Radical Protestant Propaganda of the Thirty Years' War

designed to further the pamphlet’s textual argument to any significant extent. This is in
direct contrast to the broadsheet’s graphic, which both complemented the text and made
its message more emphatic. 48
The producers of the broadsheets made sure that the illustration would appeal to
customers and be a successful commercial product by using images that were well-known to
the audience. These images included well-known figures such as Martin Luther, the
depiction of humans as animals that carried specific connotations in the early modern
period, and objects which had religious or moral overtones. The play on familiar themes and
imagery was not only designed to attract the audience, but also a means to make sure that
the message of the broadsheet was successfully conveyed. Propagandists wanted their
material to be easily deciphered, and to this end both the imagery of the broadsheets, as
well as the text of both types of propaganda media, were adapted to the knowledge and the
capabilities of the audience. 49
Structure of Dissertation
Each chapter focuses on the presentation of a Protestant or Catholic leader in radical
propaganda. The first two chapters focus on the portrayal of the foreign allies, with chapter
one dedicated to Bethlen Gabor, and chapter two to Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden.
Chapters three and four, the final chapters of the dissertation, concentrate on the radical
writers’ depiction of Maximilian of Bavaria and Ferdinand II.
All chapters have a similar structure. They begin with a section explaining the historical
background which includes the most important biographical details of each of the four
rulers. This is followed by a section on primary materials, which details the context of the
48 Heesen, p. 358.
49 Heesen, pp. 358-61.
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