Testimony mentions “materials pertaining to printing,”
including a press, Formen (a word for type), and a pur-
chase of metal. These items suggest that Gutenberg was
working out the printing process, but no printed material
has survived to support this theory.
After Gutenberg returned to Mainz, his efforts at
printing continued. Another lawsuit, the so-called
Helmasperger Instrument of 1455, connects Gutenberg
with the Gutenberg Bible. Johann Fust, a Mainz busi-
nessman, sued Gutenberg to recover loans made in 1450
and 1452 for expenses incurred in making equipment,
paying wages, and purchasing parchment paper and ink
for “the work of the books.” This document combined
with analysis of the paper and its watermarks, the ink,
and typography in the Gutenberg Bible lead to the
conclusion that Gutenberg, aided by several assistants,
including future printers Peter Schoeffer, Berthold
Ruppel, and Heinrich Kefer, printed this Bible between
1450 and 1455.
Attribution of other printed books to Gutenberg is
more problematic. He probably continued printing in
Mainz. He has been connected with several works in
the so-called “B36” group that used a larger and less
refi ned Gothic font than the Gutenberg Bible. He has
also been associated with a Mainz press that produced
a Latin dictionary known as the Catholicon in 1460.
However, the aesthetic and technical quality of the
Gutenberg Bible makes this book the high point of his
achievement.
Further Reading
Fuhrmann, Otto W. Gutenberg and the Strasbourg Documents of
1439. New York: Press of the Wooly Whale, 1940.
Gutenberg, Aventur und Kunst: Vom Geheimunternehmen zur
ersten Medienrevolution. Das offi zielle Buch der Stadt Mainz
zum Gutenbergjahr. Mainz: Schmidt, 2000.
Ing, Janet Thompson. Johann Gutenberg and His Bible: A His-
torical Study. New York: Typophiles, 1988.
Kapr, Albert. Johann Gutenberg: The Man and his Invention.
trans. Douglas Martin. Aldershot, England: Scolar Press,
1996.
McMurtrie, Douglas C., ed. and trans. The Gutenberg Documents:
With translations of the texts into English, based with authority
on the compilation by Dr. Karl Schorbach. New York: Oxford
University Press, 1941.
Ruppel, Aloys. Johannes Gutenberg: Sein Leben und sein Werk.
3d ed. Nieuwkoop: B. de Graaf, 1967.
Scholderer, Victor. Johann Gutenberg: The Inventor of Printing.
2d ed. London: British Museum, 1970.
Karen Gould
GUZMÁN, DOMINGO DE
(c. 1170-1221)
Domingo’s birth at Calaruega, Castile, about 1170 and
his infancy were said to have been attended by marvels
forecasting his sanctity and great achievements. From
the ages of seven to fourteen he studied under the tute-
lage of his uncle, the archpriest Gumiel de Izán. In 1184
Domingo entered the University of Palencia, where he
remained as a student for ten years. On one occasion he
sold his books to help the poor and homeless of Palencia.
His biographer, Bartholomew of Trent, says that he twice
tried to sell himself into slavery to raise money to free
captives held by the Moors.
The date of Domingo’s ordination to the priesthood
is unknown. He was a student at Palencia when Martín
de Bazán, bishop of Osma, called him to be a member
of the cathedral chapter and to assist in its reform. In
recognition of his success, Domingo was appointed sub-
prior of the reformed chapter. On the accession of Diego
de Azevedo to the bishopric of Osma in 1201, Domingo
became prior of the chapter. As a canon of Osma, he
spent nine years in contemplation, scarcely ever leaving
the chapter house. In 1203 King Alfonso IX of Castile
deputized the bishop of Osma to ask for the hand of a
Danish princess on behalf of his son, Prince Fernando.
The bishop chose Domingo to accompany him. Passing
through Toulouse, they witnessed with consternation the
effects of the Albigensian heresy. As a result Domingo
conceived the idea of founding an order for combat-
ing heresy and spreading the Gospel by preaching
throughout the world. After completing their mission
in 1204, Diego and Domingo went to Rome, and from
there they were sent by Pope Innocent III to join forces
with the Cistercians, who had been entrusted with the
crusade against the Albigensians. The pair quickly saw
that the failure of the Cistercians was due to the monks’
indulgent habits, and prevailed upon them to adopt a
more austere life. The result was a greatly increased
number of converts. Theological disputations played
a prominent part in the preaching to the heretics, and
Domingo and his companion lost no time in engaging
in them. Unable to refute his arguments or counteract
the infl uence of his preaching, the heretics often made
Domingo the target of insults and threats.
Domingo realized the need for an institution that
would protect women from the infl uence of the heretics.
Many of them had already embraced Albigensianism
and were among its most active advocates. With the per-
mission of Foulque, bishop of Toulouse, he established a
convent for women at Prouille in 1206. To this commu-
nity he gave the rule and constitution that to the present
day guide the nuns of the Second Order of Saint Domi-
nic. On 15 January 1208 Pierre de Castelnau, a Cister-
cian legate, was assassinated, an event that precipitated
the Albigensian Crusade under Simon de Montfort and
led to the temporary subjugation of the heretics. Dur-
ing the crusade Domingo followed the Catholic army,
seeking to revive religion and reconcile heretics in the
cities that capitulated to Montfort. In September 1209
he came into direct contact with Montfort and formedGUZMÁN, DOMINGO DE