Vastergotland

Vastergotland 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. Vastergotland is home to Gothenburg, the second largest city in Sweden, which is situated along a short stretch of the Kattegat strait. The province is bordered by Bohuslän, Dalsland, Värmland, Narke, Ostergotland, Smaland and Halland, as well as the two largest Swedish lakes Vänern and Vättern. Crown Princess Victoria is Duchess of Vastergotland. The population of Västergötland, the Viking Geats appear in the writings of the Greek Ptolemaios as Goutai, and they appear as Gautigoths in Jordanes' work in the 6th century.

The province of Västergötland represents the heartland of Götaland, once an independent petty kingdom with a long line of Geatish kings. These are mainly described in foreign sources Frankish and through legends. It is possible that Västergötland had the same king as the rest of Sweden at the time of the monk Ansgar's mission to Sweden in the 9th century, but both the date and nature of its inclusion into the Swedish kingdom is a matter of much debate. Some date it as early as the 6th century, based on the Swedish-Geatish wars in Beowulf epos; others date it as late as the 12th century.