Witenagemot

The term Witenagemot or Witan refers to councils of ecclesiastical and secular dignitaries that existed from about the 7th to the 11th century in the Anglo-Saxon petty kingdoms and, after the unification of England, at the imperial level.

The Old English word witenagemot is composed of wita (wise man) and gemot (meeting), thus meaning meeting of the wise. Witan is the original Old English plural of wita, which secondarily became singular again and thus denotes not only the wise men, but also the meeting of them. This meeting had evolved from the Germanic popular and judicial assembly called the Thing, and brought together the most powerful spiritual and secular dignitaries. Before the unification of England in the 9th century, there were individual Witans in the petty kingdoms of Essex, Kent, Mercia, Northumbria, Sussex and Wessex. Even when Wessex became the dominant kingdom, these remained until at least 1065.

The Witans were convened by the kings (and later by the local earls). Their task was to give advice on the administration and organisation of the realm (especially on taxation, jurisdiction or defence). The Witans also confirmed the succession of a king. The new regent did not necessarily have to be a descendant of the old one, but the man who seemed most suitable to the council to lead the country. Kings and earls could even be deposed by resolution of the council, such as Sigeberht of Wessex in 757 or Æthelwald Moll of Northumbria in 765. The Witan was in some respects a predecessor of the English parliament, but differed from it in important respects, such as the absence of a fixed order of business, daily schedule, or permanent place of hearing. The institution provided a counterbalance to the king and his display of power, and carried on the business of government during an interregnum.

Witans were held at least once a year, but usually more often. Generally, they took place where the regent, who also did not have a permanent residence, happened to be (itinerant kingship). Besides the royal estates, hills or meadows, sometimes near prominent trees, served as meeting places. At least 116 different places are known where Witans took place, including Amesbury, Cheddar, Gloucester, London and Winchester (Old English: Wintanceastre). The most famous meeting was that of January 5, 1066, which confirmed Harold Godwinson as king of England after the death of Edward the Confessor. The history of the Anglo-Saxon Witan ended with the Norman invasion of 1066, which replaced it with a Curia Regis (Court of the King); however, it was also known by the traditional names of Witan or Witenagemot until the 12th century.