- Götaland
Götaland (Audio|Gotaland.ogg|"listen"), "
Gothia ", "Gothland" ["Nuttall Encyclopædia of General Knowledge" (1907)] [ [http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/OMACL/Volsunga/ A translation of the Völsunga saga] ] , "Gothenland", "Gotland" [American Heritage Dictionary ] , "Gautland", "Geatland" is one of three lands of Sweden consisting of ten provinces. Geographically it is located in the south of Sweden, bounded to the north bySvealand , with the deep woods ofTiveden ,Tylöskog andKolmården marking the border.Götaland once consisted of
petty kingdom s, which its inhabitants called "Gautar" inOld Norse . It is generally agreed that these were the same as the "Geatas", the people of the hero Beowulf inEngland 's national epic by the same name. The region is also the traditional origin of theGoths .Etymology
The original central settlement was
Västergötland and it is Västergötland that appears in medieval Icelandic and Norwegian sources as "Gautland" (Götland), a form which is not etymologically identical to "Götaland".Ptolemaios (2nd century AD) mentions these people as "goutai" and "Beowulf " (8th century) mentions them as "Géatas". Norwegian and Icelandic sources sometimes use "Gautar" only for the people of Västergötland, but sometimes as a common ethnic term for both the people of Västergötland and those of Östergötland.The name "Götaland" replaced the old "Götland" in the
15th century , and it was probably to distinguish the wider region it denoted from the traditional heartland inVästergötland .The article " [http://runeberg.org/nfbj/0479.html Götaland] " in "Nordisk familjebok " (1909).] The name Götaland probably originally referred only toVästergötland andÖstergötland , but was later extended to adjoining districts. The name "Götaland" is probably a plural construction and means the "lands of the Geats", where "Göta-" is the genitive plural of theethnonym Göt (Geat).Stål, Harry. (1976). "Ortnamn och ortnamnsforskning". Almquist & Wiksell, Uppsala. p.130.] The interpretation that the neuter noun -"land" is a plural and not a singular noun is indicated byBo Jonsson Grip 's will in 1384, where he stated that he donated property in "Swerige" (Sweden, i.e.Svealand ), "Österlandom" (Finland ) and in "Göthalandom" to monasteries. Here Götaland appears in the plural form of thedative case .For the etymology of the element Geat/Gaut/Göt and Goth, see
Geat .History
Västergötland andÖstergötland , once rival kingdoms themselves, constitute Götaland proper. TheGeatish kings , however, belong to the domain ofNorse mythology .Geatland is the land in which the medieval hero of the poem, "Beowulf", is said to have lived.
It was only late in the Middle Ages that Götaland began to be perceived as a part of
Sweden . InOld Norse and in Old English sources, Gautland/Geatland is still treated as a separate country from Sweden. In "Sögubrot af Nokkrum " for instance,Kolmården between Svealand andÖstergötland is described as the border between Sweden and Ostrogothia (..."Kolmerkr, er skilr Svíþjóð ok Eystra-Gautland"...), and in "Hervarar saga ", kingIngold I rides to Sweden throughÖstergötland : "Ingi konungr fór með hirð sína ok sveit nokkura ok hafði lítinn her. Hann reið austr um Smáland ok í eystra Gautland ok svá í Svíþjóð". The lord,Bo Jonsson Grip , was probably the one who was best acquainted with the geography of the Swedish kingdom since he owned more than half of it. In1384 , he stated in his will that the kingdom consisted of "Swerige" (Sweden, i.e. Svealand), "Österland" (i.e.Finland ) and "Göthaland" (i.e. Götaland).The small countries to the south of
Finnveden ,Kind ,Möre ,Njudung ,Tjust , Tveta,Värend , Ydre were merged into the province ofSmåland (literally: [the] "small countries"). Off the coast ofSmåland was the island ofÖland , which became a separate province.Dal to the north west became the province of
Dalsland .Småland ,Öland andDalsland were already seen as lands belonging toGötaland in (Scandinavian) medieval times (12th–15th century).In the
Treaty of Roskilde (1658 ), the Danish kingdom cededBlekinge ,Halland ,Skåne , andBohuslän to Sweden. These provinces are since then counted as parts ofGötaland .The island of
Gotland shifted allegiance between the Swedes and the Danes several times. Although the island may be perceived to have closer links toSvealand or toDenmark , it is counted as part ofGötaland .Värmland originally belonged to the Göta Court of Appeal, but the province changed to become part of the Court of Appeal forSvealand for a period of time in the early 19th century. Even thoughVärmland historically was a part of Götaland, it has since that time generally been counted as part ofSvealand , although it is now part of the Court of Appeal for WesternSweden .Official status
Today, Götaland has no administrative function and is thus an unofficial entity, but it is generally considered to be one of three Swedish lands or parts. It is made up of ten provinces, based loosely on the area originally under the jurisdiction of the Göta Court of Appeals (established in 1634), to which the
Scanian lands ,Gotland andBohuslän were added in 1658-1679:
*Blekinge
*Bohuslän
*Dalsland
*Gotland
*Halland
*Skåne
*Småland
*Västergötland
*Öland
*Östergötland Skåne, Blekinge and Halland were a Danish land known as the
Scanian lands or the Eastern Province until 1658 when theTreaty of Roskilde ceded the region to Sweden. Furthermore, Bohuslän belonged to Norway until 1658, and Gotland belonged to Denmark 1361-1645 and 1676-1679. Since 1820, Scania and Blekinge form a separate court of appeal district under the Scania and Blekinge Court of Appeal in Malmö. [The National Courts Administration. [http://www.domstol.se/templates/DV_InfoPage____2319.aspx Courts of Appeal] . "The Swedish Courts". Retrieved 1 Jan. 2007.]Värmland was originally included in the Göta Courts of Appeal area of jurisdiction, but since 1948, Värmland, Halland, Bohuslän and parts of Västergötland form a separate court district under the Court of Appeal for Western Sweden inGoteborg . In 1992, Örebro county was added to the Göta Courts of Appeal. [Göta hovrätt. [http://www.gotahovratt.dom.se/ Historik] . Göta Courts of Appeal. (In Swedish). Retrieved 1 Jan. 2007.]Geography
Deep forests are found in the
Småland province, there is plenty of farmland inSkåne , and a little bit of both inVästergötland andÖstergötland . Coasts are usually relatively flat and consist ofarchipelago es as well as sandy beaches.See also
*
Norrland
*Svealand
*Götaland theory
*Göta highway Notes
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