The Gutes, also known as Goths or Gutar, were a North Germanic tribe inhabiting the island of Gotland since ancient times. The are first recorded by Ptolemy who refers to them as Goutai - whereas Norse Sagas refer to them as Gautar. By the 7th century the Gutes made a trade and defence agreement with the Svear tribe (Swedish kings) which enabled them to become a nation of traders and merchants centrally located in the Baltic Sea - in fact Gutes were the leading tradesmen in the Baltic until the rise of the Hanseatic League. The Gutasaga states how a third of the population was forced to emigrate southwards into the territory of the Roman Empire - these Gutes are popularly reffered to as Goths.

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