The Digital History Project Repertorium Academicum Germanicum (RAG) and Its Knowledge-Driven Approach to Prosopography

Abstract

This article aims to offer an overview of the research project Repertorium Academicum Germanicum (RAG), focusing both on its methodological and technical aspects and demonstrating data analysis methods using the example of Hungarian students listed in the RAG database. The RAG is a digital historical research project focusing on scholars and students from the Holy Roman Empire (HRE) between 1250 and 1550, initiated in 2001. It stands as a pioneering project in digital history and prosopography, relying on meticulous data collection from university registers and supplementary sources. The RAG explores research questions concerning the medieval roots and foundations of modern knowledge societies, focusing on the work of scholars and the development of knowledge, particularly in relation to the academisation of European society. While primarily focused on the HRE, the RAG also serves as a valuable resource for studying Hungarian students. Compiling the group of Hungarian scholars within the RAG involves identifying scholars based on their geographical origin, yielding around 1045 scholars up to 1550, with almost a thousand within the timeframe of 1526. Alternative methods, such as examining source texts or Hungarian nation affiliations at the University of Vienna, supplement this process. Despite being smaller in scope compared to databases like the Repertorium Academicum Hungariae (RAH), the RAG provides valuable insights.