Browse the Collection

A letter from Girolamo Aleandro to his patron, Raffaele de' Medici, mentioning Luther's presence in Worms and commending himself further to Raffaele.

A letter from Girolamo Aleandro to his patron, Raffaele de' Medici, concerning the work done at the Diet, including the condemnation and arguments made against Luther. Aleandro discusses the drafting of an offical Imperial decree against Luther and discusses political tensions between the Holy Roman Empire and France.

A handwritten letter, in German, addressed to Samsons Schoffler zu Seyda and Mathes Pustewald, concerning the parish of Neuerdorff, and the death of the Rev. Wust.

Twenty distichs (couplets) inspired by important events in the life of Martin Luther. The couplets, in Latin, were composed ca. 1550 and are written on paper. The author's name is found at the end of the piece as is his dedication of it to Johann Kestner. Pencil markings of a later owner are located in the upper left corner of the first page. Originally part of a signature, each of the two leaves has been encapsulated in Mylar for protection.

A letter from Henry de Lesomet to Raffaele de' Medici concerning correspondence with a Monsieur de Hoochstrate as well as mentioning Luther's departure from Worms and Lesomet's disdain for Luther's opinions

A manuscript in Martin Luther's own hand, "Notes on Two Chronological Difficulties in the Old Testament" (see Weimar Edition of The Works of Martin Luther, Volume 60, page 163). The document is a seven line author's note written in 1541, in which Luther discussed the accuracy of the computations in his 1541 work, Computation of the Years of the World. (Weimar Edition of The Works of Martin Luther, Volume 53, pages 177-182).

This manuscript consists of a handwritten copy of the speech made by James Radcliffe, third Earl of Derwentwater, from the scaffold on February 24, 1716. Radcliffe was sentenced to death by King George I because of his participation in the conspiracy to reinstate the Stuarts. In the speech Radcliffe renounced his plea of guilt, affirmed his adherene to the Roman Catholic faith, and professed his loyalty to James III.

This is a pardon granted to Sir Gilbert Pickering by Charles II. Pickering was pardoned for supporting Oliver Cromwell prior to the Restoration of 1660. It is hand-written on vellum.

A signed (letter contains notation in his own hand), handwritten letter, in German, on paper. The letter addresses John's unwillingness to provide aid in a dispute against his relative, Duke Albrecht of Bavaria.

This collection consists of a single receipt, on paper, for 20 Gulden which Jonas received as salary from the City Council of Erfurt. Our research has so far been unable to determine just why Jonas was being paid by the City Council. The fact that he uses the word "Zinse" (interest income, or, income from a benefice) suggests that it was for services rendered as a preacher in that City. It is also known that he was considering returning to Erfurt as a preacher after the debacle at Halle. The receipt is signed by Justus Jonas and is dated the 2nd February 1549.

An unpublished manuscript signed and dated (1551) by Philipp Melanchthon. Written on three sides of two sheets, it is a meditation on the Third Chapter of Paul's Letter to the Colossians. The two leaves on which the meditation is written (19 x 29 cm.) show signs of insect damage and have been repaired with Japanese paper. The verso of the title page holds the inscription "C. S. V. R. mit Galt" near the top with a less readable second line. Near the bottom is the inscription "1551 mit Galt". For their protection, both pieces were encapsulated in mylar.

This letter was written by Cochlaeus on June 6, 1547 to Julius von Pflug, the last Prince Bishop of Naumburg. Cochlaeus congratulates von Pflug on his reinstatemnnt into his office following the defeat and capture of Elector John Frederick of Saxony in the Schmalkald War. The letter also contains a reference by Cochlaus to the transfer to Bologna of the meetings that became known as the Council of Trent.

A letter written to the "Noble and Right worthy Heinrich von Einsiedel" in Gnansteyn. The matter being addressed is the refusal of Brosius Berger to take an oath, thus hindering Katharina Gockritz from getting married. Mention of consultation with Doctor Martin [Luther] is in the letter. With the exception of the upper right corner which is missing, the paper is in good condition. The date "1528" appears in the upper left corner in a different ink.

A letter written to Heinrich von Einsiedel and an enclosed with a copy of a sermon by Philipp Melanchthon. Within the body of the letter, Spalatin entreats Einsiedel to "exert your goodwill on the work's behalf". The letter is dated 1536.

A cover letter, dated May 3, 1534, for a manuscript which Spalatin had promised to Duke Magnus III of Mecklenburg regarding the justification used by Henry VIII for his divorce from Catherine of Aragon, which was never recognized by Rome. Henry had married Anne Boleyn in January of 1533 and on May 23 1534, Pope Clement VII invalidated Henry's divorce and remarriage, which led to England's final break with Rome and the foundingn of the Anglican Church.

A signed letter in German from Albert of Brandenburg to Julius Plug, dated 30th July 1540. The letter is a request to translate from Latin into German some articles on religion by Luther.

This letter was written by Cruciger on July 8, 1544 to Veit Dietrich, pastor of St. Sebald’s Church at Nuremberg. In the letter Cruciger discussed personal matters related to himself, Dietrich, Martin Luther, and Philipp Melanchthon. He also writes about the collection of Luther’s sermons he and Dietrich were to publish together in the following year.

A contemporary official text, in Spanish, of the famous royal cedula by which the reluctant King Philip II at last promulgated the Catholic Church's reply to the Protestant revolt from the church. This ratifies for the Spanish dominions, the profound reforms of the great Council meeting at Trent from 1545 to 1552 and finally in 1562-1563.

A contemporary report of a remonstration against the Imperial policy of Charles V for participation in the recently convened ecumenical Council of Trent on terms proposed by the new Pope Julius III (del Monte). The Elector Maurice, of the Ernestine branch of the Wettin family of the duchies of Saxony, was one of the great and enigmatic figures of German history in the mid 16th century.

This manuscript is handwritten in German and dated May 10, 1542. It lists people from Zwickau, Saxony (Germany) who enlisted or were paid to participate in the field campaign against the Turkish invasion of Marseille.

A wax rubbing of the tablet, done in sections on four different pieces of tissue paper. The inscription is primarily in Chinese, but there are several Syriac words; and there is a bilingual list of proper names in both languages.