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Svitjod
Svitjod (also spelled Svithiod; Old Norse: Svíþjóð, Old Swedish: Svethiudh) was an early name for both the people known as the Svear and the land they inhabited. In medieval times, the name usually referred to their central territory in what is now Uppland in eastern Sweden. The name is composed of the ethnonym Svear and the word *thiudh, meaning "people".
Over time, it was also used more broadly as a poetic or historical name for the whole Swedish kingdom. In Norse literature, Svitjod could also refer to a vast eastern region, including parts of what is now Russia, known as "Great Svitjod" (see Garðaríki).
In the narrower sense, Svitjod referred specifically to the core territory of the Svear in the Mälaren Valley, primarily in what is now Uppland, and by extension parts of Södermanland and Västmanland. According to Snorri Sturluson, Svíþjóð sjálfri ("Svitjod proper") was the heartland of the Svear, distinct from the wider realm known as Svíaveldi ("the realm of the Svear"), which encompassed surrounding regions including parts of Götaland, Gotland, and Öland.
This core region was not a single unified province but was divided into three major territorial and administrative units known as folklands: Tiundaland, Attundaland, and Fjädrundaland. These divisions are well attested in medieval law codes and administrative records and were closely linked to the early political and military organization of the kingdom of the Svear.
Tiundaland, meaning "land of ten hundreds", was the most prominent folkland. It contained Uppsala, which served as the religious, political, and later ecclesiastical center of the Svear. The region was associated with royal estates (Uppsala öd) and, in the Christian period, with the Archdiocese of Uppsala. Tiundaland also had a coastal district known as Tiundalands roden, which facilitated naval mobilization.
Attundaland, meaning "land of eight hundreds", was located southeast of Tiundaland. It had its own coastal district, Attundalands roden, and served both administrative and military functions.
Fjädrundaland, meaning "land of four hundreds" (using an archaic form of the numeral four, fjädrund-), was the smallest of the three and located southwest of Uppsala. Though less central politically, it was still an integral part of the Svear domain.
The names of the folklands reflect a system of military-administrative subdivisions called hundare (from Old Swedish hund, meaning "hundred"), comparable to the hundreds of Anglo-Saxon England. Each hundred was likely responsible for supplying approximately 100 armed men, especially for naval expeditions organized under the ledung system. This system of hundreds was unique to the Mälaren region and was not used in Götaland or Norrland, where other divisions such as härad and skeppslag were used instead.
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Svitjod
Svitjod (also spelled Svithiod; Old Norse: Svíþjóð, Old Swedish: Svethiudh) was an early name for both the people known as the Svear and the land they inhabited. In medieval times, the name usually referred to their central territory in what is now Uppland in eastern Sweden. The name is composed of the ethnonym Svear and the word *thiudh, meaning "people".
Over time, it was also used more broadly as a poetic or historical name for the whole Swedish kingdom. In Norse literature, Svitjod could also refer to a vast eastern region, including parts of what is now Russia, known as "Great Svitjod" (see Garðaríki).
In the narrower sense, Svitjod referred specifically to the core territory of the Svear in the Mälaren Valley, primarily in what is now Uppland, and by extension parts of Södermanland and Västmanland. According to Snorri Sturluson, Svíþjóð sjálfri ("Svitjod proper") was the heartland of the Svear, distinct from the wider realm known as Svíaveldi ("the realm of the Svear"), which encompassed surrounding regions including parts of Götaland, Gotland, and Öland.
This core region was not a single unified province but was divided into three major territorial and administrative units known as folklands: Tiundaland, Attundaland, and Fjädrundaland. These divisions are well attested in medieval law codes and administrative records and were closely linked to the early political and military organization of the kingdom of the Svear.
Tiundaland, meaning "land of ten hundreds", was the most prominent folkland. It contained Uppsala, which served as the religious, political, and later ecclesiastical center of the Svear. The region was associated with royal estates (Uppsala öd) and, in the Christian period, with the Archdiocese of Uppsala. Tiundaland also had a coastal district known as Tiundalands roden, which facilitated naval mobilization.
Attundaland, meaning "land of eight hundreds", was located southeast of Tiundaland. It had its own coastal district, Attundalands roden, and served both administrative and military functions.
Fjädrundaland, meaning "land of four hundreds" (using an archaic form of the numeral four, fjädrund-), was the smallest of the three and located southwest of Uppsala. Though less central politically, it was still an integral part of the Svear domain.
The names of the folklands reflect a system of military-administrative subdivisions called hundare (from Old Swedish hund, meaning "hundred"), comparable to the hundreds of Anglo-Saxon England. Each hundred was likely responsible for supplying approximately 100 armed men, especially for naval expeditions organized under the ledung system. This system of hundreds was unique to the Mälaren region and was not used in Götaland or Norrland, where other divisions such as härad and skeppslag were used instead.
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