Books in the Routledge Medieval Translations series

The Borgarthing Law and the Eidsivathing Law is dedicated to two closely linked medieval laws which were intended to cover adjacent legal provinces in eastern Norway, around and beyond the modern capital, Oslo.

Guta Law, the law of the independent island of Gotland, is one of the earliest laws of Scandinavia and together with its accompanying Saga provides an invaluable insight into the lives of the people living on Gotland, the largest of Sweden¿s Baltic islands, in 1000-1400. This is the first time that these two important texts have been translated into English and combined in one edition, accompanied by an extensive commentary and historical contextualisation by Christine Peel. This innovative and timely translation will be fascinating and essential reading for scholars of Scandinavian studies and legal history.

?ub? al-A''sh? by al-Qalqashand? is a manual for chancery clerks completed in 1412 and a vital source of information on Fatimid and Mamluk Egypt which, for the first time, has been translated into English. The text provides valuable insight into the Mamluk and earlier Muslim eras. The selections presented in this volume describe Cairo, Fustat and the Cairo Citadel and give a detailed picture of the Fatimid (AD 969-1172), Ayyubid (AD 1172-1250) and Mamluk (AD 1250-1412) court customs, rituals and protocols, and depict how the Mamluk Sultanate was ruled. It also contains a wealth of details covering the geography, history and state administration systems of medieval Egypt. An introduction preceding the translation contextualizes al-Qalqashand?''s role and manuscript, as well as introducing the man himself, while detailed notes accompany the translation to explain and elaborate on the content of the material. The volume concludes with an extensive glossary of terms which forms a mini-encyclopaedia of the Fatimid and Mamluk periods. This translation will be a valuable resource for any student of medieval Islamic history.

The Gulathing Law regulates relations between the social classes, the king and his officers, the clergy, and the peasantry. Parts of the law appear to be a social contract between two parties: on the one hand the people, on the other hand the church and the king.