Everything about Duchies totally explained
A
duchy is a territory,
fief, or domain ruled by a
duke or
duchess. Historically, some duchies in Continental
Europe were
sovereign, while others (especially in
France and
Britain) were subordinate districts of a
kingdom.
Traditionally, a
grand duchy, such as
Luxembourg, was generally independent and sovereign. Sovereign duchies were common in the
Holy Roman Empire and
German-speaking areas.
In
France, a number of duchies existed in the medieval period. Queen
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom still holds the medieval French title of
Duke of Normandy; the only lands still attached to the Duchy of Normandy are the
Channel Islands although there no longer is a King of France. Important French duchies included
Normandy,
Burgundy,
Brittany and
Aquitaine.
In medieval
England, the territories of
Lancashire and
Cornwall were made duchies, with certain powers accruing to their Dukes. The
Duchy of Lancaster was created in 1351 but became merged with the Crown when, in 1399, the Duke, Henry Bolingbroke ascended the throne of England as Henry IV. The
Duchy of Cornwall was created in 1337 and held successively by Dukes of Cornwall who were also heirs to the throne. These duchies today have lost their political role, although there's an ongoing dispute over the status of Cornwall.
In more recent times, territorial duchies have become rare; most dukedoms conferred in the last few centuries have been of a purely symbolic character (see
Duke). No independent duchies exist today; however,
Luxembourg is an independent
Grand Duchy.
- For the history of duchies as an institution, see the entry on Duke.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Duchies'.
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