Mirrors for princes or mirrors of princes (Latin : specula principum) constituted a literary genre of didactic political writings that were established in antiquity but increased in popularity throughout the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. It was part of the broader speculum or mirror literature genre.
These texts most frequently take the form of textbooks for the instruction of monarchs on successful governance and behavior. Authors often composed such "mirrors" at the accession of a new king, when a young and inexperienced ruler was about to come to assume royal authority.
Some of the earliest writers on this genre include Aristotle, Plato, and Xenophon. [1] Pre modern examples include Sedulius Scottus (fl. 840–860), the Irish poet associated with the Pangur Bán gloss poem (c. 9th century). Possibly the best known European "mirror" is The Prince (c. 1513) by Niccolò Machiavelli, although this was not the most typical example.
Carolingian texts. Notable examples of Carolingian textbooks for kings, counts and other laymen include:
Irish texts