Scandinavia and the Vatican archives

THIS VOLUME IS the result of the international conference "Medieval Scandinavia and Papal Administration", held at The Royal Swedish Academy of Letters, History and Antiquities in 2016. The aim of the conference was to highlight and exemplify the lively contacts between the Nordic countries and the papacy luring the Middle Ages. The conference comprised a number of presentations relating to medieval Vatican sources, and six of the papers presented are published here. The book serves another purpose as well. During the first half of the last century, teams of scholars were sent out to find sources in the Vatican Apostolic Archives relevant to Scandinavian history. These "Scandinavian expeditions" resulted in a wealth of photographs, transcriptions, notes and excerpts, now stored in the Nordic National Archives. Part of the material has been printed but many documents remain unpublished. In the present volume, five new articles give an overview of the archival situation and point to relevant publications. The volume can be used as a handbook for students and everyone interested in learning more about this important but underutilized source material.