Deperdita
As Deperdita (derived from the Latin verb deperdere = lose, lose) are in the research documents referred to, which are not recorded, but their content from other sources can be tapped.
In diplomacy , the term deperdita has been used since around the middle of the 19th century. The content of lost documents can basically be obtained from two types of sources: the narrative sources (such as historical works) and from documents issued later, in which one referred to earlier documents. In both cases, however, the fundamental problem remains that it is not always certain whether one was referring to genuine documents or perhaps not (by mistake) to falsified documents.
The method of inferring the content of documents lost today from preserved sources was initially applied with regard to the early Middle Ages , especially with regard to the Merovingian and Carolingian periods . It was found that several documents issued at the time have been lost in the meantime. In German research, however, unlike in French research, people were initially much more skeptical about the value of this method, even though prominent researchers such as Edmund E. Stengel advocated it. On the other hand, Paul Kehr , among others, emphasized the external criticism of the documents, which, of course, is not possible with Deperdita; he also wrongly assumed that the majority of royal documents had been preserved.
The skeptical attitude in German research changed fundamentally in the post-war period, when Theodor Schieffer published new source editions taking Deperdita into account. Deperdita has now also been included in various MGH editions and enables researchers to gain more information. It shows how important the question of chances and incidents of tradition is also with regard to royal documents.
Theo Kölzer also managed the development of a database, the aim of which is to supplement the MGH diplomas from the Carolingian and Ottonian times. All available information is collected there, which goes beyond the content of the printed MGH volumes.
literature
- Martina Hartmann : The edition of sources that no longer exist. The Merovingian and Carolingian Deperdita. In: Pourquoi éditer des textes médiévaux au XXIe siècle ?: 8e rencontre de la Gallia Pontificia; organisée par l'École nationale des chartes, l'Institut historique allemand et les Monumenta Germaniae Historica, Paris, 17 May 2013 ( full text ).
Individual evidence
- ^ Supplements to the MGH Diplomata Monumenta Germaniae Historica, accessed on May 29, 2019.