Göty (ets, Gautes; Swede. Götar, göter, drevneyl . Gautar ) - an ancient Germanic tribe, from the 2nd c. BC At the turn of the 1st and 2nd millennia, they inhabited the southern part of Scandinavia , in the region of the lakes of Vänern and Vättern . Together with the Sweets they formed the Swedish nation .
Historical and geographical characteristics
The historical region in the south of Sweden still bears the name of Goetaland , that is, the “country of the Goths”. The question of the degree of kinship between the goths and the Goths is controversial, as is the identification of the goths with the Gautes mentioned in Beowulf (under the names “Geata” and “Wedera”) and the Scandinavian sagas . There is also a hypothesis about the relationship of gets with utes .
| "Geata" and "Wedera" in the text of "Beowulf." |
Although göty and sveghi together chose the king, the svei played a dominant role. In the Law of Gotland (about the XIII century ) it was recorded that only the Swey have the right to choose and remove the king. So, for example, in 1125, the gyotas chose Magnus the Strong , the son of the King of Denmark , as king , but svei were opposed, and Magnus was driven out of the country as early as 1130 .
The difference between sveyami and göty existed throughout all the Middle Ages .
See also
- Goths
- Swedish history
- Gotland
Sources
- The World History. Encyclopedia. Volume 3. State publishing house of political literature. Moscow, 1957 Chapter XI.