Eskil Magnusson (c. 1175 – c. 1227) was a nobleman and

lawspeaker A lawspeaker or lawman ( Swedish: ''lagman'', Old Swedish: ''laghmaþer'' or ''laghman'', Danish: ''lovsigemand'', Norwegian: ''lagmann'', Icelandic: , Faroese: '' løgmaður'', Finnish: ''laamanni'', kl, inatsitinuk) is a unique Scandina ...

(''Lagman'') of

Västergötland Västergötland (), also known as West Gothland or the Latinized version Westrogothia in older literature, is one of the 25 traditional non-administrative provinces of Sweden (''landskap'' in Swedish), situated in the southwest of Sweden. Väs ...

. He is the first attested legal official in what is now Sweden about whom we have any extensive information.

Biography

He was a member of the Bjelbo dynasty or House of Folkung (''Folkungaätten'') which in the 1250s became Sweden's royal dynasty. He was the son of Magnus Minniskiöld, and the elder half-brother of

Birger Jarl Birger Jarl, also known as ''Birger Magnusson'' (21 October 1266), was a Swedish statesman, ''jarl'', and a member of the House of Bjelbo, who played a pivotal role in the consolidation of Sweden. Birger also led the Second Swedish Crusade, w ...

(''Birger Magnusson''), the most powerful man of Sweden in the middle of the 13th century. Around 1217, he married Kristina Nilsdotter, widow of the Norwegian earl Hakon the Mad (''Håkon Galen''), whose son Knut Håkonsson was a pretender to the Norwegian throne. Due to the location of his jurisdiction and his marriage to Kristina, Eskil had good contacts in Norway and may have functioned as a negotiator between the Swedish and the Norwegian monarchs. Some time during 1218–1220, he was visited by Icelandic historian

Snorri Sturluson Snorri Sturluson ( ; ; 1179 – 22 September 1241) was an Icelandic historian, poet, and politician. He was elected twice as lawspeaker of the Icelandic parliament, the Althing. He is commonly thought to have authored or compiled portions of th ...

. Eskil was noted for his learning and seems to have had an important role in codifying the law of Västergötland, ('' Västgötalagen'') the oldest known Swedish text written in the Latin script. The list of lawspeakers of Västergötland appended to ''Västgötalagen'' tells that he collected and edited the province's laws, and administered justice with great consideration. He had good judgment, the learning of a cleric and he was ''superior to all the chieftains of the kingdom''. The list also claims that he distinguished himself in bravery and that it would take a long time until another man of that kind was born.

Biography

References

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