So in writing this post (which really is just an attempt to come out on top of what I've imagined as a race between Alex and myself to see who ends up with more blog posts... just kidding), I figured I would give a basic overview of the sections of my paper for general discussion.
Basically, I pinpointed the political, economic, and religious factors that impeded printing in the French world, focusing on the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.
Political/Economic:
The printing press was introduced to France in 1470, under the reign of Louis XI, the son of Charles VII, the king who Joan of Arc orchestrated the coronation of at Reims. Basically, Louis was, well, not his father. His rule was somewhat tyrannical and dangerous for those he couldn't trust, aka everyone else in politics. Louis was involved in a great deal of political criminal activity, and as such, he was an opponent rather than a supporter of greater freedom of communication between the French; as such, in contrast of governments like those in Italy who funded printing press installments/operations, Louis XI actually impeded the development of printing.
Even if Louis had wanted to fund the development of printing, he couldn't have. The French monarchy was so broke that he couldn't even have a wedding reception with his noble Scottish in-laws. Plus, everyone in France was pretty poor after the Hundred Years' War because of the effects it had on the agricultural and manufacturing industries. Basically, everyone from third estate farmers and shoemakers to much of the aristocracy was broke.
In Belgium, the constant struggle of the Germans and Spanish to gain domination in the region over the Dutch (and Belgians) resulted in their attempts to try to limit printing in the region to prevent the spread of revolutionary ideas in the Low Countries. Also, these nations had a great deal of influence on the economy of the Low Countries, so they could manipulate printing in this way.
Religious:
As we see throughout the rise of printing, printing is closely associated with university scholarship. The principal French university during this time was the Sorbonne, which was a religious university (it was frequently cited as "the" university for theology in Europe), which was under control of the papacy. Therefore, if the papacy didn't want something published, it probably didn't get published in France.
Even if it did, if the papacy *really* cared that much, they would place the work on the Index of Prohibited Books, which was followed closely in France, sometimes under government penalty for violation. And then, they'd send the French Inquisition after you, and nobody expects the French Inquisition! You thought that was the Spanish Inquisition? Well, that's just how unexpected the French Inquisition is!
you win.
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