princely state

n. principality, state ruled by a prince

A princely state is any state under the reign of a prince and is thus a principality taken in the broad sense. The term refers not only to sovereign nations ruled by monarchs but also to lower polities ruled by various high nobles (often vassals in a feudal system). Such states may be sovereign or not and their reigning 'princes' may actually rule or be reduced in power, as under colonial indirect rule, sometimes becoming mere figureheads.
See more at Wikipedia.org...