King of the Geats

Gizur challenges the Huns
Peter Nicolai Arbo (1886)

Geatish kings (Latin: Rex Getarum/Gothorum; Swedish: Götakungar), ruling over the provinces of Götaland (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 (modern Swedish), Gautar (Old Norse) and Geatas (Old English), which is based both on tradition, literary sources and on etymology. However, unlike some translations[1] it does not identify this tribe with the Goths. 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, Swedish monarchs claimed the title King of the Geats as "King of Sweden and Geats/Goths" or "Rex Sweorum et Gothorum". Danish monarchs used the similar title "King of the Goths" from 1362 until 1972.

  1. ^ "The Story of the Volsungs (Volsunga Saga): Chapter 3". Archived from the original on 2004-08-12. Retrieved 2004-09-06.