Principality
From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A principality (sometimes also called princedom) is a country which is ruled by a monarch. Principalities were common in the Middle Ages. Some principalities that still remain today are Andorra, Monaco and Liechtenstein.
Some states claim to be principalities but are not recognised by other countries: Sealand (an oil platform off the English coast), Seborga (a small town in Italy), the Principality of Hutt River in Australia and the Principality of Minerva in the Pacific.
Sometimes the word is also used to mean dependent territories in Africa, Asia, pre-Columbian America and Oceania. For these, the word princely states is generally preferred, especially if they came under the authority of a European colonial power.
