British protectorate

British protectorates were areas under the care of the British government. These places often already had their own leaders, and the British made agreements, called treaties, with them. The British promised to protect these areas, but the local leaders still made many of their own decisions. This way of governing is called indirect rule.

In most of these protectorates, the local leaders and their people were not considered British citizens. Instead, they were known as British protected persons. There were also special places called British protected states. In these, the local leaders had even more control over their own matters, while the British helped mostly with safety and relationships with other countries. This system let local cultures stay strong while getting support from Britain.

History

When the British took control of Cephalonia in 1809, they told the people they were not invaders but allies offering protection. After the Napoleonic Wars, the Ionian Islands stayed under British control but were not taken over completely. In 1815, a treaty made them an independent group of islands with British protection.

Many places were led by local rulers who worked with British leaders. This included parts of India and West Africa. Later, islands in the Pacific Ocean like the Gilbert Islands (now Kiribati) and the Ellice Islands (now Tuvalu) became British protectorates. In 1894, Uganda also became a British protectorate.

Britain had special rules for protectorates. They helped with defense and outside matters but let local leaders govern inside their own lands. The last British protectorate was the British Solomon Islands, which became independent in 1978. The last protected state was Brunei, which became fully independent in 1984.

List of former British protectorates

Americas

• Mosquito Coast (1638–1787, 1844–1860) (over Central America's Mosquito people)

Arab world

• Aden Protectorate (1872–1963); precursor state of South Yemen
  • Eastern Protectorate States (mostly in Haudhramaut); later the Protectorate of South Arabia (1963–1967)
    • Kathiri
    • Mahra
    • Qu'aiti
    • Upper Yafa (consisted of five Sheikhdoms)
      • Al-Busi
      • Al-Dhubi
      • Hadrami
      • Maflahi
      • Mawsata
    • Hawra
    • Irqa
  • Western Protectorate States; later the Federation of the Emirates of South Arabia (1959–1962) and the Federation of South Arabia (1962–1967), including Aden Colony
    • Wahidi Sultanates
      • Wahidi Balhaf
      • Wahidi Azzan
      • Wahidi Bir Ali
      • Wahidi Haban
    • Beihan
    • Dhala and Qutaibi
    • Fadhli
    • Lahej
    • Lower Yafa
    • Audhali
    • Haushabi
    • Upper Aulaqi Sheikhdom
    • Upper Aulaqi Sultanate
    • Lower Aulaqi
    • Alawi
    • Aqrabi
    • Dathina
    • Shaib
• Sultanate of Egypt (1914–1922)
• Anglo-Egyptian Sudan (1899–1956) (condominium with Egypt)

Asia

• North Borneo (1888–1946)
• Various British Raj Princely States (1845–1947) – The princely states were lower in status than protectorates as the British reserved the right to interfere in internal matters under the principle of British Paramountcy.
• Sultanate of Maldives (1887–1948) – Became a protected state after 1948.

Europe

• Anglo-Corsican Kingdom (1794–1796)
• British Cyprus (1878–1914) (put under British military administration 1914–22 then proclaimed a Crown colony 1922–60)
• Malta Protectorate (1800–1813); Crown Colony of Malta proclaimed in 1813) (de jure part of the Kingdom of Sicily but under British protection)
• Ionian islands (1815–1864) (a Greek state and amical protectorate of Great Britain between 1815 and 1864)

Sub-Saharan Africa

• Barotziland–North-Western Rhodesia (1899–1911)
• Bechuanaland Protectorate (1885–1966)
• British Somaliland (1884–1920)
• British Central Africa Protectorate (1893–1907)
• East Africa Protectorate (1895–1920)
• Gambia Protectorate* (1894–1965)
• Kenya Protectorate* (1920–1963)
• Lagos Protectorate* (1862–1906)
• Mashonaland Protectorate (1891–1923)
• Matabeleland Protectorate (1891–1923)
• Nigeria Protectorate* (1914–1960)
• Niger Coast Protectorate (1884–1900)
• Northern Nigeria Protectorate (1900–1914)
• Northern Rhodesia (1924–1964)
• Northern Territories of the Gold Coast (1901–1957)
• North-Eastern Rhodesia (1900–1911)
• Nyasaland (1907–1964)
• Sierra Leone Protectorate* (1896–1961)
• Southern Nigeria Protectorate (1900–1914)
• Swaziland (1906–1968)
• Uganda Protectorate (1894–1962)
• Walvis Bay (1878–1884)
• Sultanate of Zanzibar (1890–1963)

protectorates that existed alongside a colony of the same name

Oceania

• British New Guinea (1884–1888)
• British Solomon Islands (1893–1978)
• Cook Islands (1888–1901)
• Gilbert and Ellice Islands (1892–1916)
• Niue (1900–1901)
• Tokelau (1889–1916)

List of former British protected states

Many places were British protected states. This means they were not part of the British Empire, but the British helped protect them and control their relationships with other countries. These places kept most of their own rules and leaders.