A protectorate, in its inception adopted by modern international law, is a dependent territory that has been granted local autonomy and some independence while still retaining the suzerainty of a greater sovereign state.

In exchange for this, the protectorate usually accepts specified obligations (falling under the laws of indirect rule), which may vary greatly, depending on the real nature of their relationship.

Therefore, a protectorate remains an autonomous part of a sovereign state.

In practice, a protectorate often has direct foreign relations only with the protecting power, so other states must deal with it by approaching the protector.

Similarly, the protectorate rarely takes military action on its own, but relies on the protector for its defence.

This is distinct from annexation, in that the protector has no formal power to control the internal affairs of the protectorate.

In this case; if a protectorate is a nation that exercises an autonomous governance, then the protector allows the protectorate to exercise his rights of practicing that type of governance for the sake of dealing with his internal affairs.

If a protectorate had a kingdom before the protector came along, then he is allowed to preserve the governance of his kingdom, whereas this could differ from a colonized state or colony.

Because a colonized region does not have the right to preserve its autonomous rule or kingdom, due to the fact that; when it is colonized, then that means that – the existence of that region totally belongs to the colonial master who colonized it.

A protectorate was established by or exercised by the other form of indirect rule: meaning that a protectorate almost functioned as a chartered company which benefited the interests of the protector in form of a business.