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2,106 bytes added ,  17:12, 14 January 2011
Created page with 'File:lighterstill.jpgright|frame ==Origin== French, from Middle French souserain, from sus up (from Latin sursum, from sub- up + ver...'
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==Origin==
French, from Middle French souserain, from sus up (from [[Latin]] sursum, from sub- up + versum -ward, from neuter of versus, past participle of vertere to turn) + -erain (as in soverain [[sovereign]])
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/19th_century 1807]
==Definitions==
*1: a superior feudal lord to whom fealty is due : overlord
*2: a [[dominant]] [[state]] controlling the foreign [[relations]] of a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vassal vassal] state but allowing it [[sovereign]] [[authority]] in its internal affairs
==Description==
'''Suzerainty''' (pronounced /ˈsjuːzərənti/ or /ˈsjuːzəreɪnti/) occurs where a region or people is a tributary to a more powerful [[entity]] which [[controls]] its foreign affairs while allowing the tributary [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vassal vassal] state some limited [[domestic]] [[autonomy]]. The superior [[entity]] in the suzerainty [[relationship]], or the more powerful entity itself, is called a suzerain. The term suzerainty was originally used to describe the [[relationship]] between the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottoman_Empire Ottoman Empire] and its surrounding regions. It differs from [[sovereignty]] in that the tributary has some (often limited) self-rule. A suzerain can also refer to a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feudalism feudal lord], to whom vassals must pay [[tribute]]. Although it is a [[concept]] which has existed in a [[number]] of historical [[empires]], it is a concept that is very [[difficult]] to describe using [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/20th_century 20th]- or 21st-century [[theories]] of international law, in which [[sovereignty]] either exists or does not. While a sovereign [[nation]] can agree by [[treaty]] to become a protectorate of a stronger [[power]], modern [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Law international law] does not recognize any way of making this [[relationship]] [[compulsory]] on the weaker power.[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suzerain]

[[Category: Law]]
[[Category: Political Science]]