Unique fragments of a medieval law manuscript offer insights into language and medieval history

Uppsala University Library has acquired two unique fragments from a medieval Swedish law manuscript. They originally belonged to the Library but had gone astray. These fragments, both part of the same manuscript leaf, contain text from the Law of Uppland.
With this acquisition, the Library has reclaimed a piece of its own history, as well as enriching its holdings of Swedish medieval manuscripts with significant new information.
Manuscript fragments are loose leaves or parts of leaves that have come away from their original setting. Until as recently as 1907, the newly acquired fragments were attached to the inside covers of one of the Library’s medieval books (Ink. 33:271).
A planned return that never happened
The fragments were likely sent in the early 1900s to K.G. Westman (d. 1944) so he could help identify texts from the manuscript. He was a professor with expertise in medieval legal history, and the fragments were later found among his papers. On the paper containing the fragments is a note addressed to the librarian I. Collijn, which shows that Mr. Westman had planned to return the fragments.
Sending unique manuscripts to private individuals is something the Library would never consider today, but in the early 1900s it clearly did happen.
Texts from the Law of Uppland
After acquiring the fragments, the Library worked with Professor Emeritus of Nordic Languages Per-Axel Wiktorsson to clarify their origin and content. He confirms that they contain parts of Ärvdabalken and Manhelgdsbalken from the Law of Uppland, dating them to the 1310s–1320s. Although the two fragments differ in size, they have turned out to be parts of the same leaf, written by a scribe unknown to Wiktorsson. This is particularly noteworthy because in an earlier publication on Swedish medieval scribes, he described around 900 distinct scribal hands.
A unique glimpse into the adaptation of medieval laws
Wiktorsson observes that the text deviates from other known legal texts of the period. It includes both additions and omissions, likely made by the scribe on behalf of a currently unknown patron. This provides a rare insight into how the law could be adapted to meet particular needs and did not always follow standard legal wording. These deviations may also explain why the manuscript was later discarded.
Insights into Swedish medieval history and language history
Because of their unique character, the fragments not only shed light on the medieval book to which they were once attached (Ink. 33:271), but also offer valuable insights into Swedish medieval history and the history of the language. It is very rare for previously unknown texts in Old Swedish (Fornsvenska) to turn up and become available to researchers. Any such new text both enriches and challenges our current knowledge of Old Swedish.
No other leaves from the same manuscript have yet been found, but it is likely that some of them were also reused as binding material. Future research will need to consider these fragments in a broader context, including why and when the book was disposed of.
Available documentation
Wiktorsson’s comments on the fragments – including a transcription and translation to modern Swedish – have been published in a PDF that you can read via the item’s record in the digital archive Alvin.
Law of Uppland, Ärvdabalken and Manhelgdsbalken (fragments), in Alvin