GOTTLAND, an island in the Baltic sea belonging to Sweden, lying between 57° and 58° N., and having a length from S.S.W. to N.N.E. of 75 m., a breadth not exceeding 3o m., and an area of 1,220 sq. miles. The nearest point on the mainland is 5o m. from the westernmost point of the island. With the island Faro, off the northern extremity, the Karlsoe, off the west coast, and Gotska Sando, 25 m. N. by E., Gottland forms the adminis trative district (lan) of Gottland. The island is a level plateau of Silurian limestone, rising gently eastward, with a few low iso lated hills inland, and with steep coasts fringed with free-stand ing columns of limestone (raukar). The climate is temperate, and the soil, although in parts dry and sterile, is mostly fertile. Rye, wheat and oats are grown, and especially barley, which is ex ported to the breweries on the mainland. The sugar-beet is also produced and exported, and there are beet-sugar works on the island. Sheep and cattle are kept ; there is a Government sheep farm at Roma, and the cattle may be noted as belonging princi pally to an old native breed, yellow and horned. Some lime-burn ing, cement-making and sea-fishing are carried on. The capital of the island is Visby, on the west coast. The shrunken walled town of Visby was one of the richest commercial centres of the Baltic from the I ith to the 14th century, and its prosperity was shared by the whole island. It retains ten churches besides the cathedral. The massive towers of the village churches are often detached, and doubtless served purposes of defence. The churches of Roma, Hemse, with remarkable mural paintings, Othen and Larbo may be specially noted. Some contain fine stained glass, as at Dalhem near Visby. The natives of Gottland speak a dialect distinguished from that of any part of the Swedish mainland. Pop. of lan Density per sq.m. 48.
Gottland has a remarkable history the most important part of which goes back to mediaeval times. Already in the early period of the Stone Age the island was a centre of trade and shipping in the Baltic, and its commercial importance increased during the Bronze and Iron Ages. Out of the 7,000 Roman coins dating from the two first centuries after Christ which have been found in Scandinavia more than 5,000 have come from Gottland, while most of the Byzantine solidi and of those from the Western em pire were dug up on the island of Gottland, Oland and Bornholm. About 30,00o Arabic coins have been found in Scandinavia, more than half of them in Gottland. Hence it is deduced that the island was a commercial centre for Sweden, Denmark, Germany and eastern Europe with connections extending far beyond this region. After the Scandinavian countries had been converted to Christianity pilgrims from Norway and Sweden often travelled to the Holy land by way of Gottland.
During the 9th century Gottland ranked as part of Sweden although in administration and government it was largely autono mous. The peasants of the island were also traders and their wealth was famous far and wide. Nearly 10o churches were built or restored during the island's great days. A town came into ex istence at Visby and German merchants took up their abode there. The peasant-traders found their competition injurious and open strife broke out between the towns-folk and the country-folk. About A.D. 1280 the Swedish king, Magnus Ladulas, bound the island closer to Sweden and levied taxes as a punishment for these disturbances. During the 14th century Visby continued to be talked about as the richest city in Scandinavia. Covetous neigh bours were tempted by this and the Danish king, Valdemar Atter dag, invaded the island in the year 1361 and defeated an army of peasants outside Visby, which became his prey. Visby was a mem ber at this period of the Hanseatic league which now united with Sweden and Norway against Denmark, but owing to dissensions among the allies the Danish king went unscathed. During the later portion of the middle ages Visby and the whole island of Gott land were a resort for pirates and for foreign invaders such as the Vitelianerna (from Mecklenburg), the Teutonic knights, the Danes, and Erik of Pomerania who from the vantage point of the newly-built castle of Visborg spread terror over this part of the Baltic during the years The Danish country nobles, the brothers Tott, exercised the lofty calling of Sea-rovers from the island during the years 1449-87. The island belonged de facto to Denmark and was formally transferred to the Danish throne by Sweden by the Peace of Stettin in 1570. Through the Peace of Bromsebro, in 1645, Sweden regained the island, which has since continued to belong to her except during the years 5676-79 when the Danes occupied it and for some weeks in 1808.
During the middle ages the special laws of Gottland were kept on the island. The importance of Visby in the sea-trade of the world is conclusively attested by the famous code of maritime law which bears its name. This "sea law which the merchants and seamen have made at Visby" ("Waterrecht dat de Koopliide en de Schippers gemakt hebben to Visby") was a compilation based upon the Lubeck code and was first printed in Low German in 1505 but probably dated back to about 1240 (see SEA-LAWS). Visby boasts a number of fine ruins of churches and a large portion of its walls dates from mediaeval times. It has become in consequence one of Sweden's principal tourist resorts.
BIBLIOGRAPHY.-H. Hildebrand, Visby och dess minnesmdrken Bibliography.-H. Hildebrand, Visby och dess minnesmdrken (1893) ; J. Roosval, Die Kirchen Gotlands (191I) ; E. Eckhoff, St. Clemens' Kyrka i Visby (1912), and Visby stadsmur (1922) ; Gamla svenska stader viii.; Kristian Setterswall, Svensk historisk bibliografi (1901-1920, 1923).