Witan

The Witan, or Witenagemot, was the Anglo-Saxon council of leading nobles and clergy in early England. Its name derives from Old English wita, meaning “wise men.” The term Witan commonly refers to the assembled body convened by the king to advise on matters of state.

Composition and function: The Witan consisted largely of senior earls (ealdormen), bishops, and other high-ranking advisers chosen or summoned by the king. It did not include commoners, and attendance was voluntary or at the king’s invitation. The body acted as an advisory council, with responsibilities that included counsel on taxes, laws, foreign policy, and major political decisions. It could approve or reject royal measures and, in some circumstances, play a role in legitimizing a monarch by offering assent to coronations or recognizing a successor.

Historical development: The Witan emerged in the early medieval period and remained a central element of kingship through much of the Anglo-Saxon era. Its influence varied with the strength of the king and the political context; at times it functioned as a formal check on royal power, at other times as a largely consultative body that ratified the king’s decisions.

Legacy: After the Norman Conquest in 1066, the Witan gradually declined in authority as the Curia Regis and later parliamentary institutions developed in England. The term continued in sources to describe royal councils, but by the high medieval period it had largely evolved into, or been absorbed by, of the royal governance structures that culminated in later representative assemblies.