Norfish 07 German Herring Fishery 1520– 1790

Arguably the greatest impact on the German herring fishery in the period 1520-1790 was the fact that Germany was a conglomeration of small Principalities and Protectorates under the loose leadership of a Holy Roman Emperor which radically changed during the Reformation. Instigated by Martin Luther in 1521 the act of protestation against the Roman Catholic Church’s engagement in political and state affairs led to the Peasant’s War of 1524-25. The upshot of this process was a printing revolution which saw more than 10,000 pamphlet titles published by 1530, spreading the religious and political message of reform and change to the population (Edwards 1994).