Primary Sources on the Middle Ages
Primary sources are firsthand sources. They can be books, letters, treaties, literature, or other documents written by people in the Middle Ages.
Studying primary sources can help you evaluate whether modern beliefs and portrayals of the medieval period are true-to-life.
Since most medieval works are not copyrighted, you can often find primary sources through Google searches. A list of some of the best web sites offering medieval sources are below.
-
Internet Medieval History SourcebookThe starting point for medieval European research.
-
Internet Medieval Sourcebook Selected Sources: The CrusadesRelive the battles of the Crusades!
-
LabyrinthFind primary sources about Armor, Architecture & Engineering, Arthurian Studies, Chivalry, Drama, Furniture, Gardens [Biology], Gender, Alchemy [Chemistry], Math, Medicine, Theology.
-
Eyewitness to the Middle AgesRead firsthand accounts of life in a monastery, Viking adventures, the Black Death, crime in the Middle Ages, torture, the Inquisition, and other topics.
-
Epistolae: Medieval Women's LettersLetters by and to famous women in the Middle Ages.