THE KING'S MIRROR 55 



quarrels broke out anew. On the accession of Hakon IV 

 the church yielded once more, though the prelates did 

 not renounce their earlier claims. In 1245, when plans 

 were being made for King Hakon's coronation, the 

 bishops put forth the suggestion that the king should, 

 on that occasion, renew the agreement of 1163, which 

 gave the bishops control of the succession. But the 

 great king refused. "If we swear such an oath as King 

 Magnus swore, then it seems to us as though our honor 

 would be lessened by it rather than increased." * He 

 flatly asserted that he would be crowned without any 

 conditions attached to the act, or the crown " shall 

 never come upon our head." 



After the arrival of Cardinal William of Sabina, who 

 had been sent by the pope to officiate at the coronation, 

 and while preparations for that joyous event were going 

 forward, the subject was brought up once more. On the 

 suggestion of the Norwegian bishops the cardinal asked 

 the king to take Magnus Erlingsson's oath; but the 

 king again refused, and the cardinal decided that " there 

 is no need to speak of it oftener." f The king was 

 crowned and there was peace between the two great 

 forces of church and monarchy, at least so long as 

 Hakon lived. Sometime not long before or after the 

 coronation of the great king (1247) the King's Mirror 

 seems to have been written. It is clear that such ideas 

 as are enunciated in this work with respect to the snb- 

 mission..o the church to the authorities of the state can 

 not have, been xelished by the hierarchy, and perhaps 

 they were just then somewhat unwelcome to the secular 



* Hdkonar Saga, c. 247. f /&* c. 251. 



