Witan Council
Topic: The Viking Invasion of England
This summary is written in English, not Danish, thanks to the Anglo-Saxon council who defended England against the Viking invasion. Without Alfred the Great’s Witan Council, the small island nation now known as “England” might have remained a politically fragmented outpost of the Vikings instead of a global superpower that colonised 25% of the world’s land mass. The Witan, otherwise known as witenagemot, is the ancestor of the modern British Parliament. This committee of ealdormen, thegns, and bishops is responsible for advising King Alfred on legislation, war, and judicial matters.
The arrival of a massive Danish army on English shores in 865 threatened the last bastions of Anglo-Saxons on the island. East Anglia, Mercia, and Northumbria had already fallen, and Wessex was the only part of England left standing. The Vikings attacked Alfred’s fort in Chippenham and nearly killed him, but thanks to his narrow escape he was able to stage a series of guerilla attacks until May 878. The Battle of Edington was a key turning point, after which the generals of Wessex came together under Alfred to decide on a strategy for managing the Vikings after the Battle and developing the Treaty of Wedmore, which established the boundaries between Anglo-Saxon Wessex and the Viking-controlled Danelaw. There are many different angles to approaching this issue, and my hope is that you employ a variety of them to envision detailed and comprehensive solutions as a product of your time at conference.
Dear Delegates,
Welcome to Harvard Model United Nations! My name is Laura Martens, and I am honored to serve as your Director of the Witan Council. I am so excited to meet all of you and begin working with this committee to organize and execute the 2026 conference!
As a brief introduction, I am a junior studying German and History & Literature, which explains the obsession with Norse and Anglo Saxon warlords. Outside of HMUN, I am involved with The Crimson’s Arts Board and the Pops orchestra. I also have been a board member of the Global Research and Consulting Group, working with nonprofits on everything from food insecurity in developing nations to gun violence policy. I come from Carmel, Indiana, where I worked as a living history reenactor on a rural farm in the year 1836. The ways in which key political figures and organizations influenced the lives of ordinary people was a crucial part of my research — something that rings true with the Witan Council.
Approaching complex political issues through a historical lens offers an incredible opportunity to debate, analyze, and challenge decisions that have immense implications for our modern world. Thanks to the group of Anglo-Saxon lords, bishops, and kings who defended England against the Viking invasion, this letter was written in English, not Danish. Without this council, the small island nation now known as “England” might have remained a politically fragmented outpost of the Vikings (looking at you, Greenland), instead of the global superpower that colonised 25% of the world’s land mass.
The distance between social sciences (Government, Sociology, Economics) and history is much smaller than the Harvard College Concentration Guide would have you believe. I hope that this committee will embody the interdisciplinary collaboration, research, and creativity HMUN values so highly. Above all, I will look for delegates that are able to balance their own ideas with other delegates’ and actively integrate different solutions and perspectives with each other, when possible, to create a more comprehensive and stronger resolution. Diplomacy and compromise is the central pillar of Model UN, and I expect everyone in committee to embrace this spirit and to maintain a welcoming environment for each and every delegate.
I am excited to witness your debate and ideas emerge throughout the conference. While you all are preparing and counting down the days to HMUN, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me with any questions or concerns!
Sincerely,
Laura Martens
Director, Witan Council
witancouncil@harvardmun.org
Harvard Model United Nations 2026