( or ) or the Västgöta (Westrogothic) law is the oldest Swedish text written in
Latin script
The Latin script, also known as the Roman script, is a writing system based on the letters of the classical Latin alphabet, derived from a form of the Greek alphabet which was in use in the ancient Greek city of Cumae in Magna Graecia. The Gree ...
Scanian law
Scanian law (, ) is the oldest Danish provincial law and one of the first Nordic provincial laws to be written down. It was used in the geographic region of Danish Skåneland, which at the time included Scania, Halland, Blekinge and the isla ...
is older, but
Scania
Scania ( ), also known by its native name of Skåne (), is the southernmost of the historical provinces of Sweden, provinces () of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conterminous w ...
was not incorporated into Sweden until late 17th century, and it is thus counted as a Danish law. It was compiled in the early 13th century, probably at least partly at the instigation of Eskil Magnusson and was the
code of law
A code of law, also called a law code or legal code, is a systematic collection of statutes. It is a type of legislation that purports to exhaustively cover a complete system of laws or a particular area of law as it existed at the time the co ...
used in the provinces 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.
Vä ...
and
Dalsland
Dalsland () is a Swedish traditional province, or ''landskap'', situated in Götaland in southern Sweden. Lying to the west of Lake Vänern, it is bordered by Värmland to the north, Västergötland to the southeast, Bohuslän to the west, ...
and in Mo härad during the latter half of that century. The earliest complete text is dated 1281. Small fragments of an older text have been dated 1250.
This legal code exists in two versions, and (the Elder and Younger Westrogothic law, respectively). A first printing in modern times was published by and Carl Johan Schlyter in 1827 (which made the text the subject of the earliest known stemma), and a new edition by in 1976.
The oldest manuscript of contains other material added by a priest called Laurentius in Vedum around 1325. This material is of varying nature, including notes on the border between Sweden and Denmark and lists of bishops in Skara,
lawspeaker
A lawspeaker or lawman ( Swedish: ''lagman'', Old Swedish: ''laghmaþer'' or ''laghman'', Danish: ''lovsigemand'', Norwegian: ''lagmann'', Icelandic: , Faroese: '' løgmaður'', Finnish: ''laamanni'', ) is a unique Scandinavian legal offic ...
s in Västergötland and Swedish kings. The latter begins with
Olof Skötkonung
Olof Skötkonung (; – 1022), sometimes stylized as Olaf the Swede, was King of Sweden, son of Eric the Victorious and, according to Icelandic sources, Sigrid the Haughty. He succeeded his father in c. 995. He stands at the threshold of record ...
and ends with
Johan Sverkersson
Johan Sverkersson ( – 10 March 1222), also known as John I, was King of Sweden from 1216 until his death in 1222. He was the last king from the House of Sverker, leaving no heirs. During his reign, an expedition was launched from Sweden agains ...
.
In these years, Swedish men left to enlist in the Byzantine Varangian Guard in such numbers that declared no one could inherit while staying in "Greece"—the then Scandinavian term for the
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...
—to stop the emigration, especially as two other European courts simultaneously also recruited Scandinavians:Pritsak 1981:386
Kievan Rus'
Kievan Rus', also known as Kyivan Rus,.
* was the first East Slavs, East Slavic state and later an amalgam of principalities in Eastern Europe from the late 9th to the mid-13th century.John Channon & Robert Hudson, ''Penguin Historical At ...
c. 980–1060 and
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
The Older Västgöta Law, as other medieval Swedish laws was divided into ''balkar'' and then ''flockar''. Below are the titles as indicated by
rubric
A rubric is a word or section of text that is traditionally written or printed in red ink for emphasis. The word derives from the Latin , meaning red ochre or red chalk, and originates in medieval illuminated manuscripts from the 13th century or ...
s in the Codex Holmiensis B 59; in one case, the rubric is clearly miswritten.
*Kirkiu bolkær - About the Church
*Af mandrapi - About Manslaughter
*Af særæmalum - About Wounds
*Af vaþæ sarum - About Accidental Wounds
*Bardaghæ bolkær - About Fights
*"Arþær bolkær" - About Non-Compensable Crimes
*Arfþær bolkær - About Inheritance
*Giptar bolkær - About Matrimony
*Retlösæ bolkær - About Lawlessness
*Iordþær bolkær - About Land
*Huru myulnu skal gæræ - How a Mill Shall Be Built
*Þiuuæ bolkær - About Thieves
*Fornæmix sakir - Cases of Illegal Appropriation
*Fornæmix bolkær - The Book of Illegal Appropriation
*Lecara rætar -
Jester
A jester, also known as joker, court jester, or fool, was a member of the household of a nobleman or a monarch kept to entertain guests at the royal court. Jesters were also travelling performers who entertained common folk at fairs and town ma ...
's rights
After this follows other headings in the manuscript, some of which are related to laws and some that are of the interests of an antiquarian.
See also
*
Geats
The Geats ( ; ; ; ), sometimes called ''Geats#Goths, Goths'', were a large North Germanic peoples, North Germanic tribe who inhabited ("land of the Geats") in modern southern Sweden from antiquity until the Late Middle Ages. They are one of ...
*
Medieval Scandinavian law
Medieval Scandinavian law, also called North Germanic law, was a subset of Germanic law practiced by North Germanic peoples. It was originally memorized by lawspeakers, but after the end of the Viking Age they were committed to writing, mostly by M ...
Varangians
The Varangians ( ; ; ; , or )Varangian ," Online Etymology Dictionary were
Varangian Guard
The Varangian Guard () was an elite unit of the Byzantine army from the tenth to the fourteenth century who served as personal bodyguards to the Byzantine emperors. The Varangian Guard was known for being primarily composed of recruits from Nort ...
World Digital Library
The World Digital Library (WDL) is an international digital library operated by UNESCO and the United States Library of Congress.
The WDL has stated that its mission is to promote international and intercultural understanding, expand the volume ...
National Library of Sweden
The National Library of Sweden (, ''KB'', meaning "the Royal Library") is Sweden's national library. It collects and preserves all domestic printed and audio-visual materials in Swedish, as well as content with Swedish association published ab ...