Research Guides: European History: Primary sources

Primary Sources

Primary sources are those sources of information closest to a person, event, or particular time period. They are original sources of information, which have not been edited or analyzed by later scholars. Some examples of primary sources include:

autobiographies
diaries/personal narratives
letters/correspondence
memoirs
documents/sources
photographs
statistics
newspaper articles from the time period
and works of art (novels, poems, paintings, etc.)

Primary documents

British Library Collection of primary and secondary sources
Early Modern Manuscripts and Archives Western manuscripts and archives from the years 1500 to 1800 from Oxford's Bodleian Library.
EuroDocs EuroDocs access to European primary historical documents that are transcribed, reproduced in facsimile, or translated. In addition you will find video or sound files, maps, photographs or other imagery, databases, and other documentation.
Internet Medieval Sourcebook Contains thousands of sources from medieval writers, with the goal to replace the need for students to purchase a separate sourcebook
Timeline: Sources from History This British Library interactive timeline allows you to explore collection items chronologically, from medieval times to the present day.
London Lives 1690-1800 London Lives makes available, in a fully digitised and searchable form, a wide range of primary sources about eighteenth-century London, with a particular focus on plebeian Londoners.
Cornell University Witchcraft Collection Cornell’s Witchcraft Collection contains over 3,000 titles documenting the history of the Inquisition and the persecution of witchcraft, primarily in Europe.
Victorian Web Links to over 61,408 documents on the age of Victoria, including: literature, painting, sculpture, book illustration, history, religion, though the sections on history and technology include hundreds of documents.

Early English Books Online (EEBO) This link opens in a new window Contains the full text of about 100,000 out of 125,000 titles listed in Pollard & Redgrave's Short-Title Catalogue (1475-1640) and Wing's Short-Title Catalogue (1641-1700).

Historical Newspapers

British Newspaper Archive Digitized historic newspapers from Britain. Hosted by the British Library. Select the check box, "Display only Free Content" for more efficient searching.

Multimedia Primary Sources

Newreels, interviews, and archival footage can all be used as primary sources.

Fortunoff Video Acrhive for Holocaust Testimonies Includes 4,400 video testimonies from Holocaust survivors and witnesses from 1971 until current day.

Films on Demand This link opens in a new window This database provides thousands of educational films in a large variety of subject areas as well as archival films and newsreels. To link directly to any film or segment, use the Title URL link below the video. Do not use the URL in your address bar. Titles are subject to change. For more help, contact a librarian.