Duchy

A, also called a , is a , territory, , or domain ruled by a or , a ruler hierarchically second to the  or  in an tradition.

There are some important differences between “sovereign dukes” and dukes who were ordinary noblemen throughout Venârivè. Some duchies are sovereign in areas that are realms unto themselves. In contrast, others were subordinate districts of those s that are unified either partially or completely under a higher sovereign.

Examples
In France, several duchies existed in the medieval period, including, , , and.

The medieval German (Stammesherzogtum, literally “tribal duchy,” the official title of its ruler being  or “duke”) were associated with the  and corresponded with the areas of settlement of the major Germanic. They formed the nuclei of the major feudal states that comprised the early era of the (961-1806; in German: Heiliges Römisches Reich Deutscher Nation). These were Schwaben (Swabia, mainly the present-day German state of Baden-Württemberg), Bayern (Bavaria), and Sachsen (Saxony) in pre-Carolingian times, to which Franken (Franconia, at present the northern part of the German state of Bavaria) and Lothringen (Lorraine, nowadays mostly part of France) were added in post-Carolingian times. As mentioned above, such a duke was styled Herzog (literally “the one who is leading [the troops]”).

In medieval England, duchies associated with the territories of and  were created, with certain powers and estates of land accruing to their dukes. The was created in 1351 but became merged with the Crown when, in 1399, Henry Bolingbroke, Duke of Lancaster, ascended the throne of England as. Nowadays, the Duchy of Lancaster always belongs to the sovereign and its revenue is the. The was created in 1337 and held successively by the Dukes of Cornwall, who were also heirs to the throne. Nowadays, the Duchy of Cornwall belongs to the sovereign’s, if there is one: it reverts to the Crown in the absence of an heir apparent and is automatically conferred to the heir apparent upon birth. These duchies today have mostly lost any non-ceremonial political role, but generate their holders’ private income. During the Wars of the Roses, the Duke of York made a successful entry into the City of York, by merely claiming no harm and that it was his right to possess “his duchy of York.” Any and all feudal duchies that made up the patchwork of England have since been absorbed within the Royal Family. Other than Cornwall and Lancaster, British royal dukedoms are titular and do not include landholdings. Non-royal dukedoms are associated with ducal property, but this is meant as the duke’s private property, with no other feudal privileges attached. At present, all independent (i.e., ) duchies have disappeared.

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