From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A
principality
(sometimes also called
princedom
) is a
country
or territory which is ruled by a
sovereign prince
or
princess
. Principalities were common in the
Middle Ages
. Principalities tend to have quite a small territory.
There are currently three countries which are principalities:
Andorra
,
Monaco
and
Liechtenstein
.
The
Principality of
Andorra
is a small country in
Western Europe
which borders
Spain
and
France
. Andorra has two heads of state known as "Co-Princes". The two Co-Princes are
Emmanuel Macron
(also
President of France
) and
Joan Enric Vives Sicilia
(who is also
Bishop
of
Urgell
).
The
Principality of
Liechtenstein
is a very small country located in the
Alps
. It was named after the ruling family, the House of Liechtenstein. The principality was once a part of the
Holy Roman Empire
but eventually became independent. The ruler of Liechtenstein holds the title "
Furst
", which is usually translated as "Prince".
The
Principality of
Monaco
is the second-smallest country in the world. It borders
France
. Monaco's ruler is the "Sovereign Prince".
Many states of the
Holy Roman Empire
were small principalities with their own royal families.
In modern
Europe
, there are some cases where the heir to the throne of a country holds the title "Prince of...", followed by the name of a significant region of the country. This mostly has some historical meaning.
Some states claim to be principalities but are not recognised by other countries:
Sealand
(a
Sea Fort
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
. These states are examples of
micronations
.
Sometimes the word is also used to mean dependent
territories
in
Africa
,
Asia
and
India
,
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.
