This workshop is the first in a series of three on ‘freedom of speech’ in late medieval and early modern Europe. Drawing together research from several European countries in the period 1300-1700, the series will reveal various perspectives on pre-modern free speech. Although freedom of speech, ‘the right to express beliefs and ideas without unwarranted government restriction’, was by no means a fundamental right in the late middle ages and early modern period, expressions of critical opinions towards power were always possible and often widespread. They could be uttered verbally, through the spoken or written word, but also through other sign systems and media, ranging from the sound of musical instruments to heraldic languages.