History Research Guide

Varied collections of texts, excerpts, and links to primary sources dealing with medieval history.

Digital documents relevant to the fields of law, history, economics, politics, diplomacy and government from ancient times to the 21st century.

A "collaborative database on the published sources of English medieval legal documents." Links to online sources are provided when available.

"Epistolæ is a collection of letters to and from women in the Middle Ages, from the 4th to the 13th century. The letters, written in Latin, are linked to the names of the women involved, with English translations and, where available, biographical sketches of the women and some description of the subject matter or the historic context of the letter."

Subset of the larger EuroDocs site, focusing on the medieval period.

Canonical information, apostolic fathers, texts, creeds and canons, and other miscellaneous texts related to the development of the early Christian church.

Small collection of letters of Crusaders.

This is a work in progress from the University of Texas at Austin. When complete, the database will provide full digital access to 215 manuscripts dating from the 11th to 17th centuries. As of May 2010, 27 of these are viewable. The database offers searching and browsing capabilities.

Almost all of these texts appear here in English translation for the first time, and in the case of the one or two which have previously been rendered into English.

A collection of some of the most important literary works of Classical and Medieval civilization. Browse by author/title/genre/language.

Primary source documents on issues relating to the interaction of religion and politics, categorized by era from ancient times to the present.

Historical texts and maps that "explore cultural interaction across Eurasia from the beginning of the Common Era (A. D.) to the Seventeenth Century."

Collection of manuscripts, books and visual resources. Select a date range of interest, then use limiters to focus search on a specific geography, date range, topic or type of resource.

This series contains information about letters and state papers, relating to both foreign and domestic business, from the reign of Henry VIII (1509-47).

This series details records relating to the reigns of Edward VI, Mary and Elizabeth I, covering the period 1547-1603.

Calendars provide summaries full enough, for most purposes, to replace the original documents. This series details records from the reigns of Edward VI to Elizabeth I, covering the period 1547-89.

Scroll down the publication list on British History Online to find the Calendar of State Papers organized by area or country.

This series details records from the reign of Elizabeth I.

The State Papers Colonial are the accumulated papers of the secretaries of state relating to colonial affairs from the 16th to the 18th century. This series details papers relating to Colonial America and the West Indies for the period 1574-1739.

The State Papers Colonial are the accumulated papers of the secretaries of state relating to colonial affairs from the 16th to the 18th century. This series details papers relating to the East Indies, Persia, China and Japan for the period 1513-1634.

Digital images of 17th, 18th, and 19th-century British pamphlets dealing with legal, political, religious, and other controversial topics of the day. From the University of Missouri Digital Library.

Bracton "attempts to describe rationally the whole of English law." The work is remarkable both for its wealth of detail and for its attempts to make sense out of English law largely in terms of the ius commune, the combination of Roman and canon law that was taught in the universities in Bracton's time.

The Hansard Digitisation Project, led by the Directorate of Information Services of the House of Commons and the Library of the House of Lords, provides electronic access to Hansard, the Official Report of debates in Parliament. Search by volume; Lords sittings; Commons sittings or Westminster Hall sittings. Included are Written Answers, Written Statements, Lords reports or Grand Committee reports, as well as lists of People, Constituencies, Offices, Acts, Bills and Divisions.

Victorian Britain as captured in almost 1,500 early photographic prints, including works by distinguished pioneers of the medium.

One of the best places to start for all time periods of European history. Extensive collection of primary sources and links to other sites. Browse by broad era (prehistory/ancient, medieval/renaissance, modern) or by country.

Digital archive of the London (1665- ), Edinburgh (1797- ) and Belfast (1922- ) Gazettes.

The Internet History Sourcebooks Project is a collection of public domain and copy-permitted historical texts presented cleanly (without advertising or excessive layout) for educational use.

Digital editions of six 18th- and 19th-century journals: Gentleman's Magazine, The Annual Register, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, Notes and Queries, The Builder, and Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine.

The official record of the House. Includes volumes 1-12 (1547-1699) & 85 (1830).

The official record of proceedings in the House (1509-1764, 1832-4).

Examines social, political and economic developments in Victorian Britain (1837-1901).

Presents images, cartoons and articles from several Irish and British publications concerning the Irish potato famine.

Provides a geographical survey of Britain from 1801 to 2001, including census reports, historical maps, election results, and full texts of British travel writing.

This site is dedicated to primary sources about the workhouse (primarily of Victorian Britain) -- its buildings, inmates, staff and administrators, even its poets -- a mixture of architecture, economics, social history, politics, and literature.