Maybe a weird/stupid question. Today we have mass media, and any new law/political scandal that happens reaches almost everyone instantly. Previously, radio broadcasts. Before telecommunications, information could go around presumably by letters, word of mouth, etc. Before even any of that, how would entire populations in, for example, the 11th century find out about new laws that were passed in their country, or if their country was going to war, and was it ever possible to communicate this fairly quickly (that is, within a week or two?)
In: 1822
Heralds. One thing to remember is that literacy rates were very low back then and most people couldn’t read or write. But spoken language was still understood by all (assuming you spoke the same language). So, heralds would be sent to local townships, the townspeople would be assembled, and the herald would verbally read off the ruler’s edicts.
One important aspect of this was decentralized leadership. Due to the limited nature of available communication channels, it simply wasn’t possible for a ruler to micromanage every aspect of their kingdom. Instead leadership was heirarchial, each leader in the heirarchy had their own domain and sphere of control, with a great deal of autonomy to act independantly of the ruler. These people would have their own heralds to pass on edicts recieved by pigeon or messenger from the ruler.
All other information would travel by rumor and word of mouth. Typically it would be travelling merchants, hunters, and returning soldiers that would bring news from the outside world. However, since most townships were small and fairly isolated, news from outside was seen as interesting, but largely unimportant.
There were other ways to communicate over long distances, but these were limited in what they could do, and usually served a more specific purpose, rather than as a means of general communication. These would be things like smoke signals, flag signaling, drums, bagpipes, horns, or signal beacons. Most of which were used to relay orders to large formations of troops, communication between ships at sea, or to signal important events. Believe it or not, some of these methods are still used today as a backup for electronic communication systems.
Another thing that people take for granted and don’t think of as “communication” is signs & symbols. Even if people can’t read, they can still recognize and interpret commonly used symbols. One thing that helps provide effective communication is a standardization of such symbols. For example, an established standard could be that all heralds must wear blue striped pants, and a purple sache with a golden broach stamped with the king’s coat of arms. This way anyone in any village of the kingdom would be able to easily recognize the king’s herald, and know that they speak with the authority of the king.
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