Editing Geats (section)

==Society==
The Geats were traditionally divided into several [[petty kingdom]]s, or districts, which had their own things (popular assemblies) and laws. The largest one of these districts was Västergötland (West Geatland), and it was in Västergötland that the [[Thing of all Geats]] was held every year, in the vicinity of [[Skara]]. Despite the name, the thing was only for the inhabitants of Västergötland and [[Dalsland]]. The equivalent in [[Östergötland]] was [[Lionga thing]].

Unlike the Swedes, who used the division [[Hundred (division)|hundare]], the Geats used ''hærrad'' (modern Swedish ''[[härad]]''), like the Norwegians and the Danes. Surprisingly, it would be the Geatish name that became the common term in the Swedish kingdom. This is possibly related to the fact that several of the medieval Swedish kings were of Geatish extraction and often resided primarily in Götaland. In Västergötland and Dalsland, there were also a higher-level division where one or more hærrad made up a ''bo'' linked to a [[kongsgård]].