Folkeviser fra Kong Hans og Christian 2.s tid

Denmark was among the first countries to publish medieval ballads, which were highly valued especially in the 19th century. However, later scholarship has adopted a much more skeptical stand towards these ballads, generally suggesting that they are no older than the time when they were written down (1550–1600). This article critically examines this suggestion and presents a new reading of four ballads that comment on events from the reigns of Danish kings John and Christian II.