Critical edition and annotation of papers of the voyage of prince Frederick of Saxe-Gotha and Altenburg to France and Italy 1667-1668.

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Peter-Michael Hahn
• Subject Area: Early Modern History
• Term: from 2013 to 2018
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 232234301

Editing and annotating of new sources is a fundamental aspect of further research within the historical sciences. The project aims at publishing previously unreleased sources, which will be accessible for future historical research. For the first time it will present a complete documentation of all aspects of a prince's voyage in a critical edition. Besides the prince's own notes, the edition encompasses also those of Anton Fink, his travel companion, who was assigned to the task of writing the official account of the journey. This is one of the few cases that allow the investigation of two records of a single voyage. Furthermore, different texts in various literary forms will be presented within the edition. These texts relate to the preparation and course of the voyage and include instructions, travel bills, letters etc. These papers are a prominent example of expressions of princely self-concept and representation, reflecting the author's contemporary horizon of knowledge. Edition and commentary form an essential contribution to the research of early modern travel accounts, court culture and the history of knowledge. Furthermore, the project represents a contribution to the research of the mentality of princely society and its significance.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants