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A principality (or princedom) is a monarchical feudatory or sovereign state, ruled or reigned over by a monarch with the title of prince or princess, or (in the widest sense) by a monarch with another title within the generic use of the term prince.

Terminology[link]

Some of these states have never been a polity, but are rather territories in respect of which a princely style is held. The prince's estate and wealth may be located mainly or wholly outside the geographical confines of the principality.

Surviving sovereign principalities are Liechtenstein, Monaco, and the co-principality of Andorra. Extant royal primogenitures styled as principalities include Asturias (Spain), and Wales (UK). The term "principality" is often used informally to describe Wales as it currently exists, but this has no constitutional basis. The Principality of Wales existed in the northern and western areas of Wales between the 13th and 16th centuries; the Laws in Wales Act of 1536 which legally incorporated Wales within England removed the distinction between those areas and the March of Wales, but no principality covering the whole of Wales was created. Since that time, the title Prince of Wales (together with Duke of Cornwall and Duke of Rothesay, among other titles) has traditionally been granted to the heir to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom, but it confers no responsibilities for government in Wales.^[1]

The term principality is also sometimes used generically for any small monarchy, especially for small sovereign states ruled by a monarch of a lesser rank than a king, such as a Fürst - usually translated in English as prince - or a Grand Duke. No sovereign duchy currently exists, but Luxembourg is a surviving example of a sovereign grand duchy. Historically there have been sovereign principalities with many styles of ruler, such as Countships, Margraviates and even Lordships; especially within the Holy Roman Empire.

Notable principalities existed until the early 20th century in various regions of France, Germany and Italy.

While the definition^{[clarification needed]} would fit a princely state perfectly, the historical tradition is to reserve that word for native monarchies in colonial countries, and to apply "principality" to the Western monarchies.

European principalities[link]

Development[link]

Though principalities existed in antiquity, even before the height of the Roman Empire, the principality as it is known today developed in the Middle Ages between 350 and 1450 when feudalism was the primary economic and social system in much of Europe. Feudalism increased the power of local princes within a king's lands. As princes continued to gain more power over time, the authority of the king was diminished in many places. This led to political fragmentation as the king's lands were broken into mini-states ruled by princes and dukes who wielded absolute power over their small territories. This was especially prevalent in Europe, and particularly with the Princes of the Holy Roman Empire.

During the Renaissance from 1200 to 1500, principalities were often at war with each other as royal houses asserted sovereignty over smaller principalities. These wars caused a great deal of instability and economies were destroyed. Episodes of bubonic plague also reduced the power of principalities to survive independently. Eventually, agricultural progress, development of new trade goods and services and patronisation^{[clarification needed]} by the Roman Catholic Church boosted commerce between principalities. Many of these states became wealthy, expanded their territories and improved the services provided to their citizens. Princes and dukes developed their lands, established new ports and chartered large thriving cities. Some used their new-found wealth to build palaces and other institutions now sometimes associated with principalities.

Consolidation[link]

While some principalities prospered in their independence, less successful states were swallowed by stronger royal houses. Europe saw consolidation of small principalities into larger kingdoms and empires. This had already happened in England in the first millennium, and this trend subsequently led to the creation of such states as France, Portugal, and Spain. Another form of consolidation was orchestrated in Italy during the Renaissance by the Medici family. A banking family from Florence, the Medici took control of governments in various Italian regions and even assumed the papacy. They then appointed family members as princes and assured their protection by the Medici-controlled Vatican. Prussia also later expanded by acquiring the territories of many other states.

However in the 17th to 19th centuries, especially within the Holy Roman Empire, the reverse was also occurring: many new small sovereign states arose as a result of transfers of land for various reasons.

Nationalism[link]

Nationalism, the belief that the nation-state is the best vehicle to realise the aspirations of a people, became popular in the late 19th century. Characteristic of nationalism is the preference for loyalty to the people instead of loyalty to monarchs^{[citation needed]}. With this development, principalities fell out of favour. As a compromise, many principalities united with neighbouring regions and adopted constitutional forms of government with the monarch as a mere figurehead while administration was left in the hands of elected parliaments. The trend in the 19th and 20th centuries was the abolition of various forms of monarchy and the creation of republican governments led by popularly elected presidents.

Ecclesiastical principalities[link]

Several principalities where genealogical inheritance is replaced by succession in a religious office have existed in the Roman Catholic Church, in each case consisting of a feudal polity (often a former secular principality in the broad sense) held ex officio — the closest possible equivalent to hereditary succession — by a Prince of the church, styled more precisely according to his ecclesiastical rank, such as Prince-bishop, Prince-abbot or, especially as a form of crusader state, Grand Master.

Other principalities[link]

Non-European and colonial world[link]

Principalities have existed in ancient and modern civilisations of Africa, Asia, Pre-Columbian America and Oceania.

However in the colonial context, the term princely states is generally preferred, specially for those that came under the sway of a European colonising power, e.g., the British Indian and neighbouring or associated (e.g., Arabian) princely states were ruled by monarchs called Princes by the British, regardless of the native styles, which could be equivalent to royal or even imperial rank in the autochthonous cultures.

Micronations claiming to be principalities[link]

Several micronations, which more or less seriously claim sovereignty but are not recognised as states, also claim the status of sovereign principalities, the most notable in Europe being Sealand off the coast of England and Seborga, a small town in Italy; other micronational principalities elsewhere include the Principality of Hutt River in Australia and the Principality of Minerva in the South Pacific.

Other uses[link]

A fictional country, the Principality of Belka, is one of the countries in the Ace Combat game series.

In the TV anime Mobile Suit Gundam universe, the Principality of Zeon was a self-declared autonomous government that rules over the space colonies which declared its independence and waged war against the Earth Federation. The term Duchy is used interchangeably throughout many translations since in the Japanese language the same word is used for both types of government.

In Meg Cabot's series the Princess Diaries, the protagonist, Mia Thermopolis, is the Crown Princess of the fictional country of Genovia. Mia's father is the Prince Regnant of the country, making it a principality by definition.

Some of the kingdoms in the Society for Creative Anachronism include principalities among the smaller regions which comprise the overall kingdom. The principalities are governed by a Prince and Princess, chosen through rite of combat, and these in turn are governed by the King and Queen of the kingdom in which they exist.

Users of the internet game Nationstates may create principalities.

See also[link]

• Andorra
• Asturias
• Grand prince
• Liechtenstein
• Monaco
• Principality of Sealand
• Principality of Wales
• Victory title

Sources and references[link]

(incomplete)

• WorldStatesmen

References[link]

Graham Hill At the 1969 German Grand Prix Born (1929-02-15)15 February 1929 Died 29 November 1975(1975-11-29) (aged 46) Formula One World Championship career Nationality British Active years 1958–1975 Teams Lotus, BRM, Brabham, Hill Races 179 (176 starts) Championships 2 (1962, 1968) Wins 14 Podiums 36 Career points 270 (289)[1] Pole positions 13 Fastest laps 10 First race 1958 Monaco Grand Prix First win 1962 Dutch Grand Prix Last win 1969 Monaco Grand Prix Last race 1975 Monaco Grand Prix 24 Hours of Le Mans career Participating years 1958-1966, 1972 Teams Team Lotus Porsche AG NART/Rob Walker Aston Martin BRM Maranello Concessionaires Alan Mann Racing Ltd Equipe Matra-Simca Shell Best finish 1st (1972) Class wins 1 (1972)

Norman Graham Hill (15 February 1929 – 29 November 1975) was a British racing driver and team owner from England, who was twice Formula One World Champion. He is the only driver to win the Triple Crown of Motorsport — the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Indianapolis 500 and Formula One World Championship.

Graham Hill and his son Damon are the only father and son pair both to have won the Formula One World Championship. Graham's grandson Josh, Damon's son, is also a racing driver.

Graham Hill died when the aeroplane he was piloting crashed in foggy conditions near Arkley golf course in North London. Hill and five members of his racing team were returning from car testing at Circuit Paul Ricard in France and due to land at Elstree Airfield. All six were killed.

Biography[link]

Professional history[link]

Hill, who was born in Hampstead, London, served in the Royal Navy as an Engine Room Artificer. After leaving the Navy he re-joined Smiths Instruments. Hill did not pass his driving test until he was 24 years old, and he himself described his first car as "A wreck. A budding racing driver should own such a car, as it teaches delicacy, poise and anticipation, mostly the latter I think!"^{[citation needed]} He had been interested in motorcycles but in 1954 he saw an advertisement for the Universal Motor Racing Club at Brands Hatch offering laps for 5 shillings. He made his debut in a Cooper 500 Formula 3 car and was committed to racing thereafter. Hill joined Team Lotus as a mechanic soon after but quickly talked his way into the cockpit. The Lotus presence in Formula One allowed him to make his debut at the 1958 Monaco Grand Prix, retiring with a halfshaft failure.

Graham Hill testing the BRM P261. Chassis designer John Crosthwaite in pale duffel coat

In 1960, Hill joined BRM, and won the world championship with them in 1962. Hill was also part of the so-called 'British invasion' of drivers and cars in the Indianapolis 500 during the mid-1960s, triumphing there in 1966 in a Lola-Ford.

In 1967, back at Lotus, Hill helped to develop the Lotus 49 with the new Cosworth-V8 engine. After team mates Jim Clark and Mike Spence were killed in early 1968, Hill led the team, and won his second world championship in 1968. The Lotus had a reputation of being very fragile and dangerous at that time, especially with the new aerodynamic aids which caused similar crashes of Hill and Jochen Rindt at the 1969 Spanish Grand Prix. A crash at the 1969 United States Grand Prix at Watkins Glen broke his legs and interrupted his career.

Upon recovery Hill continued to race in F1 for several more years, but never again with the same level of success. Colin Chapman, believing Hill was a spent force, placed him in Rob Walker's team for 1970, sweetening the deal with one of the brand-new Lotus 72 cars. Although Hill scored points in 1970 he started the season far from fully fit and the 72 was not fully developed until late in the season. Hill moved to Brabham for 1971-2; his last win in Formula One was in the non-Championship International Trophy at Silverstone in 1971 with the "lobster claw" Brabham BT34. But the team was in flux after the retirements of Sir Jack Brabham and then Ron Tauranac's sale to Bernie Ecclestone; Hill did not settle there.

Graham Hill driving a Lotus 49 at the Nürburgring in 1969

Hill was known during the latter part of his career for his wit and became a popular personality - he was a regular guest on television and wrote a notably frank and witty autobiography, Life At The Limit ^[2], when recovering from his 1969 accident. Hill was also irreverently immortalized on a Monty Python episode ("It's the Arts (or: Intermission)" sketch called "Historical Impersonations"), in which a Gumby appears asking to "see John the Baptist's impersonation of Graham Hill." The head of St. John the Baptist appears on a silver platter, which runs around the floor making putt-putt noises of a race car engine.

Hill was involved with four films between 1966 and 1974, including appearances in Grand Prix and Caravan to Vaccarès, in which he appeared as a helicopter pilot.^[3]

Although Hill had concentrated on F1 he also maintained a presence in sports car racing throughout his career (including two runs in the Rover-BRM gas turbine car at Le Mans). As his F1 career drew to a close he became part of the Matra sports car team, taking a victory in the 1972 24 Hours of Le Mans with Henri Pescarolo. This victory completed the so-called Triple Crown of motorsport which is alternatively defined as winning either:

• the Indianapolis 500 (won by Hill in 1966), the 24 Hours of Le Mans (1972) and the Monaco Grand Prix (1963, 1964, 1965, 1968, 1969),^[4][5] or
• the Indianapolis 500, the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Formula One World Championship (1962, 1968).^[6][7][8]

Using either definition, Hill is still the only person ever to have accomplished this feat.

With works drives becoming hard to find, Hill set up his own team in 1973: Embassy Hill with sponsorship from Imperial Tobacco. The team used chassis from Shadow and Lola before evolving the Lola into its own design in 1975. After failing to qualify for the 1975 Monaco Grand Prix, where he had won five times, Hill retired from driving to concentrate on running the team and supporting his protege Tony Brise.

Hill's record of 176 Grand Prix starts remained in place for over a decade, being equalled by Jacques Laffite.

Family[link]

Hill married Bette in 1955. Because Hill had spent all his money on his racing career, Bette paid for the wedding. They had two daughters, Brigitte and Samantha, and a son, Damon, who later became Formula One World Champion – the only son of a former world champion to do so.

Rowing[link]

Hill at the 1971 Race of Champions.

Before taking up motor racing, Hill spent several years actively involved in rowing. Initially, he rowed at Southsea Rowing Club, while stationed in Portsmouth with the Royal Navy and at Auriol Rowing Club in Hammersmith. He met Bette at a Boxing Day party at Auriol and, while courting her, he also coached her clubmates at Stuart Ladies' Rowing Club on the River Lea.

In 1952 he joined London Rowing Club, then as now one of the largest and most successful clubs in Great Britain. From 1952 to 1954, Hill rowed in twenty finals with London, usually as stroke of the crew, eight of which resulted in wins. He also stroked the London eight in the highly prestigious Grand Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta, losing a semi-final to Union Sportif Metropolitaine des Transports, France by a length.

Through his racing career he continued to support rowing and London. In 1968 when the club began a financial appeal to modernise its clubhouse, Hill launched proceedings by driving an old Morris Oxford, which had been obtained for £5, head-on into a boundary wall. Hill made three runs to reduce the wall to rubble, and the car was subsequently sold for £15.

Hill felt that the experience gained in rowing helped him in his motor-racing. He wrote in his autobiography:

"I really enjoyed my rowing. It really taught me a lot about myself, and I also think it is a great character-building sport...The self discipline required for rowing and the 'never say die' attitude obviously helped me through the difficult years that lay ahead."

Famously, Hill adopted the colours and cap design of London Rowing Club for his racing helmet - dark blue with white oar-shaped tabs. His son Damon and his grandson Josh later adopted the same colours.^[9]

Death[link]

In November 1975, returning from the Paul Ricard circuit, France, Hill was killed when the Piper PA 23-250 Turbo-Aztec, registration N6645Y,^[10] that he was piloting crashed while attempting to land in foggy conditions near Arkley golf course in North London. The crash also resulted in the deaths of team manager Ray Brimble, mechanics Tony Alcock and Terry Richards, up-and-coming driver Tony Brise and designer Andy Smallman; all from the Embassy Hill team.

His funeral was at St Albans Abbey, UK.

After his death, Silverstone village, home to the track of the same name, named a road, Graham Hill, after him.^[11] Graham Hill Bend at Brands Hatch is also named in his honour.

Race results[link]

Formula One World Championship results[link]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)