Albrecht Classen’s Criticism of the Court and the Evil King in the Middle Ages explores how medieval poets warned against rulers who abused power or turned into tyrants. By consulting literary works from a variety of European sources and genre, including Latin and German epic, Norse saga, Old French chason de geste and courtly romance, and Boccaccio’s Decameron, Classen demonstrates that the pre-modern political landscape was much more dynamic and tumultuous than commonly portrayed. A close reading of literary texts from the period reveals popular, as well as philosophical and theological, objections to royal misbehavior and abuse of power. While the writers that Classen studies do not advocate for democracy as currently defined, they reacted to and criticized what they viewed as power scenarios harmful to the good of the citizens. This is a unique approach to texts that hold valuable clues to medieval opposition to dangerous rulers and conceived injustices.