diff --git a/pymongo/database.py b/pymongo/database.py
index 4905c34b4..e81193093 100644
--- a/pymongo/database.py
+++ b/pymongo/database.py
@@ -238,6 +238,37 @@ class Database(object):
         """
         return list(self.system.profile.find())
 
+    def error(self):
+        """Get a database error if one occured on the last operation.
+
+        Return None if the last operation was error-free. Otherwise return the
+        error that occurred.
+        """
+        error = self._command({"getlasterror": 1})
+        if error.get("err", 0) is None:
+            return None
+        return error
+
+    def previous_error(self):
+        """Get the most recent error to have occurred on this database.
+
+        Only returns errors that have occurred since the last call to
+        `Database.reset_error_history`. Returns None if no such errors have
+        occurred.
+        """
+        error = self._command({"getpreverror": 1})
+        if error.get("err", 0) is None:
+            return None
+        return error
+
+    def reset_error_history(self):
+        """Reset the error history of this database.
+
+        Calls to `Database.previous_error` will only return errors that have
+        occurred since the most recent call to this method.
+        """
+        self._command({"reseterror": 1})
+
     def __iter__(self):
         return self
 
diff --git a/test/test_database.py b/test/test_database.py
index 67d3a6769..0bb5374cd 100644
--- a/test/test_database.py
+++ b/test/test_database.py
@@ -163,6 +163,34 @@ class TestDatabase(unittest.TestCase):
 
         self.assertRaises(TypeError, iterate)
 
+    def test_errors(self):
+        db = self.connection.test
+
+        db.reset_error_history()
+        self.assertEqual(None, db.error())
+        self.assertEqual(None, db.previous_error())
+
+        db._command({"forceerror": 1})
+        self.assertTrue(db.error())
+        self.assertTrue(db.previous_error())
+
+        db._command({"forceerror": 1})
+        self.assertTrue(db.error())
+        prev_error = db.previous_error()
+        self.assertEqual(prev_error["nPrev"], 1)
+        del prev_error["nPrev"]
+        self.assertEqual(db.error(), prev_error)
+
+        db.test.find_one()
+        self.assertEqual(None, db.error())
+        self.assertTrue(db.previous_error())
+        self.assertEqual(db.previous_error()["nPrev"], 2)
+
+        db.reset_error_history()
+        self.assertEqual(None, db.error())
+        self.assertEqual(None, db.previous_error())
+
+    # TODO some of these tests belong in the collection level testing.
     def test_save_find_one(self):
         db = Database(self.connection, "test")
         db.test.remove({})