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The witan had its origins in the Germanic assemblies summoned to witness royal grants of land. Before the unification of England in the 9th century, separate witans were convened by the Kings of Essex, Kent, Mercia, Northumbria, Sussex and Wessex. Even after Wessex became the dominant power in England, supplanting the other kingdoms, local witans continued to meet until as late as 1065Events December 28 Westminster Abbey is consecrated. Independence of the Kingdom of Galicia and Portugal under the rule of Garcia Births Deaths 1065..

Summoned by the king (and later by regional earls), witans would advise on the administration and organisation of the kingdom, dealing with issues such as taxation, jurisprudence and both internal and external security. The witan was also needed to approve the succession of each monarch. The new king could be whoever the witan decided would best lead the country, not necessarily the offspring of the previous monarch. Kings and earls could also be deposed by witans; Sigeberht of Wessex was deposed this way in 755Events Abd-ar-rahman I lands in Spain, where the next year he will establish a new Umayyad dynasty. An Lushan rebellion begins in China. Offa deposes king Bernred of Mercia and takes the kingdom. Cynewulf deposes king Sebright of Wessex and takes the king, Ethelwald of Northumbria in 765Events Papal privileges are restored in Beneventino and Tuscany and partly in Spoleto. Births Deaths December 4 Jafar Sadiq, Muslim scholar Emperor Junnin of Japan 765..

The witan was in some respects a predecessor to ParliamentAlternative meanings: Parliamentary system, Parliament (band), Parliament (cigarette). A parliament is a legislative body, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system derived from that of the United Kingdom., but had substantially different powers and some major limitations, such as a lack of a fixed procedure, schedule or meeting place. The king, in those days, had a role which included some of the qualities of a presidentPresident is a title held by many leaders of organizations, companies, universities, and countries. Etymologically, a "president" is one who presides, who sits in leadership (from Latin prae "before" + sedere "to sit"). Originally, the term usually referr. The witan was thus a valuable check on royal power, preventing autocracy and carrying on government during interregnumAn interregnum is a period between kings, or between popes of the Roman Catholic Church. In particular: The 1254-1273 period in the Holy Roman Empire between the end of Hohenstaufen rule and the beginning of Habsburg rule. The 1332-1340 period in Denmarks.

Witans met at least once a year and commonly more often. There was no single seat of the national witan; it is known to have met in at least 116 locations, including AmesburySee also Amesbury, Massachusetts. Amesbury is a town in Wiltshire, England, eight miles north of Salisbury and near Stonehenge. It was founded in 979 AD, although the site had already been settled as the location of a nunnery. Marked on 17th century maps, CheddarCheddar is a town in Somerset, England, situated on the edge of the Mendip Hills eight miles south east of Taunton. The town has a population of 5,724 ( 2002 estimate). It is famous for having given its name to Cheddar cheese which is one of the most popu, Gloucester, London and Winchester. The meeting places were often on royal estates, but some witans were convened in the open at prominent rocks, hills, meadows and famous trees.

The best-known sitting of the English witan was that which on January 5 1066 approved the succession to the kingship of Harold Godwinson following the death of Edward the Confessor.

This arrangement ended when the Normans invaded in 1066, replacing the witan with the curia regis , or King's court. However, in a sign of the witan's enduring legacy, the curia regis continued to be dubbed a "witan" by chroniclers until as late as the 12th century.