Petty kingdom

A petty kingdom, also known as a kinglet, is an independent realm recognizing no suzerain, or the basis of a suzerainty are in dispute and transitory in nature, with the petty kinglet controlling only a portion of the territory held by a particular ethnic group or nation. Petty kingdoms were prominent before the formation of many of today's nation-states. Many of today's countries were typically ruled by multiple local kings in more or less stable kingdoms. The various small states of the Holy Roman Empire are generally not considered to be petty kingdoms since they were at least nominally subject to the Holy Roman Emperor and not fully independent. A realm of even smaller geographic deminsions or limited influences are known as petty kinglets.

By the European High Middle Ages, many post-Roman Early Middle Ages petty kingdoms had evolved into principalities, grand duchies, or duchies. By the European Early Modern era many of these principalities had been mediatized into larger monarchies, but the ruling families were considered morganatic for marriage considerations, and ranked equal to royal famlies in society.

England

Before the Kingdom of England was established as a united entity, there were various kingdoms in the area—of which the main seven were known as the heptarchy. These were Wessex, Mercia, Northumbria (also extended into present-day Scotland), East Anglia, Sussex, Kent, and Essex.

Iberian peninsula

The Christian petty kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula that eventually formed Spain included prior to complete unification:

Aragon
Kingdom of Asturias
Castile
León (united with Castile after 1230)
Galicia
Navarre
Portugal (only during the Iberian Union, that lasted from 1580 to 1640)

See the article about the taifa for the Islamic petty kingdoms that existed in Iberia after the collapse of the Caliphate of Cordoba in 1031.

Ireland

The earliest known kingdoms or tribes in Ireland are referred to in Ptolemy's Geography, written in the 2nd century. He names the Vennicni, Rhobogdi, Erdini, Magnatae, Autini, Gangani, Vellabori, Darini, Voluntii, Eblani, Cauci, Menapii, Coriondi and Brigantes tribes and kingdoms.

Irish medieval pseudohistory gives a seemingly idealized division of kingdoms. The island is divided into "fifths" (Old Irish cóiceda, Modern Irish cúige). There is Ulaid (Ulster) in the north, Cóiced Ol nEchmacht (Connacht) in the west, Mumha or Mhumhain (Munster) in the south, and Laighin (Leinster) in the east. They all surround the central kingdom of Míde (whose name has survived in the modern counties Meath and Westmeath). Each of the outer four fifths had their own king, with the High King of Ireland ruling over them from Tara in Míde.

In historical times Míde disappeared as a province. The four remaining fifths contained large numbers of tuatha or sub-kingdoms, constantly shifting as old dynasties died and new ones formed.

Norway

In the early Viking Age, there were several different petty kingdoms. Spurred by the unification of several of these kingdoms under Halfdan the Black, his son Harald Fairhair was able to unite them all in 872.

Some of the kingdoms:

Serbia

Medieval Serbia comprised, at various time periods, smaller kingdoms of Rascia, Zeta (Dioclea, corresponding to portions of contemporary Montenegro) and the duchy of Hum (roughly corresponding to present-day Herzegovina and some of its surroundings).

Scotland

There were many petty kingdoms in Scotland before its unification. They can be grouped by language:

Cumbric (see Hen Ogledd):
- Gododdin
- Strathclyde
Pictish:
- Fortriu
- Pictavia
Anglo-Saxon:
- Bernicia
- Northumbria (also extended into England)
Gaelic:
- Dál Riata

Sweden

According to the Norse sagas, and modern history, Sweden was divided into more-or-less independent units in some areas corresponding to the folklands and the modern traditional provinces. According to the sagas, the folklands and provinces of eastern Svealand were united under the Swedish king at Gamla Uppsala. Moreover, the domains of this king could also include parts of Götaland and even southern Norway. This probably reflects the volatile politics of Iron Age Scandinavia. The province of Småland once consisted of several petty kingdoms as also the meaning of the word Småland reveals (Små land = Small Lands/countries).

Wales

Rarely has the country of Wales formed one cohesive country. For the greater part of it's history, Wales evolved into four petty kingdoms, or principalities, following the Roman withdrawal from Britain in the 5th century. Mountainious geography, forested glens, river valles, and upland moors contributed to a strong sense of localism and autonomy, though the Welsh people shared a deeply felt sentiment of nationality, as reflected in Welsh law codified in the 10th century. According to historian Professor John Davies, there are four geographic regions which aided in the development of these four principalities: Ynys Mon for Gwynedd, the Severn river valley for Powys, the Vale for Glamorgan (Morgannwg), and the Ystrad Yywi (Valley of the Tywi) for Deheubarth. However, these regions (particularly for Gwynedd and Deheubarth) were more or less too equal in terms of resources and population to bind the other realms to it permanently.

Gwynedd
- See also History of Gwynedd during the High Middle Ages
- See also Culture of Gwynedd during the High Middle Ages
Deheubarth
- Dyfed, a kinglet merged into Deheubarth
Powys
Morgannwg