Duchy


A duchy, also called a dukedom, is a country, territory, fief, or domain ruled by a duke or duchess. In Western European tradition, the title of duke ranked among the highest nobility, generally just below the monarch and above counts or earls.
File:Birger jarl.jpg|thumb|Birger Jarl was Sweden's first prince consort and as Dux sveorum et guttorum and regent for his minor son wore a ducal coronet
Historically, there was a significant distinction between sovereign dukes, who ruled independent states, and dukes who were simply noblemen within larger kingdoms. Some duchies functioned as sovereign states in regions that only later became unified nation‑states, such as Germany and Italy. By contrast, other duchies were subordinate territories within kingdoms that had already consolidated, either partially or fully, during the medieval era: examples include France, Spain, Sicily, Naples, and the Papal States.

Examples

In France, several duchies existed in the medieval period, including Normandy, Burgundy, Brittany, and Aquitaine.
The medieval German stem duchies were associated with the Frankish Kingdom and corresponded with the areas of settlement of the major Germanic tribes. They formed the nuclei of the major feudal states that comprised the early era of the Holy Roman Empire of the German nation. These were Schwaben, Bayern, and Sachsen in pre-Carolingian times, to which Franken and Lothringen were added in post-Carolingian times. As mentioned above, such a duke was styled Herzog.
In medieval England, duchies associated with the territories of Lancashire and Cornwall were created, with certain powers and estates of land accruing to their dukes. The Duchy of Lancaster was created in 1351 but became merged with the Crown when, in 1399, Henry Bolingbroke, Duke of Lancaster, ascended the throne of England as Henry IV. Nowadays, the Duchy of Lancaster always belongs to the sovereign and its revenue is the Privy Purse. The Duchy of Cornwall 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 heir apparent, 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 feudal duchies that made up the patchwork of England have since been absorbed into 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 duchies have disappeared.

List of duchies

Baltic provinces and governorates

The following duchies were part of the medieval Kingdom of Italy, which itself was part of the Holy Roman Empire:
All provinces of Sweden have the right to have a ducal coronet in their arms. The king gives princes and princesses ducal titles of them. The current such royal duchies are: