History of Estonia: Primary Documents

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EuroDocs > History of Estonia: Primary Documents


History of Estonia

Overview of various "Germanic" tribes by the Roman historian Tacitus. Includes Aesti living in what is now the Baltic states.
(English translation; 97 AD)
Thirteenth century chronicle of events in the Baltic states. Written by Germanic priest.
Also available in Russian translation.
(Latin; 1180-1227)
Rhyming chronicle written for crusaders in Livonia, which is now Estonia and Latvia.
Excerpts also available in Russian on this page of documents.
(Middle High German and Latvian; 1180–1290)
Chronicle of Livonia by Hermann von Wartberge. Originally in Latin. Also in Russian.
(German translation; 1196-1378)
Records of towns and municipalities, includes tax and police records.
Register for a free account to access the records.
(1237-1940; Estonian records)
Records from 17 farms and encumbrances.
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(1240-1991; Estonian records)
Records of mansions and manors.
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(1461-1944; Estonian records)
Judicial documents from courts of various Estonian townships and the Chief County Court of Estonia
Register for a free account to access the documents.
(1492-1933; Estonian records)
Official declaration of the Master of the Livonian Order.
(Facsimile; 1528)
Digitized maps of Livonia (Estonia, Latvia) and other parts of northern and eastern Europe.
(16th to 18th centuries; map facsimiles and descriptions)
(19 October 1558-24 February 1560; Russian transcription)
Chronicle by important German chronicler.
(Low German facsimile; 1584)
Register for a free account to access the records.
(1588-1936; Estonian records)
Register for a free account to access the records.
(1699-1940; Estonian records)
First complete atlas of Livonia and Estonia containing 14 maps of the countries.
(18th century; zoomable maps)
Statistical reports of public schools, including teachers.
Register for a free account to access the records.
(1712-1950; Estonian records)
Site contains documents relating to treaty.
Also available in Swedish and Finnish.
(Russian; 1718-1721)
Full text of the treaty concluding the Great Northern War between The Swedish Empire and the Tsardom of Russia. Livonia and Estonia was ceded to Russia at this time.
(Russian; 1721)
Register for a free account to access the records.
(1782-1858; Estonian facsimiles)
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(1782-1917; Estonian records)
Lists of recruits and conscripts.
Register for a free account to access the records.
(1767-1920; Estonian records)
J.K. Broce's "Collection of Various Latvian (and Estonian) Monuments."
(18th to 19th centuries; facsimiles of ten-volume set of drawings, documents, writings, etc.)
Records from religious societies, community organizations, and ministries.
Includes documents related to deportations of Jews.
Register for a free account to access the records.
(1859-1992; Estonian records)
Estonian national epic by Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald.
Also available in English translation.
(Estonian transcription; 1862)
Estonian National Anthem. Adopted in 1920 and readopted in 1990 after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
(Estonian with English translation; 1869)
Large collection of digitized newspapers from the period 1821-2016.
Includes collection of newspapers from 1821-1944 here.
Foreign newspapers found here.
Local newspapers found here.
The collection can be browsed by title and year.
(1821-2016; Estonian facsimiles)
Includes Soviet societies in Estonia.
Register for a free account to access the records.
(1867-1996; Estonian records)
Records of construction in Tartu.
(1871-1918; Estonian records)
Documents from bureaus and defense organizations in Estonia. Some records, such as those of Soviet Comintern in Estonia, deal with international relations of Estonia.
Register for a free account to access the records.
(1888-1994; Estonian records)
The National Archives' photo collections became the result of the archival law and archival organization of the Soviet times of 1935, which placed the main emphasis on the preservation of historical collections of photographs and personalities, and the preservation of photo collections of publications reflecting national life.
(19-20th century; Estonian; photos)
Parish lists of members and township governments.
Register for a free account to access the records.
(19th century to 1918; Estonian facsimiles)
Collection of historical documents on recent Estonian history, especially in relation to Russia.
(20th century; Russian)
Records of addresses of Tallinn addresses.
(1909-1933; Estonian records)
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(1915-1940; Estonian records)
Knighthood records, consulate records, records from the Estonian government in exile.
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(1915-2006; Estonian records)
Estonian declaration of independence issued at the end of WWI.
(English translation; February 24, 1918)
Records from local government sources.
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(1918-1940; Estonian facsimiles)
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(1921-1923, 1950-1951; Estonian records)
First constitution of Estonia ratified soon after Estonian independence.
(English translation; June 15, 1920)
Treaty ending the Estonian War of Independence. Also in Estonian and English.
(March 30, 1920, Facsimile)
Treaty designed to create a united foreign policy between the three Baltic States.
(September 12, 1934; English)
In 1940, the United States condemned the Soviet occupation of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania and refused to recognize the annexation of the three Baltic states.
From the Wilson Center Digital Archive
(1940-1966; English)
Database search for orders and records of the KGB from Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.
Enter country and hit search button.
(English interface with Russian-language documents; 1941-1991)
Database of Estonians sent to WWII concentration camps in Poland and Germany.
Information comes from Estonian State Archives, the Stutthof Concentration Camp Archive, and the International Tracing Service (ITS).
(1941-1944; Estonian)
"Cleansing [of Jews] and securing the area of operation"
From Yad Vashem
(1941; English translation)
In this selection, a member of the Communist Party in Estonia articulates a new role for Communists as leaders of the movement for national self-determination within the existing structures of the Soviet Union.
From Making the History of 1989: Primary Sources
(1980s; English)
Based on interviews of women in Estonian villages
(1984-1989; English transcription; photographs)
Estonian Supreme Soviet, Declaration in Respect of the Sovereignty of the Estonian SSR.
From Seventeen Moments in Soviet History
(November 16, 1988; English translation)
Current constitution of Estonia.
(English translation; June 28, 1992)
The population census of Estonia.
(2000; English)
Estonian official data files and documents, including country files, parents' occupation, and sample data.
Files available for download
(2002-2016; Estonian; Russian; English interface)
Treaty and other documents concerning Estonia's admission to the European Union. Part of EUR-Lex, a European Union (EU) law database.
View other accession treaties here.
(2003; English)

Constitution & Legal Documents

First constitution of Estonia ratified soon after Estonian independence.
(English translation; June 15, 1920)
Estonian declaration of independence issued at the end of WWI.
(English translation; February 24, 1918)
Collection of Estonian Laws.
Statutes, criminal and civil codes, and other legal materials.
A portal of the BYU Law School.
Library of Congress guide to constitutional, legal, and government documents.

Maps, Archives & Other Digital Collections

Digital Archive of the National Library of Estonia. Includes many types of documents. See original Estonian as well.
From EESTI RAHMVUS - RAAMATUKOGU (The National Library)
(English)
Collection of peace agreements entered into by Estonia.
(Russian)
Service of The National Archives of Estonia.
(various languages)
Document database of Estonian Archives. Part of the National Archives of Estonia.
(facsimiles; German, Russian, Estonian, etc.)
Estonian page of the World Documents Library.
(photos; facsimiles)
Congregation records.
Register for a free account to access facsimiles of the records.
Lutheran records
Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church
Apostolic Orthodox Church
Other various congregations
(Estonian interface and facsimiles)
Database of interviews with Jewish people from Bosnia.
Includes facsimiles of official documents.
Explore the database by family name, city. Also includes a photo database.
Advanced search here.
(photos, English translations, Estonian and Russian facsimiles)
Historical census data from Estonia.
(English)
Search film archive here.
Search photo archive here.
Search audio archive here.
From the Estonia National Archives.
(English)
List of maps includes some which have been digitized.
(English)
Collection of historical maps of Estonia.
(Facsimiles)
Collection of historical maps of Europe.
(Facsimiles; Hungarian)
Also contains a collection of coats of arms for other European countries and principalities.
(Facsimiles)
Searchable database of historical photos relevant to Estonian history.
(Site available in English and Estonian)



EuroDocs > History of Estonia: Primary Documents



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