Anonymous, De Tribus Regibus Mortuis

Rebecca Pope (University of Kent at Canterbury)
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De Tribus Regibus Mortuis is the Latin title given to a short, alliterative Middle English poem composed in the fourteenth century by an anonymous author. It is otherwise known by its English title, Three Dead Kings. The story, in which three kings are suddenly confronted by their three dead ancestors whilst out hunting in the forest, is the only textual version of the popular Three Living and Three Dead Legend to survive in Middle English. This legend was well-known throughout medieval Europe, and survives in thirteen other poetic versions in Old French, Anglo-Norman, German, Italian, and Latin. The legend also survives in nearly two-hundred mural paintings and dozens of manuscript illuminations (see Kinch, 2008, p. …

2031 words

Citation: Pope, Rebecca. "De Tribus Regibus Mortuis". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 11 January 2018 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=38770, accessed 28 March 2024.]

38770 De Tribus Regibus Mortuis 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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