Common law digital. The example of Dithmarschen in the late Middle Ages. Edition and historical and linguistic analysis

• Applicants: Professor Dr. Oliver Auge; Professor Dr. Michael Elmentaler
• Subject Area: Medieval History ; German Medieval Studies (Medieval German Literature)
• Term: since 2025
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 569155833

The original text of the common law in Dithmarschen from 1447, now kept in the Dithmarscher Landesmuseum in Meldorf, is an exceptional source for an exceptional region. The project applied for here comprises the creation of a digital edition of the common law in Dithmarschen. This is to be created with the help of AI-supported writing tools and can be realized cost-effectively thanks to extensive software independence in data presentation. The edition project will be complemented by two closely interwoven dissertation projects, one of which will examine the text and ist context primarily from a historical perspective, while the other will focus primarily on linguistic issues. In addition to the transcript of the text, the digital edition will include a translation from Middle Low German into Modern High German and a passage commentary. The aim of the edition will be to link the relevant historical and linguistic research questions through structured data modelling, a database, algorithms and an online presentation with various visualization methods. The edition will offer a synoptic presentation of facsimiles and transcripts in the form of a contemporary, low-threshold web portal as well as a historical-critical edition with commentary and full-text search options. It will guarantee sustainable open access to the source, independent of time and place. The historiographical study aims to reconstruct the circumstances surrounding the creation of the common law in Dithmarschen from 1447 and to shed light on ist further development in relation to the two revisions of the 1480s and 1567. With a view to the texts, the structure and content, overarching aspects that can be found in Dithmarschen as well as in the (northern and central) European legal context, but also regional peculiarities will be examined.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants