Northern Rhodesia was a British protectorate in Southern Africa, now the independent country of Zambia. It was formed in 1911 by amalgamating the two earlier protectorates of Barotziland-North-Western Rhodesia and North-Eastern Rhodesia. It was initially administered, as were the two earlier protectorates, by the British South Africa Company (BSAC), a chartered company, on behalf of the British Government. From 1924, it was administered by the British Government as a protectorate, under similar conditions to other British-administered protectorates, and the special provisions required when it was administered by BSAC were terminated.
Cecil Rhodes (1853–1902)
The Legislative Assembly with Colonial Secretary Arthur Creech Jones (far right) in 1949
Lord Passfield
1953 stamps of Northern Rhodesia marking the birth centennial of Cecil Rhodes
A protectorate, in the context of international relations, is a state that is under protection by another state for defence against aggression and other violations of law. It is a dependent territory that enjoys autonomy over most of its internal affairs, while still recognizing the suzerainty of a more powerful sovereign state without being a possession. In exchange, the protectorate usually accepts specified obligations depending on the terms of their arrangement. Usually protectorates are established de jure by a treaty. Under certain conditions—as with Egypt under British rule (1882–1914)—a state can also be labelled as a de facto protectorate or a veiled protectorate.
1960 stamp of Bechuanaland Protectorate with the portraits of Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth II
1 Sapèque – Protectorate of Tonkin (1905)
5000 kronen – Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia (1939–1945)