The word for today is…

sovereignty (noun) – 1. Supremacy of authority or rule as exercised by a sovereign or sovereign state.

  1. Royal rank, authority, or power.
  2. Complete independence and self-government.
  3. A territory existing as an independent state.

Source : The Free Dictionary

Etymology : mid-14th century, “pre-eminence,” from Anglo-French sovereynete, Old French souverainete, from soverain. Meaning “authority, rule, supremacy of power or rank” is recorded from late 14th century; sense of “existence as an independent state” is from 1715.

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Peter is a fourth-generation New Zealander, with his mother's and father's folks having arrived in New Zealand in the 1870s. He lives in Lower Hutt with his wife, some cats and assorted computers. His...