Research Guides: Medieval and Renaissance Studies: Primary Sources

What are Primary and Secondary Sources?

The library has access to many repositories that focus on primary source materials that relate to your program dating back to early history and running up until the present. On this page you will find a list of some of our recommended resources as well as a helpful video describing what primary sources can include. You can check out this link to find a larger list of databases that include primary source documents.

Depending on your research topic Special Collections and Archives here at Brock might be a great resource to explore as well.

Brock University Archives & Special Collections: Medieval Documents Collection
These medieval items are from several different collections held in the Brock University Archives and Special Collections. The materials date back to 1241 and include medieval charters, letters, liturgical music manuscripts and more.

Featured Resource

Understanding medieval primary sources: using historical sources to discover medieval Europe by Rosenthal, Joel T.
Call Number: D 113 U53 2012
ISBN: 9780415780735
Publication Date: 2012
Understanding Medieval Primary Sources is a collection of essays that will introduce students to the key primary sources that are essential to studying medieval Europe.

Databases

Early English Books Online (EEBO) This link opens in a new window
- Digitizations of every work printed in England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, British North America and other English language works, from 1473-1700
- Subjects include English literature, history, philosophy, linguistics, theology, music, fine arts, education, mathematics, and science
- Permitted Uses
Internet Medieval Sourcebook This link opens in a new window
- Links to full text primary source documents from the medieval period.
Internet Modern History Sourcebook This link opens in a new window
- Find primary sources in modern European, American, and Latin American history from the Reformation to the 21st century.
Past Masters - Intelex This link opens in a new window
- Full text of classic works in the humanities.
- Permitted Uses
Feminae: Medieval Women & Gender Index This link opens in a new window
- Find journal articles, book reviews, and essays in books about women, sexuality, and gender during the Middle Ages (450 C.E. to 1500 C.E)
- Geographic area is primarily the British Isles and Europe
- Publications are in English, French, German, Spanish and Italian
- Coverage of indexing is primarily from 1995 to 2007, with some earlier material.
Medieval Travel Writing This link opens in a new window
- Find digitized primary documents from the 13th to 16th centuries including translations, maps, images as well as relevant secondary texts.
- The original documents are in a range of languages, but translations are provided.
- Permitted Uses
EuroDocs This link opens in a new window
- European primary historical documents that have been transcribed, digitized, or translated.
- Covers political, economic, social and cultural history.
Empire Online This link opens in a new window
- Find exploration journals and logs,letter books and correspondence, periodicals, diaries, Government papers, missionary papers, rravel writing, slave papers, memoirs, fiction, children's adventure stories, traditional folk tales, exhibition catalogues and guides, maps, marketing posters, photographs, and illustrations.
- Divided into 5 sections: 1. Cultural Contact, 1492-1969, 2. Literature and Empire, 3. The Visible Empire, 4. Religion and Empire, 5. Race, Class, Imperialism and Colonialism, c1607-2007
- Permitted Uses

Reading Old Documents
Online tutorials for reading Latin and Latin Paleography for beginners to advanced researchers