Mercurius Aulicus was one of the "most important early newspapers

Newspaper

A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...

" in England, famous during the English Civil War

English Civil War

The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...

 for its role in Royalist propaganda.

Creation

The Mercurius Aulicus newspaper originated during the English Civil War

English Civil War

The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...

 from a suggestion by George Digby

George Digby, 2nd Earl of Bristol

George Digby, 2nd Earl of Bristol was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1640 until 1641 when he was raised to the House of Lords...

, a key advisor to King Charles I, that the Royalist faction needed a method for promoting their views in Parliament-held London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

. As a result the publication was established in January 1643 - it is variously termed either a newspaper

Newspaper

A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...

 or a newsbook - the latter being an alternative term for this form of weekly news publication in a quarto

Book size

The size of a book is generally measured by the height against the width of a leaf, or sometimes the height and width of its cover. A series of terms is commonly used by libraries and publishers for the general sizes of modern books, ranging from "folio" , to "quarto" and "octavo"...

 format.

John Birkenhead

John Birkenhead

Sir John Birkenhead or Berkenhead was a British political writer and journalist, imprisoned several times during the Commonwealth for his obtrusive royalism....

, a Fellow of All Souls College in Oxford, was appointed editor of the newspaper, receiving updates on events around the country from Digby's contacts, although his colleague Peter Heylin

Peter Heylin

Peter Heylin or Heylyn was an English ecclesiastic and author of many polemical, historical, political and theological tracts. He incorporated his political concepts into his geographical books Microcosmus in 1621 and Cosmographie .-Life:He was born in Burford, Oxfordshire, the son of Henry Heylyn...

 appears to have done much of the practical editing himself. The Mercurius Aulicus was printed in Oxford, which was at this time during the war the Royalist capital, for a penny

Penny

A penny is a coin or a type of currency used in several English-speaking countries. It is often the smallest denomination within a currency system.-Etymology:...

 a copy, then smuggled into London where it was sold on by local women, often at heavily inflated prices. It was also reprinted on occasion - albeit not necessarily accurately - by local sympathisers in London itself. When logistics made it impossible to print a copy for several weeks, Birkenhead would resort to including gaps in page numbers and issues to give the impression that the reader had merely missed a specific copy that had no doubt been delivered elsewhere across the country satisfactorily.

Impact on the industry

The Mercurius Aulicus has been considered one of the 'most important early newspapers' in England. The newspaper revolutionised the industry in England, initiating the idea of popular journalism as a political tool for dividing and mobilising popular opinion. Prior to the Mercurius, newspapers had purported to portray facts, avoiding commentary on current events - by contrast, the Mercurius represented the Laudian

William Laud

William Laud was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1633 to 1645. One of the High Church Caroline divines, he opposed radical forms of Puritanism...

, or more extreme, end of Royalist opinion, openly smearing and mocking its opponents in a way that was quite novel for the period.

Final days

The publication began to go downhill from 1644 onwards. As the Royalist defeats on the battlefield continued, the Oxford publication found it harder and harder to obtain current news and issues became badly delayed. The Mercurius Aulicus finally closed in 1645.