protectorate
n.n. a country or area that is controlled by a more powerful country. The powerful country usually provides protection and help, but it also makes the decisions for the smaller area.
n. a territory or state that is under the partial or complete political control of another sovereign power. Often implies a relationship of protection and dependency rather than full annexation.
The small island was a protectorate of the larger empire.
Historians often debate whether the protectorate was a genuine partnership or a form of colonial control.
The transition from a protectorate to a fully independent nation required significant legal reforms to ensure the new government could manage its own affairs without external interference.
From protector + -ate (forms nouns denoting rank or office, a system ruled by people of such office).