While some principalities prospered in their independence, less successful states were swallowed by stronger royal houses. ![]() Some took their new found wealth and built the first palaces and elaborate government offices people now associate with principalities. Princes and dukes developed their lands, established new ports and chartered large thriving cities. These states became wealthy and expanded their territories and improved the services provided to their citizens. But eventually, agricultural successes, development of new goods and services to trade and patronization by the Roman Catholic Church boosted commerce between principalities. To add insult to injury, the bubonic plague reduced the power of principalities to survive independently. These wars caused a great deal of instability and economies were destroyed. This was especially prevalent in Europe, and particularly with the Princes of the Holy Roman Empire.ĭuring 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. 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. ![]() As princes continued to gain more power over time, the authority of the king was diminished in many places. Feudalism increased the power of local princes to govern the king's lands. 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 3 when feudalism was the primary economic system employed by Eurasian societies. 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. Notable principalities existed until the early 20th century in various regions of France, Germany and Italy. Historically there have been sovereign principalities of many ruler styles, such as countships, margraviates and even Lordships. ![]() No sovereign duchy currently exists, but Luxembourg is a surviving example of a sovereign grand duchy. 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. Extant royal primogenitures styled principality include Asturias (Spain), and Wales (UK). ![]() Surviving sovereign principalities are Liechtenstein, Monaco, and the co-principality of Andorra. 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 and/or income, both of which may even be (at least partially) outside the geographical confines of the principality. His Royal Highness The Prince Charles, Prince of Wales represents a titular principality with no administrative power. His Serene Highness Albert II, Prince of Monaco (on the left) represents a principality where he wields administrative power.
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