what is a duchy

A duchy, also known as a dukedom, is a medieval country, territory, fief, or domain ruled by a duke or duchess, a ruler hierarchically second to the king or queen in Western European tradition. The term duchy is mainly historical and almost always refers to European territories. The Duke of Cornwall is an example of a duchy, which is a private estate established by Edward III in 1337 to provide independence to his son and heir, Prince Edward. The Duchy estate has never owned the entire county of Cornwall and a large part of the estate has always lain outside of it. However, the Duchy has a special relationship with the county and has certain rights and responsibilities which relate to the county as a whole. It also owns the foreshore (coastline) and fundus (riverbed) around Cornwall and part of south Devon. Nowadays, all independent (i.e., sovereign) duchies have disappeared.