A principality (or princedom) is a monarchical feudatory or sovereign state, ruled or reigned over by a monarch with the title of prince or princess, or (in the widest sense) a monarch with another title within the generic use of the term prince. A monarchy is a Form of government in which supreme power is actually or nominally lodged in an individual who is the Head of state, often for life or Sovereignty is the exclusive Right to control a Government, a country, a people or oneself Prince, from the Latin root Princeps, is a general term for a Monarch, for a member of a monarch's or former monarch's family and is a Currently the largest principality in the world is Wales in the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located

Terminology

Some have never been an actual polity, but simply a territorial denomination in chief of which a princely style is held, with or even without an often more modest estate or income, both of which may even be (at least partially) outside the geographical confines of the principality. Polity ( Greek: Πολιτεία or Πολίτευμα transliterated as Politeía or Políteuma) was originally a term used in Ancient Greece

Surviving sovereign principalities are Liechtenstein, Monaco, and the co-principality of Andorra. The Principality of Liechtenstein (Fürstentum Liechtenstein) is a tiny doubly landlocked Alpine country in Western Europe, bordered by Switzerland For other uses see Monaco (disambiguation Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco ( French: Principauté de Monaco; Monégasque Andorra, officially the Principality of Andorra ( Catalan: Principat d'Andorra) is a small Landlocked country in western Extant royal primogenitures styled principality include Asturias (Spain), and Wales (UK). The Principality of Asturias ( Spanish: Principado de Asturias, Asturian: Principáu d'Asturies or Asturies) is an

The term is also sometimes used as a generic term for any monarchy, especially for other small sovereign states ruled by a Monarch of a lesser rank (compare Fürst) than King, for instance grand duchies, whose monarch is a Grand Duke or Duchess. (plural Fürsten) is a German title of nobility, usually translated into English as Prince. A grand duchy is a territory whose Head of state is a Grand Duke or Grand Duchess. The Title grand duke (in Latin, magnus dux; in Spanish, gran duque; in Russian, Великий Герцог The Title grand duke (in Latin, magnus dux; in Spanish, gran duque; in Russian, Великий Герцог No sovereign duchy currently exists, but Luxembourg is a surviving example of a sovereign grand duchy. A duchy is a territory fief, or domain ruled by a Duke or Duchess. Luxembourg (Groussherzogtum Lëtzebuerg Grand-Duché de Luxembourg Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small Landlocked country in Western Europe, bordered by Historically there have been sovereign principalities of many ruler styles, such as Countships, Margraviates and even Lordships.

Notable principalities existed until the early 20th century in various regions of France, Germany and Italy. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest

While the definition would fit a princely state perfectly, the historical tradition is to reserve that word for native monarchies in colonial countries, principality for the Western monarchies, which this page is therefore devoted to. For other uses see Principality, Other princely states A Princely State (also called Native State or Indian State) was a

Western principalities

Development

Though principalities existed in Antiquity, before the height of the Roman Empire, the modern principality as it is known today evolved into being in the Middle Ages between 350 and 1450 when feudalism was the primary economic system employed by Eurasian societies. The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial Feudalism, a term first used in the early modern period (17th century in its most classic sense refers to a Medieval Europe Political system composed An economy is the realized social system of production exchange distribution and consumption of goods and services of a country or other area Feudalism increased the power of local princes to govern the king's lands. As princes continued to gain more power over time, the authority of the king was diminished in many places. This led to political fragmentation and the king's lands were broken into mini-states led by princes and dukes who wielded absolute power over their small territories. This was especially prevalent in Europe, and particularly with the Princes of the Holy Roman Empire. The Holy Roman Empire comprised a number of political entities which were deemed to be sovereign after the Treaty of Westphalia ( 1648)

During the period known as the Renaissance from 1200 to 1500, principalities were engaged in constant warfare with each other as royal houses asserted sovereignty over smaller principalities. The Renaissance (from French Renaissance, meaning "rebirth" Italian: Rinascimento, from re- "again" and nascere These wars caused a great deal of instability and economies were destroyed. To add insult to injury, the bubonic plague reduced the power of principalities to survive independently. Bubonic plague is the best-known manifestation of the bacterial disease plague, caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis (formerly known as But eventually, agricultural successes, development of new goods and services to trade and patronisation by the Roman Catholic Church boosted commerce between principalities. These states became wealthy and expanded their territories and improved the services provided to their citizens. Princes and dukes developed their lands, established new ports and chartered large thriving cities. Some took their newfound wealth and built the first palaces and elaborate government offices people now associate with principalities. Wales still remains the largest principality in the world.

Consolidation

While some principalities prospered in their independence, less successful states were swallowed by stronger royal houses. Europe saw consolidation of small principalities into larger kingdoms and empires. A monarchy is a Form of government in which supreme power is actually or nominally lodged in an individual who is the Head of state, often for life or An empire (from the Latin " Imperium " denoting military Command within the ancient Roman government) is a State that This trend directly led to the creation of such states as England, France, Portugal, and Spain. The Kingdom of England was a State (927-1707 located in Western Europe dating from the ninth or tenth century to the early eighteenth century when it was legally This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (República Portuguesa is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Another form of consolidation was orchestrated in Italy during the Renaissance by the Medici family. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest A banking family from Florence, the Medici took control of governments in various Italian regions and even assumed the papacy. Florence ( Italian: Firenze Florentia and Fiorenza) is the Capital City of the Italian region of Tuscany Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest History See also History of the Papacy Catholics recognize the Pope as a successor to Saint Peter, who Jesus named as the "shepherd" and They then appointed family members to become princes and assured their protection by the Medici-controlled Vatican.

Nationalism

Nationalism, the belief that the nation-state is the best vehicle to realise the aspirations of a people became popular in the late 19th century. The term nationalism can refer to an Ideology, a sentiment, a form of Culture, or a Social movement that focuses on the Nation Characteristic of nationalism is the preference for loyalty to the people instead of loyalty to monarchs. With this development, principalities fell out of favour. As a compromise, many principalities united with neighbouring regions and adopted constitutional forms of government with the monarch as a mere figurehead while administration was left at the hands of elected parliaments. The trend after World War II was the abolition of various forms of monarchy like principalities and the creation of republican governments led by popularly elected presidents. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including

Ecclesiastical principalities

Principalities where genealogical inheritance is replaced by succession in a religious office have existed in significant number in the Roman Catholic Church, in each case consisting of a feudal polity (often a former secular principality sensu lato, such as a Lordship, Countship. . . ) held ex offico -the closest possible equivalent to hereditary succession- by a Prince of the church, styled more precisely according to his ecclesiastical rank, such as Prince-bishop, Prince-abbot and, especially as a form of crusader state, Grand Master. The term Prince of the Church is nowadays used nearly exclusively for Catholic Cardinals However the term is historically more important as a generic term for clergymen A Prince-Bishop is a Bishop who is a territorial Prince of the Church on account of one or more Secular principalities usually pre-existent titles of nobility A Prince-abbot is a cleric who is a Prince of the church (like a prince-bishop in the sense of an ex officio temporal lord of a feudal entity known as prince-abbacy Grand Master is the typical Title of the supreme head (in some national orders below the Sovereign Head of state of various orders of knighthood including Military orders

Other principalities

Non-western and colonial world

Principalities have existed in ancient and modern civilisations of Africa, Asia, Pre-Columbian America and Oceania. The pre-Columbian era incorporates all period subdivisions in the history and prehistory of the Americas before the appearance of significant European influences

However in the colonial context, the term princely states is generally preferred, specially for those that came under the sway of a Western colonising power, e. For other uses see Principality, Other princely states A Princely State (also called Native State or Indian State) was a g. the British Indian and neighbouring or associated (e. For usage see British rule in India British Raj ( rāj, lit "reign" in Hindustani) primarily refers to the British g. Arabian) princely states were ruled by Monarchs called Princes by the British, regardless of the native styles, which could be equivalent to royal or even imperial rank in the autochthonous cultures.

Micronations claiming to be principalities

Several micronations, which claim sovereignty but are not recognised as states, also claim the status of sovereign principalities, the most notable in Europe being Sealand off the coast of England and Seborga, a small town in Italy; other micronational principalities elsewhere include the Principality of Hutt River in Australia and the Principality of Minerva in the South Pacific. Micronations &mdash sometimes also referred to as model countries and new country projects &mdash are entities that resemble independent Nations or The Principality of Sealand is a Micronation located on HM Fort Roughs, a former World War II Maunsell Sea Fort in the North Sea England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland History In 954 Seborga's territory was ceded by the counts of Ventimiglia to the monks of Lerino, when the Cistercian monastery was founded Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest The Hutt River Principality ( previously known as Hutt River Province, is Australia 's oldest Micronation. History Minerva was originally discovered in 1852 by a group of American whalers.

Other uses

A fictional country, The Principality of Belka, is one of the countries in the Ace Combat game series. BelKA (an acronym from Belarusian: Бел арускі К асьмічны А парат Bel arusian C osmic A pparatus Ace Combat is an arcade style Flight Action Video game series published by the Japanese company Bandai Namco Games.

In the TV anime Mobile Suit Gundam universe, the Principality of Zeon was a space colony which declared its independence and waged war against the Earth Federation. is a televised Anime series created by Sunrise. Written and directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino, it premiered in Japan on Nagoya Broadcasting Network The is a fictional organization in the Universal Century timeline of the Gundam Anime series

In Meg Cabot's series the Princess Diaries, the protagonist, Mia Thermopolis, is the Crown Princess of the imaginary country of Genovia. Meg Cabot (born Meggin Patricia Cabot on February 1, 1967 in Bloomington Indiana, United States) is a American chick-lit The Princess Diaries is the most notable series of novels by Meg Cabot in the Chick-lit genre and the title of the first volume, published Mia's father is the Prince Regnant of the country, making it a principality by definition.

Some of the kingdoms in the Society for Creative Anachronisms include principalities among the smaller regions which comprise the overall kingdom. Society for Creative Anachronism (usually shortened to SCA) is a historical re-creation and Living history group founded in 1966 which The principalities are governed by a Prince and Princess, chosen through rite of combat, and these in turn are governed by the King and Queen of the kingdom in which they exist.

Users of the internet game Nationstates may create principalities. Jennifer Government NationStates is a multiplayer nation simulation Browser game.

See also

• Grand Prince
• Victory title
• Åland or Aaland
• Andorra
• Asturias
• Liechtenstein
• Monaco
• Wales
• Sealand

Sources and references

(incomplete)

• WorldStatesmen

Anastatia