Part VI: Hostages in the Areas of Confrontation Between the Swedes and the Geats

Abstract

How to cite this book chapter: Olsson, S. 2019. Hostages in the Areas of Confrontation Between the Swedes and the Geats. In: Olsson, S. The Hostages of Northmen: From the Viking Age to the Middle Ages. Pp. 251–320. Stockholm: Stockholm University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.16993/bba.f License: CC-BY. The giving and taking of hostages that is described in the Westrogothic Law (Sw. Västgötalagen) took place in certain territories in present day Sweden. Because this ritual occurred during the king’s so-called Eriksgata – the traditional journey of the elected Swedish king – it is necessary to understand the law in the light of the political situation in the provinces of the Swedes (Sw. svear) and the Geats (Sw. götar) in the 11th to 13th centuries.