carolus published his German-language newspaper in Strasbourg. At that time, Strasbourg was a special "free imperial city" within the Holy Roman Empire.

Life of Johann Carolus

Johann Carolus was born in 1575. His birthplace was Muhlbach-sur-Munster. This town was part of the Holy Roman Empire. His father was a priest.

Carolus learned to be a bookbinder. Later, he worked as a bookseller. He also worked as a scribe, writing out news reports. He even owned a print shop.

These jobs helped him a lot. As a scribe, he met many postmen and traders. They gave him important news. This helped him create his newspaper, the Relation, in 1605. Carolus passed away in Strasbourg in 1634.

When Was the First Newspaper Printed?

For a long time, people thought Carolus's newspaper started in 1609. But in 2005, new proof was found. The World Association of Newspapers accepted this new evidence. It showed the Relation began printing in 1605.

This important discovery happened in the 1980s. A special paper written by Carolus was found. It was in the Strasbourg Municipal Archive. This paper is like the birth certificate for newspapers.

In this paper, Carolus explained his work. He used to get handwritten news reports every week. Copying them took a lot of time. He then bought a printing workshop. This allowed him to print the news much faster. He wrote that he had been printing the news for several weeks already.

Soon after the Relation, other newspapers started appearing. One famous one was the Avisa Relation oder Zeitung.

What Makes a Newspaper a Newspaper?

Experts define a newspaper by several key features. These include:

• Publicity: It must be made for everyone to read.
• Seriality: It must be part of a series, not just a one-time thing.
• Periodicity: It must come out regularly, like every week.
• Currency: It must share recent news and events.

If we use these rules, the Relation was the first European newspaper.

However, some historians have different ideas. Stanley Morison, a historian of printing, had another view. He thought the Relation was more like a "newsbook." This is because it looked like a book. It was printed in a quarto size. The text was in one wide column.

By Morison's definition, the first newspaper would be the Dutch Courante uyt Italien, Duytslandt, &c. from 1618. But many experts, including the World Association of Newspapers, do not use his definition. They still see Carolus's Relation as the world's first newspaper.

See also

In Spanish: Johann Carolus para niños