Radical Protestant Propaganda of the Thirty Years' War

media campaign. The result was a spread of Protestant ideas that threatened to transform
the social order radically. 13 It was consequently the success of the propaganda campaign
that paved the way for the acceptance of a new, reformed faith. 14
As for trends in the Protestant propaganda of the Reformation, two patterns can be made
out in the lead-up to the Schmalkaldic War. The first trend is a concentration on the image
of the enemy, possibly instigated by Luther’s own critical stance toward the Catholic Church.
Later, as the idea of the reformed faith took hold, texts produced for public consumption
concentrate increasingly on defining Protestantism’s own self-image and on solidifying its
identity. 15 It was seen by the propagandists to be of crucial importance to focus on the sin
and danger posed by the enemy in order to convince the audience that the conflict in the
Empire was not just between one priest and the Pope. If the audience did not see Luther’s
actions to be of personal relevance to them, they would be less inclined to support him. This
is why writers widened the parameters of the debate by arguing that Luther was leading a
fight against enemies of the Gospel 16 and by extension, of Christ himself. This also helped to
protect Protestant leaders from being accused of heresy themselves. In addition to
presenting Luther as engaged in a cosmic battle, writers also played on other themes
relevant and familiar to the audience at the time, including anti-clericalism, socio-economic
complaints, proverbs, biblical images and familiar stereotypes such as darkness and light. 17
Play on the familiar was part of the Reformation propagandists’ strategy because it ensured
instant recognition of the images they used, as well as their connotations. In the light of this,
they worked with many images from popular culture at the time, including those from
13 Heintzl, p. 216.
14 Heintzl, p. 217.
15 Heintzl, p. 214.
16 See Scribner’s chapter on this, pp. 37-58.
17 Scribner, pp. 57-8.
14