France: From Antiquity through 1065

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EuroDocs > History of France: Primary Documents > From Antiquity through 1065

Native Tribes, Greek Colonies & Roman Gaul (prehistory - 486)

Including virtual visits to the Cave of Lascaux and the ancient town of Vienne.
(Prehistoric to antiquity; facsimiles and reproductions)
Images of a French cave containing art wonders from prehistory.
Discovered in 1994.
(Facsimile images and commentary)
Digital collection of prehistoric art images in caves near the Ariège River in France.
(Interactive access to grotto maps and photos of the art)
In Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian War, we learn that the colony of Massalia was founded by Ionian Greeks from Phocaea.
In this account of the founding, the Phocaeans defeated the Carthaginians in a naval battle.
See a Greek transcription of such naval conflicts
(ca 431 BC; English translation)
Accounts of the Keltike, clusters of tribes and linguistic groups of Central/Western Europe. Authors include Herodotus, Xenophon, Plato, etc. "People" filter can be removed for wider search results within the region.
Made available by Topos Text
(5th-1st century BC; English translation)
Livy and Polybius’ accounts of Hannibal’s campaign during the Second Punic War
Livius.org
(2nd century BC; English transcription)
Beginning in section 24, Diodorus Siculus describes the mythical origins as well as the physique, food, clothing, riches, battle tactics, and other aspects of the lives of the Ancient Gauls.
Find the book in its entirety here at LacusCurtius.
(ca mid-1st century BC; English translation)
Gaius Julius Caesar reports a critical battle in his conquest of Gaul
Selection from Caesar’s Gallic War compiled by Livius
(1st century BC; English translation)
  • Poseidonius on the Gallic Celts
The public feasts of the Celts
Gladiatorial combats at the feasts of the Celts
The parasites and bards of the Celts
The Celts cut off the heads of their enemies, and nail them to the front of their houses
Made available by Attalus Translations
(1st century BC; English translation)
From Diodorus Siculus' Library of History comes an account of Britain, Basileia, Gaul, Celtiberia, Iberia, Liguria, and Tyrrhenia
The Gauls Attack Macedonia and Delphi
Compiled by LacusCurtius
(60 BC; Greek and English translation)
Accounts of the region and people of Aquitania, a major region of Gaul. Authors include Julius Caesar, Horace, etc. "People" filter can be removed for wider search results within the region.
Made available by Topos Text
(58 BC - 488 AD; English translation)
Julius Caesar described the Druids he encountered while serving as Governor of the Roman province of Gaul
EyeWitness to History
(54 BC; English translation)
Julius Caesar's account of the Siege of Massilia, during which time the Massiliots violated their falsified treaty of surrender and burned the Romans' siege works.
From Perseus Digital Library
(49 BC; English translation)
Greek traveler Strabo’s encyclopedia on the ancient world as he knew it
Compiled by Lacus Curtius
(7 BC; Greek transcription with English translations)
Augustus brought peace to the Alps, Gaul, Spain, and Germany "without waging on any tribe an unjust war."
From The Res Gestae of Augustus at LacusCurtius
(14 AD; English, Latin and Greek translations)
Photographs and virtual reconstructions of Paris during the Roman Empire.
(Photo facsimiles and reproductions)
From Florus: Epitome of Roman History. Also available in Latin
Made available by LacusCurtius
(2nd century AD; English translation)
Transcription of Justin’s history of Marseille.
Forum Romanum
(3rd century AD; French translation)
Starting in Book II, this history includes several wars and encounters with the Gauls.
Made available by The Tertullian Project
(4th century AD; English translation)
According to Eric Goldberg, Sidonius is "the single most important surviving author from fifth-century Gaul."
(5th century; English translation)
Eucherius of Arles' In Praise of the Desert
Transcribed by Todd Ilson
(428; Latin)
Online database of sources regarding topics including the Carolingians, feudalism, economy, and Joan of Arc.
In cooperation with Fordham University
(450-1438 ; English transcription)


Frankish Kingdoms (486-987)

Old Frankish law.
(6th-9th centuries; Frankish facsimiles, English interface)
"The database is intended to inventory all texts which describe the past in a narrative way: annals, chronicles, letters, diaries, poems, saint's lives, genealogies etc."
(6-16th century; English, French, Dutch)
"The History of the Franks by Gregory, bishop of Tours, is an historical record of great importance. The events which it relates are details of the perishing of the Roman Empire and the beginning of a great modern state and for these events it is often the sole authority."
See also, a facsimile edition from Heidelberg.
From Fordham
(6th century; English translation)
The collection of Occidental manuscripts of the time from the 6th to the 20th century includes around 38,000 codices, among them predominantly 17,000 Latin and 13,000 German manuscripts, but also more than 1,000 French ones, 950 Italian ones, 650 Greek ones, 145 Spanish and Portuguese ones and 124 Slavic ones.
From Bayerische Staatsbibliothek
(6-20th century; facsimiles; English interface)
The Fredegar Chronicle provides one of the only sources about the Merovingian Dynasty after 591.
From the Digital Monumenta Germaniae Historica.
(659; Latin transcription) (Note: later facsimile of manuscript from 800 also available online)
England-France Medieval Manuscripts
800 manuscripts from the French and British national libraries with historical significance for medieval relations between the two countries.
Search manuscripts by theme, author, place, or century.
(700-1200 A.D.; Latin, Old French and Old English facsimiles)
Reproductions of manuscript illuminations and decor.
Preserved in French municipal libraries, linked in a database searchable by multiple criteria.
Produced through the auspices of CNRS.
(8th to 18th centuries; facsimiles and metadata)
Online database from the Medieval Sourcebook
In cooperation with Fordham University
(727-884; English transcription)
Carolingian primary chronicle.
(741; Latin)
Poetry of the Carolingian and Ottonian periods, providing insight into the spiritual and political world of that time.
From Monumenta Germaniae Historica
(mid-8th to 11th century; early medieval Latin transcription; German interface)
De Litteris Colendis. This letter illustrates Charlemagne's concern to promote learning in his empire.
From Fordham
(750; English transcription)
This treaty between Charles the Great or Charlemagne (†814) and Offa, the greatest of the Mercian kings (†796), is of interest as showing the character of the intercourse between England and the Continent.
Click "next" to read their letters.
(795; English translation)
Compiled and translated from the Royal Frankish Annals and Nithard's Histories
(English facsimile)
Royal seals of the Bourgogne dynasty reproduced on the Ministry of Culture's Archim imagebank.
(9th to 16th centuries; photo facsimiles)
Chronologically organized collection of French literature, including Ancient, Classic and Modern French
From Bibliotheca Augustana
(9th-20th century; facsimiles and transcriptions)
Thegan’s Deeds of Louis (the Pious)
(9th century; Latin transcription)
As his servant, Einhard was in close contact with Charlemagne, and wrote what is considered a very precious work.
Latin translation HERE
(9th century; English translation)
Part of the Avalon Project.
(802; English translation)
Division of the Holy Roman Empire.
Part of the Avalon Project.
(817; English translation)
Continuation of the Royal Frankish Annals.
(830-882; Latin)
Frankish chronicle.
(832-873; Latin)
Mutual pledges of allegiance between Louis the German (†876), ruler of East Francia, and his half-brother Charles the Bald (†877), ruler of West Francia.
(February 12, 842; Transcriptions in Medieval Latin, Old French and Old High German)
Collection of transcribed French texts from Fordham University's Internet Medieval Sourcebook.
(14 February 842 - 1901; Latin, Langue d'Oc, Langue d'Oil, and French transcriptions and translations)
”A few passages taken from the Annals of St. Bertin, the poem of Abbo on the siege of Paris, and the Chronicle of St. Denis, which show something of the character of the Northmen's part in early French history, first as mere invaders and afterwards as permanent settlers.”
Medieval Sourcebook in cooperation with Fordham University
(843-912 ; English transcription)
Leo IV's proclamation to the Frankish army
Medieval Sourcebook in cooperation with Fordham University
(847; English translation)
Document marks the beginning of territorial disputes between France and Germany.
Part of the Avalon Project.
(870; English translation)
Another Frankish chronicle.
(874-900; Latin)
Pope John VIII to the bishops in the realm of Louis II [the Stammerer]
Part of the Avalon Project.
(878; English translation)
Frankish annals relating the relationships between the Carolingians and the Holy Roman Church a well as the raids of Scandinavian warrior bands. One of the earliest manuscripts to speak on the Rus’.
HaithiTrust
(882; facsimile; Latin)
Wars of the City of Paris - Abbo Cernuus was an eyewitness of the siege by the Vikings.
See also, Three Sources on the Ravages of the Northmen in Frankland, in English.
(890-896; Latin PDF)
Carolingian era primary chronicle.
(900; Latin transcription)
In addition to Einhard's... there is this other Life of Charlemagne (De Carolo Magno) written by the Monk of St. Gall (usually identified with Notker Balbulus, or "the Stammerer"). This highly anecdotal "life" was composed for Charles the Fat in 883-4, and covers many subjects other than Charlemagne.
From Fordham
(883-884; English transcript)
This mourning poem "is by far the earliest work written about the Normans from the Norman point of view."
It also serves as "an excellent laboratory in medieval philology."
(943; Latin facsimiles and variant text transcriptions with English and German translations)
Database of the Charters of the abbey of Cluny.
Project developed by the University of Münster.
Website also available in German, French, Spanish, and Italian.
(10th to 12th centuries; Latin facsimiles)
This is considered a very valuable work due to Flodoard’s access to the episcopal archives and subsequent ability to create his history from such original records. These texts, such as those from the Hincmar era, are included in full.
(10th century; French facsimile)
Valuable source for the ninth century, with a bias towards Lotharingian and West Frankish affairs.
(early 10th century; Latin transcription)F
The first will of Viscountess Adelaide of Narbonne
From A Corner of Tenth-Century Europe
(978; English translation)

The Beginnings of the Kingdom of France (987-1065)

From Alpert of Metz, a critical source for West German, French, Belgian and Dutch history
(990-1021; Latin facsimile)
Eulogy of King Henry I
(1027; Latin facsimile)
England-France Medieval Manuscripts
800 manuscripts from the French and British national libraries with historical significance for medieval relations between the two countries.
Search manuscripts by theme, author, place, or century.
(700–1200 A.D.; Latin, Old French and Old English facsimiles)
Charles the Great... returned from a military expedition into Spain... While his army was marching through the passes of the Pyrenees, his rear - guard was attacked and annihilated by the Basque inhabitants of the mountains, in the valley of Roncesvaux.
Made available by Internet Medieval Sourcebook
(circa 1040; English translation)

Other Collections

Photographic reproductions of constitutions, edicts, treaties, letters, photos, atlases and official seals
of relevance to French national and regional history.
Available either by search engine or by thematic "dossiers."
England-France Medieval Manuscripts
800 manuscripts from the French and British national libraries with historical significance for medieval relations between the two countries.
Search manuscripts by theme, author, place, or century.
(700–1200 A.D.; Latin, Old French and Old English facsimiles)
Georeferencing and imaging of monuments of the Franks.
Includes parts of France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, and Switzerland.
(Antiquity to Middle Ages; interactive maps, images)

EuroDocs > History of France: Primary Documents > From Antiquity through 1065

EuroDocs Creator: Richard Hacken, European Studies Librarian,
Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, USA.
Feel free to get in touch: Hacken @ byu.edu

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