witenagemot
E642203
Anglo-Saxon political institution
early medieval English council
governing assembly
royal advisory council
The witenagemot was an early medieval English council of nobles and clergy that advised the king and played a key role in governance, lawmaking, and royal succession in Anglo-Saxon England.
Statements (50)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Anglo-Saxon political institution
ⓘ
early medieval English council ⓘ governing assembly ⓘ royal advisory council ⓘ |
| advises |
Anglo-Saxon king
ⓘ
king of the Anglo-Saxons ⓘ |
| alsoKnownAs |
witan
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
witanagemot ⓘ |
| appliesToPeriod | early Middle Ages ⓘ |
| country | Kingdom of England ⓘ |
| developedFrom | Germanic tribal assemblies ⓘ |
| etymology | from Old English ‘witan’ (wise men) and ‘gemot’ (meeting or assembly) ⓘ |
| followedBy |
Curia Regis
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
royal council of Norman kings ⓘ |
| hasMember |
abbots
ⓘ
bishops ⓘ clergy ⓘ earls ⓘ nobles ⓘ |
| hasRole |
acting as a high court
ⓘ
advising the king ⓘ confirming treaties ⓘ deciding royal succession ⓘ deposing kings ⓘ electing kings ⓘ granting land ⓘ participating in lawmaking ⓘ ratifying royal charters ⓘ |
| includes |
ecclesiastical leaders
ⓘ
secular magnates ⓘ |
| influenced |
development of the English royal council
ⓘ
later English parliamentary traditions ⓘ |
| languageOfName | Old English ⓘ |
| legalStatus | customary institution rather than codified body ⓘ |
| location |
England
ⓘ
Mercia NERFINISHED ⓘ Northumbria NERFINISHED ⓘ Wessex NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| meetsAt |
royal court
ⓘ
various royal estates ⓘ |
| partOf | Anglo-Saxon governance system ⓘ |
| precededBy | earlier Anglo-Saxon councils ⓘ |
| primaryFunction |
council of the king’s leading men
ⓘ
forum for consent to royal decisions ⓘ |
| religionContext | Christianity in Anglo-Saxon England NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| significantEvent |
consulted in the succession after the death of Edward the Confessor
ⓘ
involved in the deposition of King Sigeberht of Wessex ⓘ played a role in the accession of Edgar the Peaceful ⓘ |
| timePeriod | 7th century to 11th century ⓘ |
| usedIn | Anglo-Saxon England NERFINISHED ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.