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We refer here digitally to a selection of manuscripts and documents from the collection. Click on the images in the carousel of the subject.
Wax cast of the royal seal of Frederick III.
Frederick III came from the House of Habsburg and was king from 1440 and emperor from 1452 until his death in 1493. The seal still shows him as king sitting under a canopy. On his head he wears a crown adorned with a cross, in his right hand the sceptre, in his left the orb. The throne step is impressed with the secret seal, another, smaller seal. There are shields showing, among others, the imperial eagle and the Austrian coat of arms.
1443-1450
Wax cast of the seal of Emperor Charles IV (reverse side)
The reverse of the seal of Charles IV shows the city of Rome, in the form of a city gate flanked by two towers. The inscription reads: "Rome, capital of the world, guides the reins of the round circle of the earth" (ROMA CAPVT MVNDI REGIT ORBIS FRENA ROTVNDI). The archway reads: "Golden Rome" (AVREA ROMA). The city is depicted here as the venerable seat of world domination, the Roman Empire still continuing, so to speak.
1356
Oldest seal of the city of Göttingen
The replica shows the oldest seal of the city of Göttingen with a stylised city fortification in the form of three towers. The lateral towers are two-storeyed, have four windows and also a cross on the top. The lion, which is the coat of arms of the Guelph dukes, can also be seen. This indicates that Göttingen belonged to the Guelph territory. The inscription reads: "Siegel der Bürger in Göttingen" (SIGILLVM BURGENSIVM IN GOTINGEN).
1278 / Reproduction
Seal of Henry the Lion
Henry the Lion was certainly one of the most famous members of the Guelph dynasty. He was Duke of Saxony (1142-1180) and of Bavaria (1156-1180). From 1176 his relationship with Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa deteriorated and he finally went into exile in England. After he was deprived of his two dukedoms, he used this seal, which still calls him "Duke Henry" (SIGILLVM HENRICI DUCIS). This is the oldest coat of arms seal of the Guelphs.
1191 / Reproduction
Wax cast of the oldest seal of the Mainz Cathedral Chapter
The Mainz cathedral chapter was responsible for important tasks such as electing the archbishop or filling other leadership positions. The seal shows St Martin as archbishop and patron of Mainz Cathedral (SCS MARTINVS SCE MAGUNTINE SEDIS PATRONUS). His clothing including the chasuble, the dalmatic, the pallium as well as a mitre trimmed with braids can be seen. In his right hand he holds the crosier, in his left an open book containing the core of the episcopal sermon.
13th century
Diplomatic Apparatus
The Diplomatic Apparatus (Apparatus diplomaticus) is a scientific institution of the Faculty of Arts. It comprises an unparalleled collection of far more than a thousand written documents from late antiquity, the Middle Ages and early modern times, written in a wide variety of languages, especially ancient and non-European languages (including Latin, Middle German, Ancient Greek, Hebrew, Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Tamil, Sinhalese). As early as the university's founding period, there was a didactically oriented "Diplomatic Cabinet", which from 1759 served diplomatics, the teaching of the indexing and research of documents, but also contained manuscripts, seals and copperplate reproductions. The current apparatus, created in 1802, still contains papal, imperial, royal, ecclesiastical, dynastic, municipal and private civil documents.
