Postal regulations(728 words)
In the first centuries of the early modern period, postal regulations were an important instrument of standardization; beside standardizing distances and units of time, they also regulated their fares and conduct in the communication space – of both the functionaries of the mail and their customers. The uppermost goal of the postal regulations was the smooth functioning of the highly specialized mounted messengers and mail coaches on which the European communication system was based before the advent of the railway.
While an alleged body of French postal regulations f…
Cite this page
Behringer, Wolfgang,
“Postal regulations”, 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 30 May 2023 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2352-0272_emho_SIM_025772>
First published online: 2015
First print edition: 20210107
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