The Regesta of the Empire under Frederick I, part 5

The scientific activities concerning the Regesta of the Empire under Frederick I started in 1975. For the first volume covering the years until 1158 the editor-in-charge worked in co-operation with a second one, for the volumes 24 he was responsible alone. The volumes were published in 1980, 1991, 2001 and 2011. The doubling of the intervals was not at least the result of the reduction of the number of editors. These four volumes contain all written records, the main focus is on the years in power (since 1152). However, the years from his birth until his kingship are covered as well. Besides imperial charters and historiographical records the volumes comprise Regesta of so-called Reichssachen (matters of the Empire), especially charters emanated by other high-ranked persons with additional information. For the imperial charters emanated by the chancery the originals and copies in archival or other collections together with the respective editions are quoted according to the Diplomata-edition of the Monumenta Germaniae historica. The other records are recorded due to the most important printed editions. Short commentaries including the quotation of the main and essential scientific literature concerning the respective event or the source terminate the single entry in the Regesta. With the fourth volume the chronological series was ended in 2011. On the whole there are 3471 Regesta from the birth until the death of the Swabian Emperor. The fifth volume finalised now contains an extensive Introduction with explanations concerning the volumes main chapters as well as an overview of the long works which not at least were shaped by basic technical changes (IT). After this Introduction the following main chapters are Addenda necessary after the finalisation of the chronological volumes and the Index of proper names, the biggest chapter of the volume. Its main goal is the identification of the persons as well as the localisation of the sites mentioned in the whole series making accessible the geographically wide field of the rulers activities. Whereas the itinerary of Barbarossa embraces an area between Lubeck and Rome (North/South), Utrecht, Lyon and Avignon and Poland, Vienna, parts of the Byzantine Empire and of Anatolia (West/East), the place-names in the Regesta reach out by far. The Concordances following the Bibliography make possible to have a relation between older numberings of the imperial charters to the numbering in the Regesta Imperii. At the end there is a list of abbreviations and acronyms. For the first time the whole records concerning Frederick Barbarossa are accessible via the necessary tools, especially Index and Bibliography. Medieval Studies have been busy to achieve that since the 19th century. In the future the respective research can rely on a stable basis.