Subject Guides: Primary Sources: Europe

European Primary Sources

British Library
Digital collections including manuscripts, sound recordings, and photographs from the British Library including maps and archival materials. 700s - current.
The National Archives
Online collections including British census data. military records, immigration records, maps, and more. 1500s - 1900s.
British Library Digitised Manuscripts
Search scanned images of manuscripts. Some famous documents like the Cuthbert Gospel and DaVinci's notebooks are included. 0 CE - 2000 CE.
English Boadside Ballad Archive
Over 9000 pdf scans of English broadside ballads. Hosted by the University of California Santa Barbara. Mid 1500s - early 1700s.
Open Domesday
Free online access to scans of the Domesday Book with transcriptions. 1086.

LOC: European Digital Collections
Limited digital collections from the Library of Congress dealing with European history. Includes maps, manuscripts, and other images.
LOC: World Digital Library
Digital collections from across the globe collected by the U.S. Library of Congress, with the support of UNESCO, and organizations around the world. Browse by topic.
Imperial Russian Newspapers
Over 500,000 pages of selected Russian newspapers from Moscow and St. Petersburg, complemented by regional newspapers across the Russian Empire. 1767 - 1918.
Avalon Project
Translated plain text documents related to law, history, and diplomacy. Hosted by Yale Law School. 3000s BCE - 2000s CE.
Europeana
Millions of cultural heritage items from institutions across Europe. Includes artworks, books, music and more. Funded by the European Union.
Gallica
Digital collections from the Bibliothèque Nationale de France. Maps, manuscripts, newspapers, recordings and more. In French.

British Library Digitised Manuscripts
Search scanned images of manuscripts. Some famous documents like the Cuthbert Gospel and DaVinci's notebooks are included. 0 CE - 2000 CE.
Epistolæ: Medieval Women's Letters
Plain text transcriptions of medieval women's letters in English and the original Latin. 300s - 1200s.
Digital Bodleian
Over 1 million images of books, manuscripts, and more. Scans only, documents are not transcribed. 400s BCE - 1900s CE.
Medieval Manuscripts on the Web
List of links to medieval manuscript digitization efforts across the world. Dates vary.
Open Domesday
Free online access to scans of the Domesday Book with transcriptions. 1086.
Medieval & Renaissance Manuscripts
Scans of 250 medieval and renaissance manuscripts. Primarily in Latin. 800s - 1600s
Manuscripts Online
Search manuscripts, historical documents and early printed books from Britain. Links to holding libraries where it may or may not be available online. 1000s - 1500s
Internet Medieval Sourcebook
List of links curated by Paul Halsall at Fordham University. WARNING: many links no longer work. 300s - 1500s.