Protectorate
WordNet
noun
(1) A state or territory partly controlled by (but not a possession of) a stronger state but autonomous in internal affairs; protectorates are established by treaty
WiktionaryText
Noun
- Government by a protector; -- applied especially to the government of England by Oliver Cromwell.
- The authority assumed by a superior power over an inferior or a dependent one, whereby the former protects the latter from invasion and shares in the management of its affairs.
- An autonomous territory that is protected diplomatically or militarily against third parties by a stronger state or entity.