Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
The Kingis Quair
Introduction References & Edit History Related Topics
Britannica AI Icon
Adding us as a Preferred Source tells Google you trust our content, so our articles show up more often in your Google Search, Discover feed, and AI Overviews.
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites

The Kingis Quair

Scottish literature
Written and fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
History

The Kingis Quair, (c. 1423; “The King’s Book”), love-dream allegory written in Early Scots and attributed to James I of Scotland. It marks the beginning of the golden age of Scottish literature. Sometimes called the first “Scottish Chaucerian” poem, it reflects and acknowledges Geoffrey Chaucer’s influence.

The story parallels the life of James I, who was captured and imprisoned for 18 years in England, where he met and married Joan Beaufort. Claims for the king’s authorship are supported both by the appearance of his name on the manuscript and by the poet’s acquaintance with English literature at a time when it was generally unknown in Scotland.