Anna Lehto

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In my doctoral dissertation, I will explore the ideology of kingship and the ideological transition from pagan to Christian kingship in Gesta Danorum (The History of the Danes), a work of history written c. 1188-1208 by a cleric called Saxo Grammaticus. Taking into account the classical Roman, the medieval Latin and the Scandinavian traditions behind Gesta Danorum, I seek to study the pagan (classical and Scandinavian) and Christian ideals of kingship in Saxo's portrayals of kings as well as the possible change and continuity in the ideology of kingship in Gesta Danorum.

The topic of my doctoral dissertation rises from my Master's thesis that discusses the potential traces of the warrior culture of the Vikings found in Gesta Danorum. In my doctoral dissertation, this research is broadened by exploring the ideology of kingship and the ideological transition within Gesta Danorum, from its books considered describing the pagan past of the Danes to the books concerning the times after the Christianisation of Denmark.