Digitization of archival sources concerning the early modern Duchy of Guelders as well as the County of Moers

• Applicant: Dr. Frank M. Bischoff
• Subject Area: Early Modern History
• Term: since 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 466020600

The State Archive of Northrhine-Westfalia (regional section Rhineland) intends to digitize the archival records that are concerned with the early modern Duchy of Guelders as well as the ancient County of Moers. The documents comprise more than 5.000 files and 570 charters. Together, this collection (AA 0066 until AA 0079) represents the archival backbone tradition of the above mentioned ancient territories. The archival records concerned with the ancient Duchy of Guelders witness the challenges as well as the opportunities of Prussian authority during the 19th century, whereas the documents originating from the history of the ancient County of Moers are on the one hand particularly concerned with the industrialisation and urbanisation of the Rhineland during the 19th century as well as the incisive Prussian administrative reforms of the 20th century on the other hand. This is why cities and as well as local communities of the ancient County of Moers - each with different historical identities - are at the main focus of the archival records whose digitization offers the possibility to think anew about den historical relationship between these two political entities. The files from the Rhineland department are to be digitised by a service provider. On the Internet, the digital copies will be referenced using the finding aids provided in the "Archive in NRW" and "Archivportal D" portals and will thus be available for use. The aim is to make a backbone Collection for the history of the Rhineland widely accessible for research and teaching.

• DFG Programme: Cataloguing and Digitisation (Scientific Library Services and Information Systems)