Denmark of the twelfth to thirteenth centuries was a place of transitions, and this volume analyzes that period through the lens of the <i>Gesta Danorum </i>of Saxo Grammaticus and other sources. The <i>Gesta</i> defends not only hierocratic conceptions but the Danish hegemonic project in the Baltic - which was grounded in the crusade movements. Such movements are presented through complex language and imagery about a glorious past brought to bear on the projects in the thirteenth century while internal tensions strengthen the monarchic and ecclesiastical institutions.

1. Denmark and the Baltic in the Thirteenth Century<br>2. The Work <br>3. Political Conceptions<br>4. Euhemerism and the East in Saxo Grammaticus<br>5.Virtues and Values in Saxo Grammaticus: The Four Cardinal Virtues<br>6. The Thematic of the Counsellor<br>Conclusion<br>Appendix 1: List of the Kings in Books I-VIII of the <i>Gesta Danorum</i><br>Appendix 2: Rulers and Archbishops of Denmark in Relation to Events in the Baltic, the Empire, and the Papacy<br>Appendix 3: Genealogy of the Valdemarian Kings