The Witenagemot (Old English: “meeting of wise men”), also known as the Witan (more properly the title of its members), is a political institution derived from Anglo-Saxon England. The Witenagemot is an assembly of the ruling class whose primary function was to advise the king and whose membership was composed of the most important noblemen in Kingston, both ecclesiastic and secular. These meetings are the convocations of the new world's most powerful and important people, including earls, thanes, and senior clergy, to discuss matters of both national and local significance.