Royal Communication in High Medieval Norway

From c. 1150 – c.1300 the kings of Norway deftly promoted royal communication and ideology through a wide spectrum of didactic literature as well as sagas, charters and laws.

Vox regis: Royal Communication in High Medieval Norway
By David Brégaint
In series: The Northern World
ISBN13: 9789004305083
E-ISBN: 9789004306431
Brill 2016

ABSTRACT:

In Vox regis: Royal Communication in High Medieval Norway, David Brégaint examines how the Norwegian monarchy gradually managed to infiltrate Norwegian society through the development of a communicative system during the High Middle Ages, from c. 1150 to c. 1300. Drawing on sagas, didactic literature, charters, and laws, the book demonstrates how the Norwegian kings increasingly played a key-role in the promotion of royal ideology in society through rituals and the written word. In particular, the book stresses the interaction between secular and clerical culture, the role of the Church and of the Norwegian aristocracy. Focus is – among other things – on the role of the ritual of the solemn entry and the fascinating “Konungs skuggsiá” (The King’s Mirror), a Norwegian educational text from around 1250, an example of speculum literature that deals with politics and morality.

Konungs skuggsiá was originally intended for the education of King Magnus Lagabøte (1238 – 1280), the son of King Håkon Håkonsson (1204 – 1264), and it has the form of a dialogue between father and son. The son asks, and is advised by his father about practical and moral matters, concerning trade, the hird, chivalric behavior, strategy and tactics. Parts of Konungs skuggsjá deals with the relationship between church and state. Another central text is the  speech against the bishops (En tale mot biskopene), which was recently published by Brégaint in a French translation, Le Discours contre les évêques.

The book is a publication of his thesis.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

David Bregaint works as a post-doctoral fellow for the Norwegian Research Council in the department for historical studies at the the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. He has published several articles on Norwegian medieval history and translations, including Le Discours contre les évêques. Politique et controverse en Norvège vers 1200 (Publications de la Sorbonne, 2013).