The middle third of Gotland, from Visby's country across to the east coast, with Roma, where the Gutnalthing meets beside the Cistercian abbey of 1164.
Visby stands apart on its western coast (Visby). The Guta law (written down about 1220) and the Guta saga describe the island's division into thirds, sixths and about twenty hundreds with their things, under the assembly of the whole land at Roma (en.wikipedia). The division into thirds lasted in law until 1747 (en.wikipedia, Guta Saga). Whether each third held its own thing in 1200 is not pinned.
Who holds it
- Name
- no leader named
- Title
- the farmers of the middle third
- Confidence
- low
Overlord
the Gutnalthing; through it, the Swedish king's treaty rights
What it holds
- the middle hundreds of Gotland
- the thing place at Roma
How things stand that morning
Self-governing under the Gutnalthing.
Threats
- pagan raiders in summer
Law and courts
The hundred things; the Gutnalthing at Roma.
Why a province
The farmers govern themselves; there is no lord on Gotland.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: The thirds are named in the Guta saga; their exact borders are known from later records.
On the map: The borders between the thirds are rough.
Primary sources for Gotland
Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.
- The Chronicle of Novgorod (kept year by year; the Synodal manuscript written in the 13th and 14th centuries). Novgorod's own record, kept at St Sophia. Read online
- The Livonian Chronicle of Henry, Henry of Livonia (1225 to 1227). The chief source for the Baltic mission. Read online
- The birch-bark letters (11th to 15th centuries). Excavated letters and notes on birch bark, dated by the layer they lie in. Read online
- The Swedish diplomatarium and its main register, SDHK (documents of 817 to 1540). The register of every known Swedish medieval letter, with full texts for the early centuries. Read online
- The law of the Gotlanders; The saga of the Gotlanders (Guta lag about 1220, Guta saga about 1220 to 1275; manuscript of about 1350). The law and the short history of the self-governing island. Read online
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.