Independence

thumb|upright=1.0|The Thirteen Colonies|Thirteen British Colonies on the east coast of North America issued a Declaration of Independence in 1776 thumb|upright=1.0| Chile, one of several Spanish Empire|Spanish territories in South America, issued a Declaration of independence in 1818 thumb|upright=1.0|Pedro I of Brazil|Prince Pedro surrounded by a crowd in [[São Paulo after breaking the news of Brazil's independence on 7 September 1822.]] thumb|upright=1.0|The Senate of Finland|Finnish Senate of 1917, Prime Minister [[P. E. Svinhufvud in the head of table. The Senate declared Finland independe

A suzerain (, from Old French "above" + "supreme, chief") is a person, state or polity who has supremacy and dominant influence over the foreign policy and economic relations of another subordinate party or polity, but allows internal autonomy to that subordinate. Where the subordinate polity is called a vassal, vassal state or tributary state, the dominant party is called the suzerain. The rights and obligations of a vassal are called vassalage, and the rights and obligations of a suzerain are called suzerainty.

country located between two other mutually hostile countries

legislation passed by the Parliament of Canada in 2000