Duchy
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. In medieval
England, the territories of
Lancashire (see
Duchy of Lancaster) and
Cornwall were made duchies, with certain powers accruing to their Dukes. These duchies today are held by the Royal Family, and have lost their political role.
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.
Current or historical duchies
*
Grand Duchy*
Duchies in England*
Duke of Cornwall*
Duchy of Cornwall*
Cornwall*
Constitutional status of Cornwall*
Duchy of Lancaster*
Luxembourg*
United Baltic DuchyFictional duchies
*
Duchy of Grand Fenwick*
Borogravia (from the
Discworld series)
*
Quirm (from the
Discworld series)
*
The Duchy of Cornwall - On the Prince of Wales' official web-site
