Witenagemot

The Witenagemot, or Witan,was an institution in Anglo-Saxon England, from about the 7th to the 11th centuroes. The name is Old English for "council of the wise men". Originally, Witan was the plural of wita (the wise man); but it was used as a singular. The council was similar to the Germanic assembly, the Thing.

The purpose of the Witenagemot was to give an opinion about the administration and the organisation of the kingdom. Its members talked about how law should develop and elected or confirmed the king. The Witenagemot also had the power to depose a king. For example, it deposed Sigeberht of Wessex in 755 and Æthelwald Moll of Northumbria in 765.

Witans were held at least once a year but usually more often. In many respects, they were similar to the modern-day Parliament. Unlike Parliament, they met in different places each time since neither the Witans nor the king had a permanent place to stay.

When the Normans invaded England in 1066, they replaced the Witenagemot with another institution, which was still known as the Witan, or the Witenagemot, until the 12th century.


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