Princely archives of Gelre, Holland, Zealand and the Sticht prior to 1500

M.J. van Gent and M.-Ch. Le Bailly

The project’s objective was to compile an inventory of sources available for research into the social and economic history of the dukedom of Gelre, the counties of Holland and Zealand and the Sticht, which comprises Nedersticht (Utrecht) and Oversticht (Overijssel and part of Drenthe). It covers all the documents in the archives of the princes from these areas that were set up between roughly 800 and 1500, and sorts them according to subject and office holders. They come from larger archival institutions at home and abroad (The Hague, Brussels, Rijsel) and the provincial archives of Gelderland, Utrecht and Zealand.

All the archivalia have been divided into three main categories: I General Documents, II Accounts (of the prince’s officials), and III Administrative Sources. Within these main categories there are a number of separate subsections such as charters, cartularia, and letters, bills of the prince’s servants, registers of fiefs, and memoranda. Documents have also been included for Gelre, Holland and Zealand that were issued by the close allies of the prince concerning their possessions in the princedom. In addition, the archive of the Court of Holland and the Count’s audit office in Holland are described as far as 1500.

A survey is presented of the origin, evolution and fate of the princely archive of each princedom. The subsections contain brief background details about the documents and references to source publications and relevant literature.

The research guide is an expansion of the chapters on Holland, Zealand and Gelre written by M.J. van Gent in: R.-H. Bautier and J. Sornay ed.,Les sources de l’histoire economique et sociale du Moyen Age. Les Etats de la Maison de Bourgogne, vol. I (Paris 2001).