Evangelical prints by Lawrence Mitzler de Kolof and Michael Gröll

An important aspect of the publishing activities of two Warsaw printers, Wawrzyniec Mitzler de Kolof and Michał Gröll, was the production of works serving the Evangelical Churches (Lutheran and Reformed) and articulating Evangelical positions to a broader public. Both printers engaged with confessional issues, yet pursued distinct strategies operating under differing political conditions. Under Augustus III, Mitzler de Kolof cautiously advocated for religious tolerance, issuing a limited number of Evangelical publications, often anonymously or under typographical disguises. Following the reinstatement of religious tolerance under Stanisław August Poniatowski, Michał Gröll openly published Evangelical works. Besides standard publications, such as sermons and occasional prayers, Gröll provided his presses for the Sielec Union and the Warsaw church consistory, both in conflict with segments of the Evangelical nobility opposed to increasing the burghers’ influence over church governance.