heptarchy

American  

[hep-tahr-kee] / ˈhɛp tɑr ki /

noun

heptarchies plural

1. (often initial capital letter) the seven principal concurrent Anglo-Saxon kingdoms supposed to have existed in the 7th and 8th centuries.

2. government by seven persons.

3. an allied group of seven states or kingdoms, each under its own ruler.

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heptarchy British  

/ ˈhɛptɑːkɪ /

noun

1. government by seven rulers

2. a state divided into seven regions each under its own ruler

3. 1. 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

   2. the period when this grouping existed

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• heptarch
  noun
• heptarchist
  noun
• heptarchal
  adjective
• heptarchic
  adjective
• heptarchical
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• heptarchies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of heptarchy

First recorded in 1570–80; hept- ( def. ) + -archy

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

heptarchy

You would have England return to the conditions of the Saxon heptarchy.

From The Quest of the Simple Life by Dawson, William J.

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 Horne, Charles F. (Charles Francis)

Princes, chieftains, and warriors of the name were renowned before Charlemagne or Alfred ascended the throne, or before any of the petty princes of the heptarchy ruled over the barbarous Saxons.

From The Cross and the Shamrock Or, How To Defend The Faith. An Irish-American Catholic Tale Of Real Life, Descriptive Of The Temptations, Sufferings, Trials, And Triumphs Of The Children Of St. Patrick In The Great Republic Of Washington. A Book For The Entertainment And Special Instructions Of The Catholic Male And Female Servants Of The United States. by Quigley, Hugh

Let any man try in this country to restore the heptarchy, do you think that any portion of the people would think that the project could be tolerated for a moment?

From Speeches on Questions of Public Policy, Volume 1 by Bright, John

But, as in the Saxon times this country was an heptarchy, it is now a strange sort of PENTARCHY.

From Selections from the Speeches and Writings of Edmund Burke by Burke, Edmund