heptarchy
Americannoun
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heptarchies
plural
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(often initial capital letter) the seven principal concurrent Anglo-Saxon kingdoms supposed to have existed in the 7th and 8th centuries.
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government by seven persons.
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an allied group of seven states or kingdoms, each under its own ruler.
noun
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government by seven rulers
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a state divided into seven regions each under its own ruler
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the seven kingdoms into which Anglo-Saxon England is thought to have been divided from about the 7th to the 9th centuries ad : Kent, East Anglia, Essex, Sussex, Wessex, Mercia, and Northumbria
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the period when this grouping existed
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Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of heptarchy
First recorded in 1570–80; hept- ( def. ) + -archy
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But the priests in the heptarchy, after the first missionaries, were wholly Saxons, and almost as ignorant and barbarous as the laity.
From The Great Events by Famous Historians, Volume 04 by Charles F. (Charles Francis) Horne
His victories in these wars resulted in the final establishment of his authority over the entire heptarchy, and this made him in fact, though not in name, the first real king of England.
From The Great Events by Famous Historians, Volume 04 by Charles F. (Charles Francis) Horne
You would have England return to the conditions of the Saxon heptarchy.
From The Quest of the Simple Life by William J. Dawson
Each state was ruled by a Župan or Prince who owed allegiance to the Grand Župan, the head of the heptarchy.
From The Land of the Black Mountain The Adventures of Two Englishmen in Montenegro by Reginald Wyon
While the heptarchy lasted, these offices were only during the king's pleasure; at last they became during life.
From The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction Volume 13, No. 357, February 21, 1829 by Various
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