Palatinate n : a territory in southwestern Germany formerly ruled by the counts palatine [syn: Pfalz]

see Palatinate

English

Noun

1. A territory ruled by a palatine
2. A native or inhabitant of such a territory

Adjective

palatinate

1. Of or pertaining to a palatinate or the Palatinate

A palatinate is a territory administered by a count palatine, originally the direct representative of a sovereign, but later the hereditary ruler of the territory subject to the crown's overlordship. In Poland the Palatines remained non-hereditary or semi-hereditary, appointed for a lifetime by the King and are often within one family.

Palatinate can refer to the following:

Germany

• Electoral Palatinate or County Palatine of the Rhine (German: Kurpfalz), a historic state of the Holy Roman Empire, including
  • County Palatine of Lotharingia 915–1085
  • County Palatine of the Rhine 1085–1356
• Rhineland-Palatinate (Rheinland-Pfalz), federal state in western Germany
  • Palatinate (region) (Pfalz, former Rheinpfalz), in Rhineland-Palatinate
  • Palatinate (wine region), in Rhineland-Palatinate
  • Palatinate Forest
• Upper Palatinate (Oberpfalz), administrative region in Bavaria
• Several historic states of the Holy Roman Empire, subdivisions of the Palatinate:
  • Palatinate-Simmern, based in Simmern
  • Palatinate-Neumarkt, based in Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz
  • Palatinate-Mosbach, based in Mosbach
  • Palatinate-Zweibrücken, based in Zweibrücken
  • Palatinate-Neuburg, based in Neuburg an der Donau
  • Palatinate-Sulzbach, based in Sulzbach
• for other objects named Pfalz in German see Pfalz

United Kingdom

• County palatine in England
• Palatinate, student newspaper of Durham University
• Palatinate (colour), a shade of purple used in the colours of the County of Durham.

Poland

There were also several Palatinates in Poland. The status would be given to ancient Principalities when they were reunited in the Kingdom of Poland as the princely title would return to the King and the land would be infeudated to a Palatine, called Palatinus in Latin or Wojewoda in Polish (the Polish rendition of Dux Exercituum / Herzog, as he would be the chief commander and next in rank to the King when there was only one royal Palatine). Later, in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, new Palatinates would be created. For reasons explained above the term Palatinatus was merged with the Polish Województwo but remained Palatinatus in the official Latin documents of the state. Some authors claim that only the pre-19th century Województwa should be translated as Palatinates. To them the word Province seems much better for the current administrative units also called Województwa as the current Wojewoda (Governor) can hardly be compared to the title and rank of his/her pre-XIX cent. namesake. But in church documents the word Palatinate is still used in early 20th century when it clearly refers to a Województwo.