heptarchy

American  

[hep-tahr-kee] / ˈhɛp tɑr ki /

noun

plural

heptarchies

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

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

Etymology

Origin of heptarchy

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

Example Sentences

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

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

Which medley, canton'd in a heptarchy, A rhapsody of nations to supply, Among themselves maintain'd eternal wars, And still the ladies loved the conquerors.

From The True-Born Englishman A Satire by Defoe, Daniel

Even within the short memorials of modern history we find a heptarchy in England.

From The Columbiad by Barlow, Joel

In fact, all traces of the heptarchy, or ancient division of the island into provinces, did not entirely disappear until some years after the Norman conquest.

From Old English Chronicles by Various

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 Wyon, Reginald