Difference Between "vassal" and "vassal State"
Many empires have created vassal states out of cities, kingdoms, and tribes that they wish to bring under their auspices without having to conquer or govern them. In these cases, vassalage (or suzerainty) just means forfeiting foreign policy independence in exchange for full autonomy and perhaps a formal tribute. A lesser state that might be called a "junior ally" would be called a "vassal" as a reference to a domestic "fiefholder" or "trustee", simply to apply a common domestic norm to diplomatic culture. This allows different cultures to understand formal hegemonic relationships in personal terms, even among states using non-personal forms of rule. Imperial states that have used this terminology include Ancient Rome, the Mongol Empire, and the British Empire.
Read more about this topic: Vassal
Famous quotes containing the words difference between, difference and/or state:
“Is money money or isn’t money money. Everybody who earns
it and spends it every day in order to live knows
that money is money, anybody who votes it to be
gathered in as taxes knows money is not money. That
is what makes everybody go crazy.... When you earn
money and spend money every day anybody can know the
difference between a million and three. But when you
vote money away there really is not any difference
between a million and three.”
—Gertrude Stein (1874–1946)
“The greater intellect one has, the more originality one finds in men. Ordinary persons find no difference between men.”
—Blaise Pascal (1623–1662)
“Politics is about putting yourself in a state of grace.”
—Paddy Ashdown (b. 1941)