Sachsenspiegel

The Sachsenspiegel (lit. "Mirror of the Saxons"; Low German: Sassenspegel, Middle Low German: Sassen Speyghel) is the most important law book and legal code of the German Middle Ages. Written ca. 1220 as a record of existing law, it was used in parts of Germany until as late as 1900, and is important not only for its lasting effect on German law, but also as an early example of written prose in a German language, being the first large legal document to have been written in (Middle Low) German, instead of Latin. A Latin edition is known to have existed, but only fragmented chapters remain.