Biblical pharaoh depicted as an Anglo-Saxon king with his witan (11th century)

The Witenagemot (also called the Witan, more properly the title of its members) was a political institution in Anglo-Saxon England which operated between approximately the 7th century and 11th century. Image File history File links Witan_hexateuch. ... Image File history File links Witan_hexateuch. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... The 7th century is the period from 601 - 700 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian Era. ... As a means of recording the passage of time, the 11th century was that century which lasted from 1001 to 1100. ...

The name witenagemot derives from the Old English for "meeting of wise men" (witan, wise man or counsellor; gemot, assembly). It was the remnant of the ancient tribal general assembly which had soon developed into a convocation of the land's most powerful and important people including senior clergy, ealdormen and the leading thegns speaking to the king. Old English (also called Anglo-Saxon) is an early form of the English language that was spoken in parts of what is now England and southern Scotland between the mid-fifth century and the mid-twelfth century. ... An Ealdorman, or Alderman, was the prior magistrate of a British shire in A. D. 900 to A. D. 1100. ... Thegn or Thane, is an Anglo-Saxon word (þeg(e)n) meaning an attendant, servant, retainer or official. ...

History

The witan had its origins in the Germanic assemblies summoned to witness royal grants of land. Before the unification of England in the 9th century, separate witenagemots were convened by the Kings of Essex, Kent, Mercia, Northumbria, Sussex and Wessex. Even after Wessex became the dominant power in England, supplanting the other kingdoms, local witans continued to meet until as late as 1065. As a means of recording the passage of time the 9th century was that century that lasted from 801 to 900. ... The Kingdom of the East Seaxe (one of the seven traditional kingdoms of the so-called Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy) was founded around 500 AD and covered the territory currently occupied by the counties of Essex, Hertfordshire and Middlesex. ... The Kingdom of Kent was a kingdom of Jutes in southeast England, one of the seven traditional kingdoms of the so-called Anglo-Saxon heptarchy. ... The general location of Mercia, along with the other peoples of Britain around the year 600. ... Section from Shepherds map of the British Isles about 802 AD showing the kingdom of Northumbria Northumbria is primarily the name of a petty kingdom of Angles which was formed in Great Britain at the beginning of the 7th century, from two smaller kingdoms of Bernicia and Diera, and... The Kingdom of Sussex, (Suth Seaxe, i. ... Map of the British Isles circa 802 Wessex was one of the seven major Anglo-Saxon kingdoms (the Heptarchy) that preceded the Kingdom of England. ... Events December 28 - Westminster Abbey is consecrated. ...

Summoned by the king (and later by regional earls), witans would advise on the administration and organisation of the kingdom, dealing with issues such as taxation, jurisprudence and both internal and external security. The witenagemot was also needed to approve the succession of each monarch. The new king could be whoever the witan decided would best lead the country, not necessarily the offspring of the previous monarch. Kings and earls could also be deposed by a witenagemot; Sigeberht of Wessex was deposed this way in 755, Ethelwald of Northumbria in 765. Events Abd-ar-rahman I lands in Spain, where the next year he will establish a new Umayyad dynasty. ... Events Papal privileges are restored in Beneventino and Tuscany and partly in Spoleto. ...

The witenagemot was in some respects a predecessor to Parliament, but had substantially different powers and some major limitations, such as a lack of a fixed procedure, schedule, or meeting place. The king, in those days, had a role which included some of the qualities of a president. The witan were thus a valuable check on royal power, preventing autocracy and carrying on government during interregnums. English parliament in front of the king c. ... Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States (1861-1865) The majority of this article is about heads of states. ... An interregnum is a period between monarchs, between popes of the Roman Catholic Church, emperors of Holy Roman Empire, polish kings (elective monarchy) or between consuls of the Roman Republic. ...

Witenagemots met at least once a year, and commonly more often. There was no single seat of the national witenagemot. Generally, it followed the king, who typically had no single fixed court either. The witenagemot is known to have met in at least 116 locations, including Amesbury, Cheddar, Gloucester, London and Winchester. The meeting places were often on royal estates, but some witenagemots were convened in the open at prominent rocks, hills, meadows and famous trees. See also Amesbury, Massachusetts. ... Statistics Population: 5724 (as of 2002) Ordnance Survey OS grid reference: ST458535 Administration District: Sedgemoor Region: South West England Constituent country: England Sovereign state: United Kingdom Other Ceremonial county: Somerset Historic county: Somerset Services Police force: Avon and Somerset Fire and rescue: {{{Fire}}} Ambulance: South Western Post office and telephone... Shown within Gloucestershire Geography Status: City (1541) Region: South West England Admin. ... London (pronounced ) is the capital city of the United Kingdom and the largest city of England (strangely, England has no constitutional existence within the United Kingdom, and therefore cannot be said to have a capital). ... Winchester Cathedral as seen from the Cathedral Close Arms of Winchester City Council Winchester is a city in southern England, and the administrative capital of the county of Hampshire, with a population of around 35,000. ...

The best-known sitting of the English witanagemot was that which on January 5, 1066 approved the succession to the kingship of Harold Godwinson following the death of Edward the Confessor. January 5 is the 5th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events January 6 - Harold II is crowned September 20 - Battle of Fulford September 25 - Battle of Stamford Bridge September 29 - William of Normandy lands in England at Pevensey. ... Harold Godwinson, or Harold II of England (c. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

This arrangement ended when the Normans invaded in 1066, replacing the witanagemot with the curia regis, or King's court. However, in a sign of the witanagemot's enduring legacy, the curia regis continued to be dubbed a "witan" by chroniclers until as late as the 12th century. Norman conquests in red. ... Events January 6 - Harold II is crowned September 20 - Battle of Fulford September 25 - Battle of Stamford Bridge September 29 - William of Normandy lands in England at Pevensey. ... Curia Regis is a Latin term meaning Royal Council or Kings court. The Curia Regis in England was a council of tenants-in-chief and ecclesiastics that advised the king of England on legislative matters. ... (11th century - 12th century - 13th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 12th century was that century which lasted from 1101 to 1200. ...

References In Literature

• The Wizengamot, a fictional organisation in the Harry Potter series of books written by J. K. Rowling derives its name from the Witenagemot. In the books too the Wizengamot is an adivisory council of wise men (and presumably women) of which Albus Dumbledore is the head.

The Wizengamot is a fictional body of wizards in the Harry Potter series of books. ... Cover of the first book in JK Rowlings series: Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone (British/Canadian/Australian version) The Harry Potter books are an extremely popular series of fantasy novels by British writer J. K. Rowling. ... Joanne “Jo” Rowling, OBE (born July 31, 1965[1]) is an English fiction writer who writes under the pen name J. K. Rowling. ... Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore (born ca. ...

See also

• Baccanceld
• Councils of Clovesho
• Elective monarchy
• Loya Jirga, a similar concept from Afghanistan
• Thing (assembly)
• Kurultai