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The King’s Mirror (Speculum Regale—Konungs skuggsjá)

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EPUB · 385 KB · Project Gutenberg #61264

The King’s Mirror, known in the original as Konungs skuggsjá or Speculum Regale, is a celebrated thirteenth-century Norwegian treatise cast as a dialogue between a father and son. It instructs the young man in the conduct befitting merchants, courtiers, and kings, offering a vivid picture of medieval ideals of kingship and the royal court.

The work ranges across geography, natural history, etiquette, and the duties of a ruler, making it one of the most important sources for medieval Scandinavian thought on monarchy and governance. This English translation opens a remarkable window onto the medieval idea of the good king. This free EPUB download presents the complete text.

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