| This article does not have anysources. You can help Wikipedia by findinggood sources, and adding them.(July 2021) |
Aprotectorate is a state that is protected by another, larger and stronger country based on an agreement between the protectorate and the protecting country. These were very common in the 19th century, especially inAfrica andSouth Asia, whenEuropean countries would give protection to small states or places there. Often they also made aninternational trade agreement which restricted the trade of other foreign states.
TheBritish Empire had many protectorates around the world. The first wasThe Protectorate of theCommonwealth of England in the 1660s,Bahrain was also a British protectorate until it gained independence. Later,Kuwait was a British protectorate from 1899 to 1961 and is now independent.Sikkim was a protectorate ofIndia until 1975 and now is a state ofIndia.Bhutan is also a protected state of India.
