vassal state (plural vassal states)
During Tang dynasty, Tibet was a vassal state of China. The image depicts how Emperor Taizong of Tang (man sitting at the right) greeted Tibetan ambassador Gar Tongtsen Yulsung (second man from the left) in 640 CE.
- A state that is subordinate to another; government chiefly directed by the interests of an overlord or patron state.
- Coordinate term: satellite state
2023 June 22, Valerie Hopkins, quoting Emmanuel Macron, “Belarus Is Fast Becoming a ‘Vassal State’ of Russia”, in The New York Times[1], →ISSN:At a recent conference in Slovakia, President Emmanuel Macron of France called Belarus a “vassal state,” but said Europe bore some of the blame.
state that is subordinate to another
