Library Research Guides: HIST 279/379: Heresy and Popular Religion in the Middle Ages: Find Primary Sources

How do I find primary sources in-?

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.

Book Series

These book series contain multiple volumes that may be of use in your research. Click on the links and check out what there is!

The Middle Ages Series
A series of books published by the University of Pennsylvania Press, including many volumes with translated sources and commentary, as well as secondary work.
Sources of medieval history series
Several volumes with primary sources in translation on religion and medieval history.

Online Primary Sources

Internet Medieval Sourcebook Full Text Sources
A list of links to primary sources, some in English, some not, some translated.
Global Medieval Sourcebook
Online, interactive collection of medieval texts and their translations - Stanford University

Medieval Family Life This link opens in a new window
This resource contains the five major letter collections that exist from 15th century England, covering topics from family to politics and community, as well as supporting material such as wills, deeds, account books, etc.
Medieval Travel Writing This link opens in a new window
Manuscripts of European travel writing from the 13th to 16th centuries, focusing on journeys to the Holy Land, central Asia and the Far East.

The Labyrinth
The Labyrinth provides free, organized access to resources in medieval studies.
NetSERF: The Internet Connection for Medieval Resources
An ever-expanding site that lists various online resources dealing with the medieval world.

Artstor This link opens in a new window
Digitized images of art, architecture, and other forms of visual culture from around the world, from museums, archaeology, photo archives, slide collections, and art reference works, dating from B.C.E. to present.
British History Online This link opens in a new window
Fulltext of core primary and secondary sources for medieval & modern history of the British Isles. Some sources are not accessible here but may be on hathitrust.org.
Artstor This link opens in a new window
Digitized images of art, architecture, and other forms of visual culture from around the world, from museums, archaeology, photo archives, slide collections, and art reference works, dating from B.C.E. to present.

Requires creation of an Artstor account to download images. This account also grants you off-campus access for 60 days. If your account is inactivated or you need to create an account, make sure to use a library link (such as this one) to get to Artstor so that you will be recognized as a Wellesley user.

Published Volumes of Sources

Other Middle Ages
11th to 14th century primary sources about Jewish communities, apostates and converts, sexual nonconformists, victims of the Devil, Christian heretics, and the liminal and temporarily marginalized.
Medieval Worlds: A Sourcebook
Drawing on a wide range of documents, from chronicles, legal, state, and church documents, to biographies, poems, and letters from all over Europe, the authors expertly illustrate to the reader the unity - and complexity - of the medieval world.
Heresies of the High Middle Ages
Translated sources on heresy in the Middle Ages, arranged by date.
Heresy and Inquisition France, 1200-1300
"An invaluable collection of primary sources in translation. It provides a wide array of materials on both heresy (Cathars and Waldensians) and the persecution of heresy in medieval France."
Heresy and Authority in Medieval Europe
Commentary with documents presented in thematic chapters.
Crusade and Christendom
Translated documents from the Crusades, 1187-1291.
Women's Lives in Medieval Europe
A celebrated compendium of translated sources on women's history from Medieval Europe. Arranged by theme and topic with introductory essays.
Feudal Society in Medieval France by Theodore Evergates
"Two hundred documents from the country of Champagne into a sourcebook that focuses on the political, economic, and legal workings of a feudal society, uncovering the details of private life and social history that are embedded in the official records."

Witchcraft in Europe, 400-1700
Sources in translation and commentary.
Letters of Medieval Jewish Traders
Translated letters of Jewish traders in Islamic countries in the High Middle Ages.
Medieval Italy: texts in translation
"Medieval Italy gathers together an unparalleled selection of newly translated primary sources from the central and later Middle Ages."

Sources from pre-10th Century to 1438, arranged by theme.
Las Siete Partidas, Volume 1: The Medieval Church: The World of Clerics and Laymen
"Las Siete Partidas, or Seven Divisions, is the major law code of thirteenth-century Spain, compiled by Alfonso X the Learned of Castile. The work's extraordinary scope offers unparalleled insight into the social, intellectual, and cultural history of medieval Spain. Built on the armature of a law code, it is in effect an encyclopedia of medieval life."