Library Research Guides: HIST 214: Medieval Italy: Primary Sources

How do I find primary sources translated into English?

Q: I don't read Latin/Old High German/Medieval Arabic/etc. How can I find sources in English?

A: You're in luck! There are many resources in English right here in the library and online. Click the links in the grey and white box for some of the larger ones. To find even more, perhaps on a specific topic, try finding one by beginning at a more generalized topic.

For example, I clicked on the link in the grey box for Medieval worlds: a sourcebook. In SuperSearch, you can click on the record title (pictured below) and scroll to see the subjects listed, including subjects with "source" in them. These typically have translated or transcribed primary sources.

Published and Translated Sources

Medieval Italy
"Rich in interdisciplinary texts and organized to enable the reader to focus by specific region, topic, or period, this is a volume that will be an essential resource for anyone with a professional or private interest in the history, religion, literature, politics, and built environment of Italy from ca. 1000 to 1400." Print and digital editions available.
Medieval Worlds
Link is to ecopy, Wellesley also holds a paper copy in the stacks.

A great number of primary sources in translation, some of which include secondary sources for further reading at the end of the entry.
The Crusades: a reader
This beautiful addition to the Readings in Medieval Civilizations and Cultures series brings together an unprecedented range of primary source texts on the topic from the medieval era. Of special note are the non-Christian materials—Muslim and Jewish sources—included along with standard European Christian texts.

Digitized Primary Sources

Internet Medieval Sourcebook - Full-text sources on all regions and subjects, translated, from Fordham University

Medieval Texts in Translation - From the University of Leeds.

Epistolae: Medieval Women's Letters - Letters to and from women, 4th-13th centuries AD, in translation, by Dr. Joan Ferrante.

Labyrinth: Resources for Medieval Studies - A collection of primary sources in translation from Georgetown University.

ArtStor - Digitized images of art, architecture and artifacts from many periods and places in the world.

Medieval Family Life
Five major collections of letters from 15th-century England, covering topics including family, business, relationships, trade, politics, and community. Supporting material is also included, such as wills, deeds, account books, family trees, an interactive map, chronology, and visual resources (images from historic manuscripts illustrating everyday life and political developments in the late medieval period).
Dates: 1400-1490 CE
Medieval Travel Writing
Primary sources describing real and fictitious travel in the Middle Ages, with accompanying scholarly essays and brief biographies of travelers. The main geographic focus is the Holy Land, central Asia, India, and China. Most documents are in English, French, and Latin.
Dates: 1300-1600 CE

Medieval Italy: EuroDocs
Sources (most in translation) from medieval Italy, including religious works, travel accounts, politics, and literature.