Editing Goths (section)

==Legacy==
[[File:Estatua de Don Pelayo en Covadonga, Asturias.jpg|thumb|In Spain, the Visigothic nobleman [[Pelagius of Asturias]] who founded the [[Kingdom of Asturias]] and began the [[Reconquista]] at the [[Battle of Covadonga]], is a national hero regarded as the country's first monarch.]]
{{Further|Reconquista|Gothicism}}
The Goths' relationship with Sweden became an important part of Swedish nationalism, and until the 19th&nbsp;century, before the Gothic origin had been thoroughly researched by archaeologists, Swedish scholars considered Swedes to be the direct descendants of the Goths. Today, scholars identify this as a [[cultural movement]] called [[Gothicismus]], which included an enthusiasm for things [[Old Norse]].{{sfn|Wolfram|1990|p=23}}

In [[Spain in the Middle Ages|medieval]] and modern Spain, the Visigoths were believed to be the progenitors of the [[Spanish nobility]] (compare [[Gobineau]] for a similar French idea). By the early 7th century, the ethnic distinction between Visigoths and Hispano-Romans had all but disappeared, but recognition of a Gothic origin, e.g. on gravestones, still survived among the nobility. The 7th century Visigothic aristocracy saw itself as bearers of a particular Gothic consciousness and as guardians of old traditions such as Germanic namegiving; probably these traditions were on the whole restricted to the family sphere (Hispano-Roman nobles were doing service for the Visigothic Royal Court in Toulouse already in the 5th century and the two branches of Spanish aristocracy had fully adopted similar customs two centuries later).{{sfn|Pohl|Reimitz|1998|pp=124–26}}

Beginning in 1278, when [[Magnus III of Sweden]] ascended to the throne, [[King of the Goths|a reference to Gothic origins]] was included in the title of the king of Sweden: "We N.N. by the Grace of God King of the Swedes, the Goths and the Vends". In 1973, with the accession of King [[Carl XVI Gustaf]], the title was changed to simply "King of Sweden".{{sfn|Luttwak|2009|p=24}}

{{Quote box
 |quote = In all history there is nothing more romantically marvellous than the swift rise of this people to the height of greatness, or than the suddenness and the tragic completeness of their ruin.{{sfn|Bradley|1888|p=3}}
 |author = — [[Henry Bradley]]
 |source = The Story of the Goths (1888)
 |align =
 |width = 18.5%
}}

The Spanish and Swedish claims of Gothic origins led to a clash at the [[Council of Basel]] in 1434. Before the assembled [[cardinal (Catholicism)|cardinals]] and delegations could engage in theological discussion, they had to decide how to sit during the proceedings. The delegations from the more prominent nations argued that they should sit closest to the [[Pope]], and there were also disputes over who were to have the finest chairs and who were to have their chairs on mats. In some cases, they compromised so that some would have half a chair leg on the rim of a mat. In this conflict, [[Nicolaus Ragvaldi]], bishop of the [[Diocese of Växjö]], claimed that the Swedes were the descendants of the great Goths, and that the people of Västergötland (''Westrogothia'' in Latin) were the Visigoths and the people of Östergötland (''Ostrogothia'' in Latin) were the Ostrogoths. The Spanish delegation retorted that it was only the "lazy" and "unenterprising" Goths who had remained in Sweden, whereas the "heroic" Goths had left Sweden, invaded the Roman empire and settled in Spain.{{sfn|Wolfram|1990|p=2}}{{sfn|Söderberg|1896|pp=187–95}}

In Spain, a man acting with arrogance would be said to be "''haciéndose los godos''" ("making himself to act like the Goths"). In [[Chile]], [[Argentina]], and the [[Canary Islands]], ''godo'' was an [[ethnic slur]] used against European Spaniards, who in the early colonial period often felt superior to the people born locally (''[[Spanish Criollo peoples|criollos]]'').{{sfn|Bell|1993|p=67}} In Colombia, it remains as slang for a person with [[Colombian Conservative Party|conservative]] views.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.elmundo.com/noticia/-Godosy-liberales/359931| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170923112733/http://www.elmundo.com/noticia/-Godosy-liberales/359931| archive-date = 2017-09-23| title = "Godos" y liberales {{!}} El Mundo}} {{Cite web |url=https://www.elmundo.com/noticia/-Godosy-liberales/359931 |title="Godos" y liberales &#124; el Mundo |access-date=8 January 2021 |archive-date=10 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110030425/https://www.elmundo.com/noticia/-Godosy-liberales/359931 |url-status=live }}</ref>

A large amount of literature has been produced on the Goths, with [[Henry Bradley]]'s ''The Goths'' (1888) being the standard English-language text for many decades. More recently, [[Peter Heather]] has established himself as the leading authority on the Goths in the [[English-speaking world]]. The leading authority on the Goths in the [[List of countries and territories where German is an official language|German-speaking world]] is [[Herwig Wolfram]].{{sfn|Murdoch|Read|2004|p=166}}