Geatish kings ( la, Rex Getarum/Gothorum; sv, Götakungar), ruling over the provinces of

Götaland Götaland (; also '' Geatland'', '' Gothia'', ''Gothland'', ''Gothenland'' or ''Gautland'') is one of three lands of Sweden and comprises ten provinces. Geographically it is located in the south of Sweden, bounded to the north by Svealand, wi ...

(Gautland/Geatland), appear in several sources for early Swedish history. Today, most of them are not considered historical. This list follows the generally accepted identification between the names

Götar The Geats ( ; ang, gēatas ; non, gautar ; sv, götar ), sometimes called '' Goths'', were a large North Germanic tribe who inhabited ("land of the Geats") in modern southern Sweden from antiquity until the late Middle Ages. They are one of ...

(

modern Swedish Modern Swedish ( sv, nysvenska) is the linguistic term used for the Swedish language from the Bible translation of 1526 to the development of a common national language around 1880. The period can further be divided into ''Early Modern Swedish'' ...

), Gautar (

Old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and t ...

) and Geatas ( Old English), which is based both on tradition, literary sources and on etymology. However, unlike some translations it does not identify this tribe with the

Goths The Goths ( got, 𐌲𐌿𐍄𐌸𐌹𐌿𐌳𐌰, translit=''Gutþiuda''; la, Gothi, grc-gre, Γότθοι, Gótthoi) were a Germanic people who played a major role in the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the emergence of medieval Euro ...

. Both Old Norse and Old English records clearly separate the Geats from the Goths, while still depicting them as closely related to each other. From the Middle Ages until 1974, the

king of Sweden The monarchy of Sweden is the monarchical head of state of Sweden,See the #IOG, Instrument of Government, Chapter 1, Article 5. which is a constitutional monarchy, constitutional and hereditary monarchy with a parliamentary system.Parliamentary ...

claimed the title King of the Geats as "King of Sweden and Geats/Goths" or "Rex Sweorum et Gothorum".

Danish monarchs This is a list of Monarchy of Denmark, Danish monarchs, that is, the kings and queens regnant of Denmark. This includes: * The Kingdom of Denmark (up to 1397) ** Personal union of Denmark and Norway (1380–1397) * The Kalmar Union (1397–1536) ...

used the similar title "

King of the Goths :''This is about the medieval title; for the migration-era Goths, see King of the Visigoths, King of the Ostrogoths.'' The title of King of the Goths ( sv, Götes konung, da, Goternes konge, la, gothorum rex) was for many centuries borne by bot ...

" from 1362 until 1972.

Legendary kings

Some names appear in

Norse mythology Norse, Nordic, or Scandinavian mythology is the body of myths belonging to the North Germanic peoples, stemming from Old Norse religion and continuing after the Christianization of Scandinavia, and into the Nordic folklore of the modern peri ...

and in Germanic legend and in at least one case, they were probably historical (

Hygelac Hygelac ( ang, Hygelāc; non, Hugleikr; gem-x-proto, Hugilaikaz; la, Ch(l)ochilaicus or ''Hugilaicus''; died 521) was a king of the Geats according to the poem ''Beowulf''. It is Hygelac's presence in the poem which has allowed scholars to ...

). Their order of succession is uncertain (if they ever lived). * Dag, contemporary with Yngvi-Frey in

Gamla Uppsala Gamla, alt. sp. Gamala ( he, גַּמְלָא, The Camel) was an ancient Jewish city on the Golan Heights. It is believed to have been founded as a Seleucid fort during the Syrian Wars which was turned into a city under Hasmonean rule in 8 ...

, in '' Sturlaugs saga'' 19 & 23. *

Gizur Gizur, Gizurr or Gissur was a King of the Geats. He appears in ''The Battle of the Goths and Huns'', which is included in the '' Hervarar saga'' and in editions of the ''Poetic Edda''. Gizur was the foster-father of Heidrek, who made a coup-d'� ...

4th century, who helps the

during the battles with the

Huns The Huns were a nomadic people who lived in Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Eastern Europe between the 4th and 6th century AD. According to European tradition, they were first reported living east of the Volga River, in an area that was par ...

in '' Hervarar saga'' (see

Hlöd Hlod or Hlöd was the illegitimate son of Heidrek, the king of the Geats, in Norse mythology. He appears in the '' Hervarar saga'' and probably also as ''Hlith'' in ''Widsith'', line 115, together with his father Heiðrekr (''Heathoric''), half ...

). * Gauti (in ''Herraud's saga''), probably the same as Gaut the father of Gautrek according to the ''

Ynglinga saga ''Ynglinga saga'' ( ) is a Kings' saga, originally written in Old Norse by the Icelandic poet and historian Snorri Sturluson about 1225. It is the first section of his ''Heimskringla''. It was first translated into English and published in 184 ...

''. See

Sons of Odin Various gods and men appear as sons of Odin or sons of Wodan/Wotan/Woden in old Old Norse and Old High German and Old English texts. Thor, Baldr, Víðarr and Váli Four gods, Thor, Baldr, Víðarr and Váli, are explicitly identified as s ...

. *Ring son of Gauti (king of East Götaland in '' Bósa saga ok Herrauds'') *

Herrauðr Herrauðr, ''Herraud'', ''Herröðr'', ''Herruðr'', ''Herrud'', ''Herothus'' or ''Heroth'' is a legendary earl of Götaland or king of Sweden, who appears in several medieval legends, in particular those relating to Ragnar Lodbrok (e.g. '' Tale ...

, son of Ring (king of East Götaland in '' Bósa saga ok Herrauds'') * Gautrekr, appearing in several sources. *Ketill Gautreksson, in ''

Hrólfs saga Gautrekssonar ''Hrólfs saga Gautrekssonar'' is a Scandinavian legendary saga which was put to text in Iceland in the 13th century. It has a prequel in '' Gautreks saga''. Summary Gautrekr was a Geatish king who descended from Odin Odin (; from non, ...

''. *

Hrólfr Gautreksson Hrólfr Gautreksson was a legendary Geatish king who appears in '' Hrólfs saga Gautrekssonar'' and probably in ''Hyndluljóð''. ''Hrólfs saga Gautrekssonar'' tells that he was the son of king Gautrek and when his father died, his elder brother ...

, in ''

''. * Gestiblindus, according to ''

Gesta Danorum ''Gesta Danorum'' ("Deeds of the Danes") is a patriotic work of Danish history, by the 12th-century author Saxo Grammaticus ("Saxo the Literate", literally "the Grammarian"). It is the most ambitious literary undertaking of medieval Denmark and ...

''. *

Yngwin Yngwin (''"Yngve"'') was, according to Gesta Danorum, a king in Götaland, who was a close friend to one of the Danish kings named Halfdan. This Danish king had no sons, so he left his treasures and his kingdom to Yngwin. Yngwin then moved to Denm ...

(''"Yngve"'') 5th century (in

, see

Halfdan Halfdan (, ang, Healfdene, Medieval : "half Dane") was a late 5th and early 6th century legendary Danish king of the Scylding (Skjöldung) lineage, the son of king named Fróði in many accounts, noted mainly as the father to the two kings w ...

) * Siward, contemporary with Yngwin's grandson (in

) *

Algaut Algaut (or ''Algöt'') was a Geatish king who ruled West Götaland according to the '' Heimskringla''. Snorri Sturluson Snorri Sturluson ( ; ; 1179 – 22 September 1241) was an Icelandic historian, poet, and politician. He was elected twice ...

4th century or the 7th century (in the

Norse saga is a series of science fantasy role-playing video games by Square Enix. The series originated on the Game Boy in 1989 as the creation of Akitoshi Kawazu at Square. It has since continued across multiple platforms, from the Super NES to the P ...

s) * Thorir (the brother of

Bödvar Bjarki Bödvar Bjarki ( non, Bǫðvarr Bjarki ), meaning 'Warlike Little-Bear', is the hero appearing in tales of Hrólfr Kraki in the ''Hrólfs saga kraka'', in the Latin epitome to the lost ''Skjöldunga saga'', and as ''Biarco'' in Saxo Grammaticus' ...

and Elgfróði in

Hrólfs saga kraka Hrólfs saga kraka, the ''Saga of King Rolf Kraki'', is a late legendary saga on the adventures Hrólfr Kraki, a semi-legendary king in what is now Denmark, and his clan, the Skjöldungs. The events can be dated to the late 5th century and the 6 ...

)

Siklings

Sigar The name Sigar can refer to four people in Scandinavian mythology, surrounding the legends of Sigurd the dragon slayer. One of them only appears as the friend of Helgi Hjörvarðsson in the eddic lay '' Helgakviða Hjörvarðssonar''. The other ...

?, the father of Siggeir, who genealogically corresponds to Yngwin, the king of Götaland in

. * Siggeir 5th century, a son of Sigar and the king of Götaland in the Volsunga saga

Hrethelings

Swerting Swerting (Proto-Norse *''Swartingaz' is briefly mentioned in ''Beowulf'', where he had a son or son-in-law, Hrethel, who was the maternal grandfather of the hero Beowulf. The Heaðobard tradition A Swerting of the same timeframe also appears in Sc ...

(in

Beowulf ''Beowulf'' (; ang, Bēowulf ) is an Old English Epic poetry, epic poem in the tradition of Germanic heroic legend consisting of 3,182 Alliterative verse, alliterative lines. It is one of the most important and List of translations of Beo ...

). * Hreðel (a relative of Swerting, in Beowulf) (nephew, grandson or stepson) *

Hæþcyn Hæthcyn ( ang, Hæþcyn) is the son of the Geatish king Hreðel in the Old English poem ''Beowulf''. The hero Beowulf is Hæþcyn's nephew. Hæþcyn kills his elder brother Herebeald with an arrow in a hunting accident, which causes their fathe ...

d. 514 or 515 (the son of Hrethel, in Beowulf) *

d. 516 (the son of Hrethel, in Beowulf) *

Heardred Heardred (Proto-Norse *''Harðurāðaz''), died c. 530, is the son of Hygelac, king of the Geats, and his queen Hygd, in ''Beowulf''. After Hygelac's death, in Frisia, Hygd wants to make Hygelac's nephew Beowulf, king of Geatland, as she fears th ...

d. ca 530 (the son of Hygelac, in Beowulf) *

d. ca 580? (the nephew of Hygelac, in Beowulf) *

Wiglaf Wiglaf (Proto-Norse: *'' Wīga laibaz'', meaning "battle remainder"; ang, Wīġlāf ) is a character in the Anglo-Saxon epic poem ''Beowulf''. He is the son of Weohstan, a Swede of the Wægmunding clan who had entered the service of Beowulf, k ...

(the kinsman of Beowulf, in Beowulf)

Ylfings (Wulfings)

Kings of East Gotland (Östergötland) *

Helm Helm may refer to: Common meanings * a ship's steering mechanism; see tiller and ship's wheel * another term for helmsman * an archaic term for a helmet, used as armor Arts and entertainment * Matt Helm, a character created by Donald Hamilt ...

Early 6th century, the Wulfing king mentioned in ''

Widsith "Widsith" ( ang, Wīdsīþ, "far-traveller", lit. "wide-journey"), also known as "The Traveller's Song", is an Old English poem of 143 lines. It survives only in the ''Exeter Book'', a manuscript of Old English poetry compiled in the late-10th c ...

''. Possible Reign Date Range 475–530. *

Högne ''For other people named Högne, see Haguna.'' Högne was a king of Östergötland who appears in sources of Norse mythology. ''Heimskringla'' Snorri Sturluson wrote that he was the king of Östergötland and that he had a son named Hildur a ...

7th century, the king of East Götaland (in the Heimskringla) and the father-in-law of Granmar. Most likely descendant of Helm. * Hjörvard 7th century, king of East Götaland (in Sögubrot) Married Hildagun daughter of Granmer. Most likely descendant of Helm. * Helgi Ylfing 7th century, probably a king of East Götaland in the Norse sagas and son-in-law of Högne. If we separate the merged Helgi into two time frames periods. He is recorded as the killer of Hogne and his sons and also Granmers son's. * Hjörmund 7th century, king of East Götaland (in Sögubrot) and a son of Hjörvard. He was most likely grandson of Högne. Given the throne by Ivar Harold Wartooths grandfather.

Battle of Bråvalla

Chronologically assigned to the 8th century, but poorly attested historically, the

Battle of Bråvalla A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and forc ...

(in a location legendarily between West and East Gothenland) was fought between the "King of Sweden" (

Sigurd Hring Sigurd Ring (Old Norse: ''Sigurðr Hringr'', in some sources merely called ''Hringr'') according to legend was a king of the Swedes, being mentioned in many old Scandinavian sagas. According to these sources he was granted rulership over Sweden ...

) who is said to have ruled Westrogothians, and the "King of Denmark" (

Harald Wartooth Harald Wartooth or ''Harold Hiltertooth'' (Old Norse: Haraldr hilditǫnn; Modern Swedish and Danish: Harald Hildetand; Modern Norwegian: ''Harald Hildetann''; flourished 8th century) was a legendary king of Denmark who is mentioned in several t ...

) whose realm is said to have included Ostrogothians.

Historical kings

When sources become more reliable,

is an integrated part of the Swedish kingdom and from

Stenkil Stenkil (Old Norse: ''Steinkell'') was a King of Sweden who ruled c. 1060 until 1066. He succeeded Emund the Old and became the first king from the House of Stenkil. He is praised as a devout Christian, but with an accommodating stance towards th ...

and onwards most of the medieval Swedish kings actually belonged to Geatish clans (

House of Stenkil The House of Stenkil was a dynasty on the Swedish throne from c. 1060 to c. 1125. Stenkil probably originated from Västergötland. Line (of magnates and earls) before Stenkil, according to the Norse sagas: *Skagul Toste (took Danegeld in Engla ...

House of Sverker The House of Sverker were a powerful political force in medieval Sweden, contesting for royal power. Their origins were in Östergötland. After the extinction of the House of Stenkil and the ascension of Sverker I of Sweden in 1130, a civil wa ...

and the

House of Bjelbo The House of Bjelbo ( sv, Bjälboätten), also known as the House of Folkung (''Folkungaätten''), was an Ostrogothian Swedish family that provided several medieval Swedish bishops, jarls and kings. It also provided three kings of Norway and o ...

, possibly also the

House of Eric The House of Eric ( sv, Erikska ätten) was a medieval Swedish royal dynasty with several pretenders to the throne between 1150 and 1220, rivaling for kingship of Sweden with the House of Sverker. The first king from the House of Eric was Eri ...

). In the early

High Middle Ages The High Middle Ages, or High Medieval Period, was the period of European history that lasted from AD 1000 to 1300. The High Middle Ages were preceded by the Early Middle Ages and were followed by the Late Middle Ages, which ended around AD ...

some kings in Sweden were titled rex Visigothorum and rex Gothorum, failing to hold the Swedish core provinces in

Svealand Svealand (), or Swealand, is the historical core region of Sweden. It is located in south central Sweden and is one of three historical lands of Sweden, bounded to the north by Norrland and to the south by Götaland. Deep forests, Tiveden, ...

. The non-Geatish King

Ragnvald Knaphövde Ragnvald Knaphövde was a King of Sweden whose reign is estimated to have occurred in the mid-1120sRagnvald knaphövde'' at the site of the Swedish Museum of National Antiquities, retrieved January 20, 2007. or c. 1130.Ragnvald Knaphöfde' in '' Nor ...

was killed by the Geats as he despised them and travelled among them without Geatish hostages. * Ingold I, king of

Västergötland Västergötland (), also known as West Gothland or the Latinized version Westrogothia in older literature, is one of the 25 traditional non-administrative provinces of Sweden (''landskap'' in Swedish), situated in the southwest of Sweden. Vä ...

(1081) *

Halsten Halsten Stenkilsson, English exonym: Alstan (Old Icelandic: ''Hallstein''Västergötland Västergötland (), also known as West Gothland or the Latinized version Westrogothia in older literature, is one of the 25 traditional non-administrative provinces of Sweden (''landskap'' in Swedish), situated in the southwest of Sweden. Vä ...

(1081) *

Magnus the Strong , birth_date = , birth_place = , death_date = 4 June , death_place = Near The Bay of Fotevik, Scania , house = Estridsen , spouse = Richeza of Poland , issue = Canute V of DenmarkNiels , father = Niels I of Denmark , mother = Margaret ...

, king of Västergötland (reigned 1125–1130) *Kol, king of

Östergötland Östergötland (; English exonym: East Gothland) is one of the traditional provinces of Sweden (''landskap'' in Swedish) in the south of Sweden. It borders Småland, Västergötland, Närke, Södermanland and the Baltic Sea. In older English ...

(see

Ingold II Inge the Younger was King of Sweden in c. 1110–c. 1125 and probably the youngest son of king Halsten.The article ''Inge d.y.'' in ''Nationalencyklopedin'' (1992).The article Inge, section 2. I. den yngre' in ''Nordisk familjebok'' (1910). Accordi ...

) (early 12th century) * Karl Sverkersson, rex Gothorum before becoming king of all of Sweden. * since

Magnus III of Sweden Magnus III ( 1240 – 18 December 1290), also called Magnus Ladulås, was King of Sweden from 1275 until his death in 1290. Name He was the ''first Magnus'' to rule Sweden for any length of time, not generally regarded as a usurper or ...

until accession of

Charles XVI Gustav Carl XVI Gustaf (Carl Gustaf Folke Hubertus; born 30 April 1946) is King of Sweden. He ascended the throne on the death of his grandfather, Gustaf VI Adolf, on 15 September 1973. He is the youngest child and only son of Prince Gustaf Adolf, Du ...

, Sweden's monarchs were officially titled

; and quite parallelly, since

Valdemar IV Valdemar IV Atterdag (the epithet meaning "Return of the Day"), or Waldemar (132024 October 1375) was King of Denmark from 1340 to 1375. He is mostly known for his reunion of Denmark after the bankruptcy and mortgaging of the country to finance w ...

's conquest of

Gotland Gotland (, ; ''Gutland'' in Gutnish), also historically spelled Gottland or Gothland (), is Sweden's largest island. It is also a province, county, municipality, and diocese. The province includes the islands of Fårö and Gotska Sandön to th ...

until accession of

Margrethe II of Denmark Margrethe II (; Margrethe Alexandrine Þórhildur Ingrid, born 16 April 1940) is Queen of Denmark. Having reigned as Denmark's monarch for over 50 years, she is Europe's longest-serving current head of state and the world's only incumbent fema ...

, Denmark's monarchs were similarly titled.

False kings

* The 16th-century forgery Ballad of Eric tells of the first king of Götaland Eric (''"Eiriker"''), who for a long time was considered historical.

References

{{Germanic peoples English heroic legends Barbarian kingdoms