Medieval and Renaissance Studies: Primary sources and digitized manuscripts

Corpus of Latin literature written in Celtic-speaking countries during the early part of the Middle Ages.

A basic collection for research and study of medieval French language and literature. Includes the full text of almost 900 significant literary works in Old French.

The digital library of the Bibliothèque nationale de France offers free access to 70,000 digitized works, more than 80,000 images and many audio resources from the Middle Ages to the beginning of the Twentieth Century.

Latin texts in the public domain. Note: no translations available in this library.

The Library of Latin Texts is a primary source database of Latin literature from antiquity through the patristic age, the middle ages and ends in the neo-Latin period (ending in 1962). It includes the most significant Christian Latin texts such as Thomas Aquinas’ Summa theologiae, Summa contra Gentiles, and his commentary on the Sentences. It also includes texts important to the Reformation.

The Parliament Rolls of Medieval England contain the records of meetings of English parliament from the reign of Edward I (1272-1307) to that of Henry VII (1485-1509). The texts are presented in a split screen format in their original languages (Latin, Anglo-Norman and Middle English) as well as in translation to modern English.

Digitized manuscripts from the National Library of France.

The manuscripts have been selected for their historical significance in terms of relations between France and England during the Middle Ages. They are also of unique artistic, historical or literary interest. Produced between the eighth and the end of the twelfth century, they cover a wide range of subjects, illustrating intellectual production during the early middle ages and the Roman period. Among these manuscripts are a few precious, sumptuously illuminated examples such as the Benedictional of Winchester around the year 1000, the Bible de Chartres around 1140 or the Great Canterbury Anglo-Catalan Psalter produced circa 1200.

Search a diverse body of online primary resources relating to written and early printed culture in Britain during the period 1000 to 1500. The resources include literary manuscripts, historical documents and early printed books which are located on websites owned by libraries, archives, universities and publishers.

This collection focuses on five major family letter collections from this period. Family letter collections is a major source of historical information in 15th century England. The major collections are those of the Pastons, the Celys, the Stonors, and the Plumptons, with the Armburgh Papers. Each of these collections contains a substantial number of letters and related documents.

The chief focus is on journeys to central Asia and the Far East, including accounts of travel to Mongolia, Persia, India, China and South-East Asia. The collection also includes a number of important accounts of travels to or through the Holy Land although in this it makes no claims to full or even broad coverage. It features a number of medieval maps such as the famous ‘Beatus’ and ‘Psalter’ maps, individual manuscript illuminations, and some modern translations of key travel texts. It should become an indispensable source for scholars of medieval travel, geography, exploration, trade, literature, and the new field of medieval postcolonial studies.

Corpus Christi College and the Stanford University Libraries welcome you to Parker on the Web - an interactive, web-based workspace designed to support use and study of the manuscripts in the historic Parker Library at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge.

Read the words of St. Patrick in their original Latin, or in English, Gaeilge, italiano, deutsch, or português. See St Patrick's Confessio in the 'Book of Armagh' or in one of eight medieval manuscripts that have survived.

Includes: 600+ Greek manuscripts, Royal Manuscripts and Botany in British India, 50+ Thai manuscripts and the Chakrabongse Archive of Royal Letters and the Zweig Collection of music manuscripts.