31-line Indulgence

Earliest precisely dated surviving European movable-type indulgence is issued

The oldest precise date attached to European typography survives because a mother and son had their names handwritten onto a mass-produced form.

22 October 1454, at Erfurt

A surviving copy of the so-called 31-line Indulgence was issued at Erfurt on 22 October 1454 to Margaretha Kremer and her son Johann. It supplies the earliest precise surviving date associated with European typography.

The landmark object was not a book but a single vellum leaf about 21 × 26 cm: a preprinted form granting a plenary indulgence to contributors supporting the defence of Cyprus against an Ottoman siege, with blanks left for the purchaser's name, place and date.

Printed in bulk, finished by hand

The indulgence campaign needed many standardized documents, and movable type let the fixed Latin text be reproduced while the particulars were entered when each form was issued. The 31-line edition survives in multiple issued copies dated between 22 October 1454 and 30 April 1455 — the University of Copenhagen reports 46 known survivors.

Because this copy was issued hundreds of kilometres from Mainz, Princeton concludes the form must have been printed at least several days earlier: the date proves printing happened no later than 22 October, not that a press ran that day.

What the form does not say

The sheet does not name Gutenberg. Its workshop attribution rests on typographical evidence and historical reconstruction, so confident phrasing about 'the press of Johannes Gutenberg' claims more than the document itself supports.

Older scholarship cited 12 or 15 November 1454 before earlier copies were identified; the 22 October example is now the strongest precise terminus for European movable-type printing.

Sources

Researched 23 Aug 2026 5 sources 3 audit passes Date disputed

How this was checked

Researched from the web into a fact sheet, rewritten from that sheet, then audited against it by a different model. How the pipeline works →

Date disputed. Sources disagree; the research places it at 1454-10-22.

What the sources leave uncertain

The exact issue date and recipients are solid because they were entered on the surviving form. The date on which the blank form was actually printed is unknown and must have preceded 22 October.
The form itself does not name Gutenberg. Its workshop attribution rests on typographical evidence and historical reconstruction, so the title’s categorical attribution to 'the press of Johannes Gutenberg' is stronger than the evidence warrants.
Some older scholarship cited 12 or 15 November 1454 because earlier copies had not yet been identified; Princeton’s 22 October example is now the strongest precise terminus.
The day and names were written into blank spaces rather than being wholly typeset as part of the press run.