WI: Independent Geatland / Gautland

So what if the Geats / Geates / Gauts (/whatever term you want to use), never fell into the same kingdom as the Swedes? Their territory is shown in blue below.

1280px-Scandinavia-12th_century.png
 
Depending on if such a union still came about, do you think a divided Sweden would be easier for Denmark to keep in a Kalmar Union esque state
 
Would either of Sweland and Geatland make crusades and expand into Finland, or would Finland instead become its own realm, or part of Russian Novgorod or German Livonia?
 
Would either of Sweland and Geatland make crusades and expand into Finland, or would Finland instead become its own realm, or part of Russian Novgorod or German Livonia?

Sweden is still in the best position to move into Finland.

Geatland probably looks to the Slavic and Baltic parts of the Baltic Coast
 
Yes, but either of them is weaker and might not be able to expand or hold its conquests. OTL Swedes took Viborg 1293 and then the mouth of Neva 1300, but Neva (fortress Landskrona/Nyen) was lost to Novgorod immediately, so coastal expansion stopped there. Here the Swedes are even fewer, so they might not even get to Viborg.
 
It's debatable if it was ever seen as two seperate kingdoms. Perhaps Geatland could start as a buffer state of Denmark and Svealand could become one to Norway?
 
I wonder if this might lead to Vikings establishing a separate kingdom around the Gulf of Finland, controlling the sailing route towards Kiev and Bysants?

Edit: I see I am not the only one who thought of this scenario.
 
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