heptarchy

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   historical: the traditional collective name for the seven principal Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of early medieval England

   The textbook presents the Saxon heptarchy as a useful simplification of a much more fluid political landscape.

2. 2
   noun

   a government by seven rulers, or a realm divided among seven ruling powers

   The fictional island was governed as a heptarchy, with one ruler for each province.

From New Latin heptarchia, formed from Ancient Greek hepta ('seven') + -archia ('rule, government'). The English historical label became common in the sixteenth century.

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