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Internet Medieval Sourcebook

Selected Sources: Early Germanic Peoples and States

Contents

• Romanized (Christian) Goths
  • Vandals
  • Ostrogoths
  • Visigoths
  • Lombards
• Non-Christian Germans
  • Franks
  • Anglo-Saxons
  • Northlands/Scandinavia
• German Cultures

• WEB Wulfila: The Gothic Bible online. [At wulfila] [Internet Archive backup here]
• Early Mediaeval Law Links
• Auxentius on Wulfila: Translation, [Was At Upenn, now Internet Archive], Also available in Latin.
• Jordanes (6th Century): History of the Goths, written c. 551
• Jordanes (6th Century): The Origins and Deeds of the Goths Trans Charles C Mierow 1915, full text [At Calgary] [Internet Archive version here] [PDF also at Internet Archive].
• Jordanes (6th Century): The Origins and Deeds of the Goths Trans Charles C Mierow 1915, full text [Project Gutenberg]

Vandals

• Procopius (c. 500 – 565): Gaiseric: The Vandal Conquest of North Africa, 406 - 477 CE.
• Procopius (c. 500 – 565): The Reconquest of Africa, 534, from On the Wars IV:9.
  A description of Belisarius' triumph, with Gelimer, King of the Vandal's in tow.
• Procopius (c. 500 – 565): History of the the Wars trans. H.B Dewing. Full text. [Wikisource]
• Book III (The Vandalic War pt.1)
• Book IV (The Vandalic War pt.2)

Ostrogoths

• Theodoric (r.493-526): Selected Letters.
• Jordanes (6th Century): Theodoric, King of the Ostrogoths
• Procopius (c. 500 – 565): History of the the Wars trans. H.B Dewing. Full text. [Wikisource]
• Book V (The Gothic War pt.1)
• Book VI (The Gothic War pt.2) 

Visigoths

--In Gaul

• Law of The Visigoths: Succession to Inheritance, c. 475
• Sidonius Apollinaris: Theodoric of the Visigoths, c. 460 
• Sidonius Apollinaris (c.430-481/490): Letters, trans O.M. Dalton (1915), full text [At Tertullian] [Internet Archive version here]
• Sidonius Apollinaris (c.430-481/490): Letters Vol 1 and Letters Vol 2, trans O.M. Dalton (1915) full text PDF [Internet Archive]

--In Spain

• Third Council of Toledo: The Visigoth Conversion to Catholicism 589 PDF [At Catholic Culture] [Internet Archive version here]
• Creed of the Council of Toledo, 675
• Professions of Faith Extracted from Jews on Baptism, Visigothic and Byzantine
• Fourth Council of Toledo: Division of the Tithe in Spain, 633
• The Jews of Spain and the Visigothic Code, 654-681  
• The Visigothic Code (Forum iudicum) ed. and trans. by S.P. Scott PDF (Print edition: Boston Book Company, 1910) [Also here at Internet Archive]. Also available in Latin [At MDZ]
• The Visigothic Code (Book II: On Justice), trans Ralph W. Ewton (MA Thesis, 1961) PDF [Internet Archive version here]
• Isidore of Seville (c.560-636): Chronicon, trans. Kenneth Wolf (2004), full text [At Tertullian] [Internet Archive version here]
• Isidore of Seville (c.560-636): The Etymologies, trans.Ernest Brehaut (1912), very long excerpts/full text, PDF [Internet Archive version here]
• La necrópolis de época visigoda de Castiltierra (Segovia) 1932-1935 Materiales conservados en el Museo Arqueológico Nacional (The Visigothic necropolis of Castiltierra (Segovia) Excavations directed by E. Camps and J. M.ª de Navascués, 1932-1935. Materials preserved in the National Archaeological Museum) [Internet Archive]

Lombards

• Paulus Diaconus (Paul the Deacon) (c.720-796/799): Pope Gregory the Great and the Lombards, c. 593
• Paulus Diaconus (Paul the Deacon) (c.720-796/799): History of the Lombards (In Latin) [Bibliotheca Augustana] [Internet Archive version here]
• Paulus Diaconus (Paul the Deacon) (c.720-796/799): History of the Lombards (In Latin) [Internet Archive]
• Paulus Diaconus (Paul the Deacon) (c.720-796/799): History of the Lombards (In English [Internet Archive]
• Paulus Diaconus (Paul the Deacon) (c.720-796/799): Historia Romana (In Latin) [Bibliotheca Augustana] [Internet Archive version here]
• The Lombard Law of Rothari: Succession of Legitimate and Natural Sons, c. 643

Franks

• The Ripuarian Law: Inheritance of Allodial Land, c. 450
• Tomb of Childeric, modern archeological report [At ArchEurope] [internet Archive version here]
• Gregory of Tours (539-594): On Clovis and the Vase at Soissons, from History of the Franks, Book II. These are different selections than in Tierney. Geary has much longer selection from Books II and IX, from a copyrighted translation, but see next item. See also Catholic Encyclopedia: The Franks
• The Conversion of Clovis: Two Accounts, 496
  by The Chronicle of St. Denis, and Gregory of Tours.
• Gregory of Tours (539-594): History of the Franks, 6th century. Complete text of Earnest Brehaut's abridged translation 1916.
• Gregory of Tours (539-594): History of the Franks, 6th century. Complete text of O.M. Dalton's complete 1927 translation 1927 PDF [At Internet Acrchive]
• Gregory of Tours (539-594): The Conversion of Clovis, from History of the Franks, Book II..
• Fifth Council of Orleans: Concerning Freedmen, 549
• Gregory of Tours: Enslaving Noble Families, 511
• Gregory of Tours (539-594): Church Exemption from Taxation, c. 570
• Gregory of Tours (539-594): Exemption of Tours from Poll Tax, c. 585
• Gregory of Tours (539-594): Exemption of the Church in Clermont from Royal Taxes, c. 590
• Gregory of Tours (539-594): Harsh Treatment of Serfs and Slaves, c. 575
• Gregory of Tours (539-594): Opposition to Royal Taxation, c. 575-580
• Gregory of Tours (539-594): Episodes of Medieval Warfare from the History of the Franks [At De Re Militari] [Internet Archive version here]
• Remigius of Reims: Letter to Clovis [at Lincoln] [Internet Archive version here]
• Avitus : Letter 46 to Clovis [See article by Danuta Shanzer here] [Internet Archive version here]
• Gregory of Tours (539-594): Life of St. Gall, from Lives of the Fathers, (539-594).
• Law of the Salian Franks
• Dado of Rouen: The Life of Eligius , 588-660 CE, trans, Jo Ann McNamara.
• St. Eligius: Redemption of Slaves, c. 630
• Tolls on the Rhône, c. 630
• Dagobert, King of the Franks: Grant of an Estate to Monks of St. Denis, 635
• Testament of St Bercharius establising the Abbey of Montierender, 663 [At Wikisource]

Anglo-Saxons

• See Medieval Sourcebook: Anglo-Saxon England

Northlands/Scandinavia

• The Account given by Ohthere of the Northlands to King Alfred, from The Old English Orosius [At Anglo-Saxon Archeology] [Internet Archive version here] + A PDF of the Anglo-Saxon Text with English Translation (1773)
• The Account given by Wulfstan of the Northlands to King Alfred, from The Old English Orosius [At Anglo-Saxon Archeology] [Internet Archive version here] + A PDF of the Anglo-Saxon Text with English Translation (1773)

• The Hildebrandslied 830s + PDF of translation by Francis A. Wood (1914)
  Full translation of the main suriving fragment of and Old High German poem.
• Formulas Concerning Ordeals.
• Ordeal of Boiling Water, 12th or 13th Century.
• The Nibelungenlied, OMACL full text. Originally written in Middle High German (M.H.G.), sometime around 1200 AD.
• The Story of Burnt Njal ("Njal's Saga"), OMACL full text. See Medieval Sourcebook: Full Texts Page for more sagas.

The Internet Medieval Sourcebook is part of the Internet History Sourcebooks Project. The Internet History Sourcebooks Project is located at the History Department of  Fordham University, New York. The Internet Medieval Sourcebook, and other medieval components of the project, are located at the Fordham University Center for Medieval Studies.The IHSP recognizes the contribution of Fordham University, the Fordham University History Department, and the Fordham Center for Medieval Studies in providing web space and server support for the project. The IHSP is a project independent of Fordham University.   Although the IHSP seeks to follow all applicable copyright law, Fordham University is not the institutional owner, and is not liable as the result of any legal action.

© Site Concept and Design: Paul Halsall created 26 Jan 1996: latest revision 15 March 2023