Renaissance, Reformation and Early Modern Germany

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EuroDocs > History of Germany: Primary Documents > Renaissance, Reformation and Early Modern


Pre-Renaissance

As an inventory of all documentary and historiographical sources of the Roman-German royal lines from the Carolingians to Maximilian I, as well as of the Popes of the Early and High Middle Ages, the Regesta Imperii are among the great source works of German and European History.
Available as facsimiles of original book pages or as a search for the corresponding full texts.
(751-1519; German facsimiles & transcriptions) - Some work still in progress -
Diplomatic codices of medieval Saxony with heaviest emphases on the cities of Meissen, Leipzig, and Freiberg
(948 - 1555; German and Latin facsimiles of original book pages)
Accounts of the toll which the king of Denmark levied on shipping through the Sound between Sweden and Denmark.
Important sources for research on economic and maritime trade history in Northern Europe.
(1497-1857; searchable datasets - registration may be required to view results)

14th Century

Martin von Troppau's chronicle gives a papal history on the left and an emperors history on the right. The texts are presented in chronological order from Roman times to 1350.
See also, The German facsimile edition
From Monumenta Germaniae Historica
(ca 14th century; Latin; PDF)
Certificates, letters and other sources specific to German history during the 14th century. 1st half.
Mostly taken from the collections of Domdekans von Mainz Rudolf, notary and official in Kassel and Darmstadt.
(14th century; German facsimile)
Certificates, letters and other sources specific to German history during the 14th century. 2nd half.
Mostly taken from the collections of Domdekans von Mainz Rudolf, notary and official in Kassel and Darmstadt.
(14th century; German facsimile)
One of the few remaining medieval manuscripts of the Babylonian Talmud, kept till 1772 in the possession of a German Jewish family
Compiled by Munich DigitiZation Center
(1342; Hebrew facsimiles with German interface)
Online database for primary documents of the religious changes in Europe
In cooperation with Fordham University
(14th - 17th century; English transcriptions)
Collection of texts from authors in what is now both Germany and Austria.
(1384-1664; German transcriptions)

15th Century

The second Augsburg edition of the Fables of Aesop, translated from Latin into German by Heinrich Steinhöwel.
(15th Century; German facsimiles of original book pages)
Ever wonder how people got an education in the Middle Ages? Why one would somebody wish to become a monk? Interested in a closer look at the history of child abuse and exploitation under the pretense of education?
(15th century; English translation)
Collected works of the Bavarian historian.
Smaller Historical and Philological Writings
Annales ducum Boiariae
Bavarian Chronicle
More Smaller Works
(4 July 1477 – 9 January 1534; Latin and German)
"The Manuale presents a lively account of certain aspects of life in the German universities of the later Middle Ages...We learn not only the formalities of matriculation, the details of freshman ceremony of initiation, the course of study, methods of instructions, requirements for degrees, their life in the lodgings, etc."
(1481; English translation)
Sermons, writings, and hymns written by Martin Luther.
(1483-1546; English translations)
The Ninety-five Theses as well as many other of Martin Luther.
Commentary on the principles of the Reformation by Henry Wace and C. A. Buchheim
(15th century; English translations)
Also called Der Hexenhammer. Reformation era text on witch hunting. One of the earliest printed texts.
Scan of original 1490 Latin text found here.
English PDF here.
(1486; German facsimile)
Georg Rörer was one of the closest associates of Martin Luther.
Browse the collection.
Manuscripts and prints of Georg Rörer.
(1492-1557; facsimiles, German interface)
Accounts of the toll which the king of Denmark levied on shipping through the Sound between Sweden and Denmark.
Important sources for research on economic and maritime trade history in Northern Europe.
(1497-1857; searchable datasets - registration may be required to view results)
The Dresden collection of prints from the 15th century comprises more than 800 pieces. Among them are individual sheets of a Gutenberg Bible testimonies from the press of Johannes Gutenberg.
From SLUB Dresden
(15th century; German facsimiles)
Over 600 digitized letters of important figures including König Ferdinands II and Richard Wagner
Compiled by Munich DigitiZation Center
(15th century on; Latin and German facsimiles with German and English interface)

16th Century

  • You may need to accept the terms at the bottom of the page.* An index to online facsimiles of German-language printings of the 16th century.
Assembled and maintained by Klaus Graf.
(16th century; German; facsimiles)
Writings, hymns, prayers, correspondence, etc, including documents from Martin Luther.
(16th century; transcriptions and English translations)
Martin Luther’s translation of the Bible
From Bayerischen Staatsbibliothek
(16th century; facsimiles; German interface)
(16th century; English translations)
Reports and tracts on "witchcraft" in early modern Germany.
(16th-17th centuries; facsimiles)
  • Witch Hunts
Witch Persecutions at Trier
Witch Persecutions at Bonn
Witch Persecutions at Bamberg
Witch Persecutions at Wurzburg
Friedrich Spee, Cautio criminalis
From Hanover Historical Texts Collection.
(ca 16th-17th century; English)
A digitization project of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
In cooperation with the Emblematica Online at the Herzog-August Bibliothek in Wolfenbüttel.
See also the University of Illinois' OpenEmblem Portal for other Emblem digitization projects internationally.
(16th - 18th centuries; facsimiles with commentary)
Illustrating Renaissance student life
(16th century; English translation)
Online book and manuscript texts from the University of Mannheim,
particularly strong in history of Mannheim and the "Kurpfalz" [Electoral Palatinate].
(16th -18th centuries; facsimiles)
  • Neues Archiv der Gesellschaft für ältere deutsche Geschichtskunde
Vol. 1/Vol. 2/Vol. 3/Vol. 9/Vol. 10/Vol. 11/Vol. 22/Vol. 23/Vol. 25/Vol. 27
Large collection of primary sources concerning German history during the Middle Ages.
(16th -18th centuries; facsimiles)
Online readable collection of renaissance-era manuscripts
From the Staatliche Bibliothek Passau
(renaissance; German facsimiles)
A compilation of German historical works including several annals and chronicles.
(to 1500; Latin facsimile)
Historic materials from the foundiggn of the Thuringian University and State Library Jena (ThULB).
Includes materials from the elector Frederick the Wise.
Over 1,500 books and manuscripts demonstrating early modern history of knowledge.
Browse the collection.
(1500; facsimiles)
German History in Documents and Images: From the Reformation to the Thirty Years War (1500-1648)
Compiled by the German Historical Institute in Washington, D.C.
(1500-1648; images, maps, German transcriptions and English translations)
Primary Source Material Collections Online for Early Modern History
(1500-1800; German transcriptions)
Digitized version of the two liturgical manuals, originally produced in Nuremberg between 1503 and 1510.
(1503-1510; facsimiles, English and German web interfaces)
Combat manual of the German school of fencing.
(1505; German)
Letters of Wolfgang Faber Capito, Reformer and contemporary of Luther.
(1507-1531; Latin and German transcriptions with English commentaries and summaries)
Georg Spalatin (1484-1545) particularly reknown as adviser and intimate of Martin Luther was actually a member of the court of Friedrich III of Sachsen, called Friedrich der Weise. In 1510 he began to write a chronicle about the history of Saxonians, Thuringians and the citizens of Meißen, from their beginnings up to the present time.
(1510; German and English; facsimiles)
Searchable database of nearly 6,000 illustrations.
Available through Herzog August Bibliothek.
(1513-1546; images, German interface)
With direct links to digitized books
(1517-1546; English)
(1517; English translation)
Excerpts from Martin Luther's address. Edited by J.H. Robinson.
From Hanover Historical Texts Collection.
(1520; English translation)
Essay from Martin Luther.
(1 January 1523; English translation)
Essay from Martin Luther.
(1524; English translation)
Martin Luther. Contract of Swabia and assembly of the Bawren on Lake Constance
From Landesbibliothek Coburg
(1525; facsimiles; German interface)
Address by Martin Luther. Edited by B.J. Kidd.
From Hanover Historical Texts Collection.
(January 1526; English translation)
Martin Luther’s Interpretation of the Gospels, from Easter to Advent
From Landesbibliothek Coburg
(1529; facsimiles; German interface)
Law on Morals by the Electoral Prince of Heidelberg
(1532; German transcription)
This collection of letters has been treated primarily to show the relation of Schwenckfeld to the Landgrave Philip... There was scarcely a theological conference throughout all of Germany, where [Schwenkfeld's] name was not a subject of controversy.
(1535-1561; facsimile; English introduction with German text)
Searchable database of German Protestant literature, (1548-1577/80) which includes currently approximately 1,700 printed old books.
(1548-1580; book facsimiles)
Searchable images of the British Library copy
(1554-1555; facsimiles)
Sixteenth- through early eighteenth-century pamphlets digitized by the University of Augsburg.
From the collections of the Oettingen-Wallerstein'sche Bibliothek, in cooperation with Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft.
Most anonymous, but some written by famous authors such as Johann Fischart.
(1577-1739; facsimiles)

17th Century

German peace treaties with France and Sweden
Compiled by Acta Pacis Westphalicae
(17th century; Latin transcription with German interface)
A Virtual Reconstruction of the Former Crown Jewel of Germany's Libraries
(17th century; facsimiles; German or English interface)
17th century journal entries
Compiled by Acta Pacis Westphalicae
(17th century; German transcription)
Collaboration between Ludwig-Maximilians-University (Prof. Dr. Dietmar Peil) and the Bavarian State Library (Dr. Markus Brantl).
(17th - 18th centuries; searchable database of facsimiles)
Digital library of the Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek Darmstadt, offering online access to a number of different collections including books, journals, manuscripts, newspapers and maps.
(17th - early 20th centuries; facsimiles)
Including online albums, legal documents, maps, books, oral histories, posters and finding aids.
Combining resources of a number of Jewish societies and institutes.
(17th - 20th centuries; German, English and other facsimiles)
Written by Friedrich Schiller.
Available in multiple formats from Project Gutenberg.
(1618-1648; English translation)
Search the first-hand accounts of the Thirty Years' War from Central Germany.
Browse by person.
(1618-1648; German facsimiles)
In letters and other documents. From the outbreak of the revolution in Bohemia to the election of the Emperor Ferdinand II.
(1618; facsimile; English, Latin and other languages)
Written by King Charles the First and Second, King James the Second, and the King and Queen of Bohemia; together with original letters, written by Prince Rupert, Charles Louis, count palatine, the Duchess of Hanover, and several other distinguished persons
(1619-1665; facsimile)
From a searchable database at the Leibniz Institute for European History, University of Mainz.
(1622 - 1746; facsimiles and transcriptions with German and English interfaces)
Recorded by Otto von Guericke, Burgomeister of Magdeburg. Edited by J.H. Robinson.
From Hanover Historical Texts Collection.
(1630-1631; English translation)
Of Swethens army to his reverend father Mr. Iohn Forbes, minister to the worshipful Company of Marchant Adventurers residing in Delft, touching the great Battle fought by Lypsick betweene the King of Swethen, the Duke of Saxons Army, and the Emperours Army, and that commanded by Generall Tilly.
(1631; old English transcription)
A journal on the history of the German-speaking lands by Matthäus Merian. Covers the time periods 1618-1738.
Links available by date.
(published 1633-1738; German facsimiles)
Digitized letters of 17th century political figures across Europe
Compiled by Acta Pacis Westphalicae
(1636-1648; German, French, and Swedish transcriptions with German commentary)
The deliberations of the Electoral Curia
Compiled by Acta Pacis Westphalicae
(17th century; German transcriptions)
German History in Documents and Images: From Absolutism to Napoleon.
Compiled by the German Historical Institute in Washington, D.C.
(1648-1815; images, maps, German transcriptions and English translations)
British Foreign Office translation at the Yale University Avalon Project.
(24 October 1648, English translations)
Puritan philosophical texts by Samuel Pufendorf.
(1672, 1673; English translation)
Research platform for the 17th-century German Academy of Fine Arts, significant for cultural history of the age.
A project of Sandrart.net with various indexes for search access.
(1675-1680; database of searchable transcriptions and associated artistic images)

Other Collections

Collection of 126 books and manuscripts from Germany around the renaissance centuries
In cooperation with the Library of Congress
(German and Latin facsimiles)
Virtual reconstruction of what was once the most famous book collection in Germany.
Made available by the Heidelberg University Library.
(Latin, Greek and German facsimiles; images and manuscripts from the Middle Ages to the Early Modern Period)
Chronologically organized literature from Germany; includes texts in Old High German, Middle High German, and other dialects
From the Bibliotheca Augustana
(750-2004; German; facsimiles and transcriptions)

EuroDocs > History of Germany: Primary Documents > Renaissance, Reformation and Early Modern




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