Sachsenspiegel

The Sachsenspiegel (German: [ˈzaksn̩ˌʃpiːɡl̩], literally “Saxon Mirror”; Middle Low German: Sassen Speyghel; Low German: Sassenspegel) is the most important law book and custumal of the Holy Roman Empire. Written ca. 1220 as a record of existing customary law, it was used in parts of the HRE until as late as 1900, and is important not only for its lasting effect on later German law, but also as an early example of written prose in a German language, being the first lengthy legal document to have been written in a continental Germanic language, instead of Latin. A Latin edition is known to have existed, but only fragmented chapters remain.

The Sachsenspiegel was one of the first prose works written in the Middle Low German language. The original title is Sassen Speyghel, Sachsenspiegel being a later Standard German translation. It is believed to have been compiled and translated from Latin by the Saxon administrator Eike of Repgow at the behest of his liege lord Count Hoyer of Falkenstein in the years 1220 to 1235. Where the original was compiled is unclear. It was thought to have been written at Burg Falkenstein, but Peter Landau, an expert in medieval canon law, recently suggested that it may have been written at the monastery of Altzelle (now Altzella).

The Sachsenspiegel served as a model for law books in German (Middle High German) like the Augsburger Sachsenspiegel, the Deutschenspiegel, and the Schwabenspiegel. Its influence extended into Eastern Europe, the Netherlands, and the Baltic States.

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