Eskil Magnusson was the lawspeaker of Västergötland c. 1215–1227. He was the son of Magnus Minniskiöld, and the elder brother of Birger Jarl, one of the most powerful men of his time in Scandinavia. Due to the location of his jurisdiction and his marriage to Kristina, the widow of the Norwegian earl Hakon the Mad (d. 1214), Eskil had good contacts in Norway and often functioned as a negotiator between the Swedish and the Norwegian government. In 1218, he was visited by his Icelandic colleague Snorri Sturluson. An old list of the lawspeakers of Västergötland tells that he collected and edited the province's laws, and administered justice with great consideration. He had good judgment, the learning of a cleric and he was superior to all the chiefains of the kingdom. He also distinguished himself in bravery and the list claims that it would take a long time until another man of that kind was born. 
This article contains content from the Owl Edition of Nordisk familjebok, a Swedish encyclopedia published between 1904–1926 now in Public Domain.
