Proclamation Against Certain Seditious and Schismatical Books and Libels

What it is

This is a printed proclamation issued in the name of Elizabeth I in 1588, printed in London by Christopher Barker. It condemns people who wrote, printed or secretly spread books and libels that the queen's government judged seditious and religiously divisive.

Why it matters

The document shows Elizabeth I using her royal authority to control what could be printed and read, especially writings seen as a threat to the Church of England and royal government. It is direct evidence of how the Elizabethan state tried to manage religious dissent and censor the printing press, a powerful new technology of the time.

Look closer

• Why would a government in this period worry so much about printed books and pamphlets?
• What words does the proclamation use to describe its opponents, and what does that tell you about the queen's view of them?
• Whose voices are missing from this official document?