The project “Urkunden der Pfalzgrafen bei Rhein" initiated by the department Generallandesarchiv Karlsruhe at Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg and funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) has been successfully completed. In the course of the project documents from Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate created between 1449 and 1508 have been indexed, digitized and brought together in an online collection in Archivportal-D. 

Around 7,000 documents of the Counts Palatine Frederick I (1425-1476) and Philip (1448-1508) from six participating state archives – Staatsarchiv Amberg, Bayerisches Hauptstaatsarchiv München, Hessisches Staatsarchiv Darmstadt, Generallandesarchiv Karlsruhe, Landeshauptarchiv Koblenz und Landesarchiv Speyer – are now available online with a regest (short summary) and digital copy via an online collection within Archivportal-D.

In the late Middle Ages, the Counts Palatine of the Rhine were among the most important and highest-ranking princes in the German Empire. As electors, two counts palatine themselves succeeded in rising to the rank of king. Their influence extended from Lorraine to Bohemia, from the Middle Rhine region to Switzerland. In the Upper Rhine region, the principality itself held a hegemonic position with considerable political, economic and cultural influence.

The outstanding medieval records of the Palatinate have so far been insufficiently documented in the form of calendars. The printed calendars do not extend beyond the year 1410. Not least the fragmentation of the records across numerous archives stood in the way of a continuation. For decades, researchers have been pushing to make the records of the 15th century and early 16th century more accessible.

Numerous documents of the two Palatine Counts Frederick and Philip have been made accessible for the first time or have been completely rediscovered for the project. Previously scattered charter collections can now be used at any time from the comfort of your own home. Access to the digital copies allows users to check the calendars against the original and to delve into the details of the medieval documents. 

In addition, the documents in the online collection are linked to numerous indices and keywords (14 subject fields, 570 subject keywords, over 2,300 places and over 7,400 people). Comprehensive search options are available for discovery and targeted research, including full-text search, thematic access, standardized lists of places and people, and narrowing down by duration. The filters and search options can be combined as required in the online collection.

Themed tiles on the homepage invite you to explore and browse and discover medieval life in the charters in the online collection. Political, legal, cultural and economic history keywords - from “Aufruhr” to “Zunft” - make the online collection a real treasure trove on the Palatine Counts of the Rhine, the areas they ruled and the late Middle Ages in general. Even for user groups less familiar with archives or charters, the online collection "Urkunden der Pfalzgrafen" thus offers an introduction to research into the Middle Ages and an incentive to develop their own questions.