User:Ltwin/Sandbox 25

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Ltwin (talk | contribs) at 05:05, 29 April 2024 (→‎Origins). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Witan

* Lyon, Ann (2016). Constitutional History of the UK (2nd ed.). Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-20398-8.

Etymology

Origins

The origins of the witan lie in the practice of Germanic kings seeking the advice of their great men. This practice survived within the many Anglo-Saxon kingdoms established after the end of Roman rule in Britain. Before the 9th century, however, no political assembly or witan had authority over all England. Only church councils, such as the Council of Hertford in 672, transcended the boundaries of individual kingdoms.[1]

Attendance and locations

Role

Electing and deposing kings

When a king died, the witan nominally elected a new king. When a king gained power by conquest, he was careful to gain the witan's assent.[2]

Norman conquest

Historiography

Notes

References

  1. ^ Maddicot 2010, pp. 1–2.
  2. ^ Loyn 1984, pp. 101–102.

Bibliography