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Gutalagen, the ancient provincial law of Gotland, has an addendum: Gutasagan, the Gotland Tale. It was the first attempt to summarise Gotland’s history and was probably written in the 14th century. The tale describes the man who first discovered Gotland, Tjelvar. At the time Gotland was so enchanted that it sank beneath the water during the day and rose up again at night.
The people of Gotland have benefited from the island’s location out at sea over the years. The sea has been used as a route for travel and trade, and it has also been difficult to check and demand taxes and services from a population that lives and works in the middle of the ocean. During the Stone Age islanders would canoe out to sea, and in the late Bronze Age new types of vessel were built which made it possible to travel on the open sea. This gave the people of Gotland the chance to explore the eastern side of the Baltic Sea. These explorations were broadened towards the end of the Iron Age. During the Viking Age the people of Gotland sailed eastwards along the Russian river systems. These journeys yielded great profits and in the latter part of the Viking Age, the island was one of the richest regions in Europe.
During the Middle Ages Gotland was extensively characterised by farming, as was mainland Sweden. However, major differences included the extremely favourable taxes and the farmers’ strong organisation, which enabled extra earnings through foreign trade. This wealth made its mark on the island in the form of splendid stone houses and lavish churches. Many of the medieval environments are well preserved still today. Visby’s ring wall extends around the old city centre, and its narrow streets provide a constant reminder of Visby’s glory days in the shape of buildings and church ruins.
The German Hanseatic League played a crucial role in Visby’s role as a city of commerce. In the 13th century the Hanseatic League grew into an increasingly powerful organisation in which Visby became the most important meeting-place in the Baltic area for trade between east and west. Antagonism between Visby and the island’s rural districts led to a civil war in 1288 in which Visby was the victor. In 1361 the island was conquered by Denmark’s King Valdemar Atterdag and Gotland became a Danish province.
In the early 15th century the once favourable taxes were raised and the economy weakened. The islanders now truly felt the effects of their isolated position far out at sea. However, some saw the benefits of isolation and pirates ruled the island almost continuously up until 1525. Under the Treaty of Brömsebro in 1645 Gotland was returned to Sweden, and it was not until the second half of the 18th century that prosperity truly returned to the island.
By the early 20th century industrialisation had reached Gotland and, due to depictions of the island by artists, poets and authors during the Romantic period, the island became one of Sweden’s first major destinations for beach and culture tourism.
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