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Dominions were semi-independent polities that were nominally under the Crown, constituting the British Empire and later the British Commonwealth, beginning in the later part of the 19th century.〔(''Merriam Webster's Dictionary'' ) (based on Collegiate vol., 11th ed.) 2006. Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster, Inc.〕 They included Canada, Australia, Pakistan, India, Ceylon (Sri Lanka), New Zealand, Newfoundland, South Africa, and the Irish Free State. The Balfour Declaration of 1926 recognised the Dominions as "autonomous Communities within the British Empire". In 1931 the Statute of Westminster recognized the Dominions as fully sovereign from the United Kingdom, with which they shared a common allegiance to the Crown. The Dominions and later constitutional monarchies within the Commonwealth of Nations maintained the same royal house and royal succession from before full sovereignty, and became known after the year 1953 as Commonwealth realms. Earlier usage of ''dominion'' to refer to a particular territory dates back to the 16th century and was sometimes used to describe Wales from 1535 to around 1800. ==Definition== In English common law, the Dominions of the British Crown were all the realms and territories under the sovereignty of that Crown. For example, the Order in Council annexing the island of Cyprus in 1914 declared that, from 5 November, the island "shall be annexed to and form part of His Majesty's Dominions".〔''Cyprus (Annexation) Order in Council, 1914'', dated 5 November 1914.〕〔Order quoted in ''The American Journal of International Law'', "Annexation of Cyprus by Great Britain"()〕 Use of ''dominion'' to refer to a particular territory dates back to the 16th century and was sometimes used to describe Wales from 1535 to around 1800: for instance, the Laws in Wales Act 1535 applies to "the Dominion, Principality and Country of Wales". ''Dominion'', as an official title, was conferred on the Colony of Virginia about 1660 and on the Dominion of New England in 1686. These dominions never had self-governing status. The creation of the short-lived Dominion of New England was designed—contrary to the purpose of later dominions—to increase royal control and to reduce the colony's self-government. Under the British North America Act 1867, what is now eastern Canada received the status of "Dominion" upon the Confederation of several British possessions in North America. However, it was at the Colonial Conference of 1907 when the self-governing colonies of Canada and the Commonwealth of Australia were referred to collectively as ''Dominions'' for the first time.〔Roberts, J. M., ''The Penguin History of the World'' (London: Penguin Books, 1995, ISBN 0-14-015495-7), p. 777〕 Two other self-governing colonies—New Zealand and Newfoundland—were granted the status of Dominion in the same year. These were followed by the Union of South Africa in 1910 and the Irish Free State in 1922. At the time of the founding of the League of Nations in 1924, the League Covenant made provision for the admission of any "fully self-governing state, Dominion, or Colony", the implication being that "Dominion status was something between that of a colony and a state".〔James Crawford, ''The Creation of States in International Law'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1979, ISBN 978-0-19-922842-3), p. 243〕 Dominion status was formally defined in the Balfour Declaration of 1926, which recognised these countries as "autonomous Communities within the British Empire", thus acknowledging them as political equals of the United Kingdom. The Statute of Westminster 1931 converted this status into legal reality, making them essentially independent members of what was then called the ''British Commonwealth''. Following the Second World War, the decline of British colonialism led to Dominions generally being referred to as Commonwealth realms and the use of the word ''dominion'' gradually diminished. Nonetheless, though disused, it remains Canada's legal title〔("Dominion" ). ''Youth Encyclopedia of Canada'' (based on ''Canadian Encyclopedia''). Historica Foundation of Canada, 2008. Accessed 2008-06-20. "The word "Dominion" is the official status of Canada. ... The term is little used today."〕 and the phrase ''Her Majesty's Dominions'' is still used occasionally in legal documents in the United Kingdom.〔National Health Service Act 2006 (c. 41), sch. 22〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Dominion」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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