Palatinate

4 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  palatinate \pa*lat"i*nate\, n. [F. palatinat. See {Palatine}.]
     The province or seigniory of a palatine; the dignity of a
     palatine. --Howell.
     [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:



  Palatinate \Pa*lat"i*nate\, prop. n.
     Either of two regions in Germany, formerly divisions of the
     Holy Roman Empire; the Lower Palatinate or Rhine Palatinate
     is now within the Rhineland-Palatinate; the Upper Palatinate
     is now within Bavaria. It is usually referred to as {the
     Palatinate}.
     [PJC]
  
     Note: Palatinate The (p[a^]*l[a^]t"[i^]*n[asl]t). [F.
           Palatinat, G. Pfalz, ML. Palatinatus, the province of
           count palatine, from palatinatus, palatine.] A former
           German State. Its territories were originally in the
           region of the Rhine, and from the 14th century to 1620
           embraced two separate regions, the Rhine (or Lower)
           Palatinate (distinctively the Palatinate), and the
           Upper Palatinate (see below). The palsgraves on the
           Rhine, whose original seat was at Aix-la-Chapelle, were
           important princes of the empire as early as the 11th
           century. Early in the 13th century the Palatinate
           passed to the Bavarian dynasty of Wittelsbach, which
           soon after branched off into the Bavarian and palatine
           lines. The Palatinate was enlarged early in the 14th
           Century with a part of Bavaria (the Upper Palatinate).
           The Golden Bull of 1356 designated the Palatinate as
           one of the seven electorates. In the 16th century
           Heidelberg, the capital of the electors palatine,
           became a great center of Calvinism. The elector
           Frederick V., having accepted the Bohemian crown in
           1619, and having been overthrown in 1620, was stripped
           of his dominions. The electoral dignity was transferred
           to Bavaria in 1623, and the Upper Palatinate was
           annexed to it. By the treaty of 1648 the Rhine
           Palatinate was restored to its former rulers, and an
           eighth electorate created for it, the Upper Palatinate
           being confirmed to Bavaria. The Rhine palatinate was
           terribly ravaged by the French in 1674 and 1689. The
           Palatinate and the Bavarian lands were united in 1777.
           In 1801 the Rhine Palatinate was divided: all west of
           the Rhine was ceded to France; Baden received
           Heidelberg, Mannheim, etc.; and the rest fell to
           Hesse-Darmstadt, Nassau, etc. By the treaties of
           1814-15 the French portion west of the Rhine was
           restored to Germany: Prussia and Hesse-Darmstadt
           received portions, but the greater portion fell to
           Bavaria. This part is the present Rhine Palatinate, or
           Lower Palatinate (G. Rheinpfalz or Unterpfalz): it is
           bounded by the Rhine on the east, and borders on Hesse,
           Prussia, and Alsace-Lorraine. It forms a
           "Regierungs-bezirk" of Bavaria, with Spires as Capital.
           It is traversed by the Hardt Mountains, and produces
           grain, wine, coal, etc. Area, 2,289 square miles.
           Population (1890), 728,339. The Upper Palatinate (9.
           Oberpfalz) forms a "Regierungs-bezirk" of Bavaria under
           the title Upper Palatinate and Ratisbon (Regensburg).
           It borders on Bohemia. Capital, Ratisbon. It has
           extensive forests and flourishing industries. Area,
           3,729 square miles. Population (1890), 537,954.
           [Century Dict., 1906]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Palatinate \Pa*lat"i*nate\, v. t.
     To make a palatinate of. [Obs.] --Fuller.
     [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  Palatinate
       n : a territory in southwestern Germany formerly ruled by the
           counts palatine [syn: {Pfalz}]