Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online

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Footnote
(740 words)

A footnote is a notation, such as a commentary or a reference to literature or sources, placed at the bottom of the page for ease of reading, usually in a smaller font. They are indexed in the main text by means of superscript numbers or special symbols like the asterisk.

The glosses and annotations in medieval theological and juristic literature can be seen as the forerunners of the footnote. With the invention of printing, printed marginalia represented a further progression. As well as clarifications and notes on sources, these marginalia also contained comm…

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Rosenke, Stephan, “Footnote”, in: Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online, Editors of the English edition: Graeme Dunphy, Andrew Gow. Original German Edition: Enzyklopädie der Neuzeit. Im Auftrag des Kulturwissenschaftlichen Instituts (Essen) und in Verbindung mit den Fachherausgebern herausgegeben von Friedrich Jaeger. Copyright © J.B. Metzlersche Verlagsbuchhandlung und Carl Ernst Poeschel Verlag GmbH 2005–2012. Consulted online on 19 March 2024 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2352-0272_emho_SIM_019583>
First published online: 2015
First print edition: 20180126



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