Svear

Svear is a historical term used in Old Norse and medieval sources to denote the inhabitants of Svealand, the central region of what is now Sweden. In these texts, the Svear are the core people behind the early Swedish polity, and their name is closely connected with the idea of the Svea rike, or the kingdom of the Swedes.

Geographically, the Svear lived in the Mälaren Valley and surrounding upland areas, including Uppland and Södermanland. Their political centers were at Uppsala and, later, Sigtuna and other towns in central Sweden. The site of Gamla Uppsala is often cited as an ancient center of kingship and ritual activity in the Svear world. Over time, the Svear formed a more centralized polity that expanded its influence over neighboring regions.

Historically, the Svear were distinct from the Geats (Gotar) of Götaland to the south. Norse and later sources describe interaction between these peoples through both conflict and alliance as power in the region shifted. By the late Viking Age and into the High Middle Ages, rulers from the Svear-led realm consolidated authority over a broader territory, with figures such as Olof Skötkonung (c. 995–1022) noted as early Christian kings who helped shape a more unified Swedish kingdom.

In modern usage, Svear survives mainly as a historical term. Svealand remains the central non-metropolitan region of Sweden, and the name persists in cultural and literary contexts as a historic reference to the early Swedes and the medieval Swedish realm.