This paper deals with a topic and a question that, while recognised as significant, has so far not been treated in a concentrated and focused fashion. We will not be concerned with Richard's biography and will certainly not offer a discussion of his role as Romanorum rex. Rather, we would like to offer a short survey of the evidential basis of charters and diplomas on which, ultimately, any historical treatment will have to build. This seems all the more worthwhile an undertaking, as neither Frank Lewis's – sadly still unpublished – MA dissertation of 1934, nor Denholm-Young's – still definitive – biography of Richard of 1947 tell us much about these issues. What follows, with its focus on diplomatics and on the chancery of Germany's English king, also touches little on the issues explored by Björn Weiler.

Volume V of the Regesta Imperii: Early Stauferns 1198–1272 contains nearly 200 records falling within the reign of Richard of Cornwall: these are listed as BF 5287 to BF 5482. The Internet edition lists 333 records for the same period. If we compare these figures with the surviving records of the other monarchs of this period, commonly termed an interregnum, that is, Wilhelm of Holland, Alfonso of Castile and Henry Raspe, we can initially and confidently assume brisk recording activities.

However, the difference of far more than a hundred documents between those cited by Böhmer/Ficker and those cited in the new Internet edition already calls for closer inspection.