„Darzu mancher Mann sich viel zu schwach unnd zu wenig Befinden wu‍[e]‌rde“

Abstract

“For which some men would have been considered far too weak and too meagre”. Women Printers and Their Activities in the Holy Roman Empire, ca. 1550 – 1700 Between 1550 and 1700, no less than 170 women ran a print shop on their own in the Holy Roman Empire and the neighbouring German speaking territories. Almost all of them were widows who had inherited a business and who continued it without ever remarrying. This study traces their activities by investigating women’s roles within print workshops as well as their legal status, their production, and their reputation. The study finds that the complex nature of the print business enabled women to play key roles in the trade already from an early age onwards. They could, for instance, help with the correction of texts, oversee the finances of the shop and make extensive business journeys. Once in charge of the whole shop, women could also build strong relationships to powerful institutions, like local governments, universities or the church, which valued a reliable print shop. In addition, women printers could acquire privileges for certain publications to defend their market shares. As funeral sermons and other publications show, the activities of these women were wide-ranging and also highly appreciated by their contemporaries.