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HIST 5245 - Topics in Medieval History: Find Primary Sources

This guide provides library and web-based information appropriate for students enrolled in HIST 5245 - Topics in Medieval History

What is a Primary Source?

A primary source is generally defined as document or physical object which was written or created during the time under study. These sources were present during an experience or time period and offer an inside view of a particular event. Depending on your research topic and perspective, primary sources can include:

  • Original Documents (autobiographies, personal correspondence and diaries, speeches and oral histories, newspapers, government documents, audio and video recordings, photographs, and maps)
     
  • Creative Works (Art, drama, poetry, music, novels) 
     
  • Relics or Artifacts

[Image: Bodleian]

Suggested Library Databases

Additional Archival Databases
Additional Historical Newspaper Databases

Published v. Unpublished Primary Sources

Unpublished primary sources are original documents and objects created by individuals but not formally published. Unpublished materials are typically found in archives, libraries, and museums. While researching unpublished materials often requires a physical visit, many make them available online. 

Published primary Sources include a wide range of publications, including first-person accounts, memoirs, diaries, letters, newspapers, statistical reports, government documents, court records, photographs, and more. Some of these materials were not published at the time of their creation but have subsequently been published in a collected volume (e.g. Reading the Middle Ages: Sources from Europe, Byzantium, and the Islamic World) 

Find published sources by using Library Catalogs, Research Guides, and published bibliographies. To find primary sources in catalogs try using the following strategies:

  • Search by publication date to find sources published during the time period
     
  • Use advanced search options to restrict material type
     
  • Include the following subjects in your search: Correspondence, Letters, Sources, Early Works, Diaries, or Personal Narratives
Sources in Translation in Our Collection

The Libraries own several volumes in the series "Crusade Texts in Translation" from Ashgate publishers and Corpus Christianorum. Continuatio Mediaevalis.; others can be found in Worldcat and requested on Interlibrary Loan. 

Subjects: History