| Summary: | The Gazeta de Oviedo was first published in the capital-city of Asturias on 4 June 1810 as a result of one of the many initiatives taken by the province « Supreme Junta », following the Spanish rebellion against Napoleon. From that date, at least 111 issues were printed by José Díaz Pedregal, the official printer of the Principality of Asturias. The first French invasion of the province did not put an end to this patriotic gazette since it continued to be printed by the same person until January 1810. However, the situation changed after the second and longest period of French occupation of the Principality, which lasted from January 1810 to June 1811. While the Asturian authorities fled at the approach of the enemy, the printer remained in the city, an attitude that would be afterwards considered as treason. Pedregal in fact did print a « new » Gazeta de Oviedo which served as a propaganda instrument of the French rulers of the province. Despite the fact that this gazette at the service of the French had been published regularly along six months, and notwithstanding the considerable number of copies of its 56 issues that were regularly printed, a general belief prevailed that no copy had been preserved. A fortuitous find made at the Spanish Archivo Histórico Nacional (AHN, Madrid) uncovered a complete collection of the Gazeta de Oviedo, both the original manuscripts and their printed versions. They had been gathered and presented as evidence against Pedregal, who was accused of treason before the Spanish authorities. An additional advantage of this find is provided by the drafts of the different issues containing a great deal of crossed out lines, thus suggesting some kind of self-censorship on the part of the editors. This article is intended to present and analyse the « French » Gazeta de Oviedo , paying special attention to its propagandist nature, the printer’s alleged treason, and the censorship to which it was apparently exposed.
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