History Main / LordCountry

* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'', a couple games (''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker The Wind Waker]]'', ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild Breath of the Wild]]'') give the royal family of Hyrule the last name Hyrule. Both are justified, as the land was once ruled and protected by the goddess Hylia, [[spoiler:and ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword Skyward Sword]]'' reveals that the first Zelda was Hylia's reincarnation and is implied to have resettled Hyrule with humans after the game's end]].

This practice comes from the old naming convention to refer to nobility as "<name> of <land>", such as Henry of York. This was known as a "territorial surname" and was used to specifically note that the person was a landowner or noble of some sort. On the other hand, the country might in fact have been named after the dynasty that rules or ruled it--the Principality of Liechtenstein, for example, is named after the ruling House of Liechtenstein ... which in turn is named after its ancestral home in Castle Liechtenstein, Austria. In fiction this can occur due to authors not having knowledge of noble houses, or the proper history behind territorial surnames. In short, it's simply easy to name the ruler of a country after the country, because it saves the writer getting into the politics of the political houses and it's easier to remember for the reader.

* ''Series/DoctorWho''. In "The Curse of Peladon" and its sequel episode, the ambassador to Alpha Centauri is just called Alpha Centauri. Presumably this was done by the writers to give a Shakespearean feel to all the courtly intrigue.

** The legendary [[OurElvesAreBetter Aldmeri]] BoldExplorer and [[WarriorPoet poet]], Topal the Pilot, lends his name to Tamriel's Topal Bay and the Niben River system of Cyrodiil is named after his ship. Ironically, Topal explored the Topal Bay and Niben River system by mistake. After existing Black Marsh, while trying to get back home to Firsthold, he mistook the "jutting peninsula" of Elsweyr as the mainland sailed north into the Bay and River. Had he known that was a peninsula and sailed around it, he would have gotten home much sooner and never would have explored central Cyrodiil, his most famous accomplishment.

* The Empire in ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'' is sometimes called the Septim Empire after the surname of its royal family through ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion]]''. This is mainly to distinguish it from two previous Empires in the setting. The Empire in ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'' is sometimes called the Mede Empire after its current royal family the Medes (the Septim Empire collapsed as a result of the Oblivion Crisis and was reconquered).

* Happens a lot in the ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' series. In the ''VideoGame/FireEmblemElib''e games, the marquesses of Lycia are referred to after the provinces they govern, such as Marquess Ostia (being Uther or Hector, depending on the game) or Marquess Pherae (Elbert & Eliwood, respectively) and Lord Pent and his wife Louise are also called Count/Countess Reglay . In the ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTellius'' games, we have Elincia Ridell Crimea, princess (later queen) of Crimea, as well as King Daein (Ashnard) and King Kilvas (Naesala).

** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII'', Ashe's last name is Dalmasca. Subverted with the Archadian emperors, who are of House Solidor and use that as their surnames, never using Archadia or any permutation of the name.

* ''Film/TheWickerMan'': Both the 1973 original and the 2006 remake have these; the former being Lord Summersisle, the latter being Sister Summersisle.

* Happens a lot in the Franchise/FireEmblem series. In the VideoGame/FireEmblemElibe games, the marquesses of Lycia are referred to after the provinces they govern, such as Marquess Ostia (being Uther or Hector, depending on the game) or Marquess Pherae (Elbert & Eliwood, respectively) and Lord Pent and his wife Louise are also called Count/Countess Reglay . In the VideoGame/FireEmblemTellius games, we have Elincia Ridell Crimea, princess (later queen) of Crimea, as well as King Daein (Ashnard) and King Kilvas (Naesala).

* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'', a couple games give the royal family of Hyrule the last name Hyrule. Both are justified, as the land was once ruled and protected by the goddess Hylia, [[spoiler:and ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword Skyward Sword]]'' reveals that the first Zelda was Hylia's reincarnation and is implied to have resettled Hyrule with humans after the game's end]].

* In the ''Franchise/{{Ultima}}'' series, Lord British rules over Britannia. In this case the land was named after him: He united the land, then called Sosaria, under one banner and rechristened it Britannia.

* Territorial surnames are still in informal use among British Peers, but only among equals. For example, an earl may address Hugh Clayton Lowther, 8th Earl of Lonsdale, simply as "Lonsdale", but a duke (which is a higher rank) or a baron (which is a lower rank) may not.

* [[UsefulNotes/DynastiesFromShangToQing Chinese dynasties]] before the Mongol conquest almost universally took their names from the state or fief from which the first ruler of the dynasty had arisen. For instance, the Han dynasty took its name from the state of Han (in what is now Sichuan) that its founder Liu Bei/Emperor Gaozu of Tang had ruled in the aftermath of the fall of the Qin, while the Tang dynasty took is name from the fief of Tang, of which its founder Li Zhi/Emperor Gaozong of Tang had been duke under the Sui dynasty. This applied as much to the dynasties that ruled the smaller states that controlled China during its periods of division as much as the big dynasties of united China; of the various dynasties established from the Qin in 221 BCE through the Song (established 960 CE, conquered by the Mongols 1279), only one, the Chen dynasty that ruled southern China 557-589 CE (during the late Northern and Southern Dynasties era) before being gobbled up by the Sui, took its name from the personal name of the ruling family, or indeed anything other than the ruling family's "home" territory. However, when the Mongols completed their conquest and Kublai Khan decided he wanted to rule as a Chinese emperor, he did not use a territorial name, but rather the word "Yuan," whose meaning is complex but can roughly be translated "origin." Its two successor dynasties followed suit, calling themselves the Ming ("bright") and Qing ("pure") rather than use territorial designations.

* [[UsefulNotes/DynastiesFromShangToQing Chinese dynasties]] before the Mongol conquest almost universally took their names from the state or fief from which the first ruler of the dynasty had arisen. For instance, the Han dynasty took its name from the state of Han (in what is now Sichuan) that its founder Liu Bei/Emperor Gaozu had ruled in the aftermath of the fall of the Qin, while the Tang dynasty took is name from the fief of Tang, of which its founder Li Zhi/Emperor Gaozong had been duke under the Sui dynasty. This applied as much to the dynasties that ruled the smaller states that controlled China during its periods of division as much as the big dynasties of united China; of the various dynasties established from the Qin in 221 BCE through the Song (established 960 CE, conquered by the Mongols 1279), only one, the Chen dynasty that ruled southern China 557-589 CE (during the late Northern and Southern Dynasties era) before being gobbled up by the Sui, took its name from the personal name of the ruling family, or indeed anything other than the ruling family's "home" territory. However, when the Mongols completed their conquest and Kublai Khan decided he wanted to rule as a Chinese emperor, he did not use a territorial name, but rather the word "Yuan," whose meaning is complex but can roughly be translated "origin." Its two successor dynasties followed suit, calling themselves the Ming ("bright") and Qing ("pure") rather than use territorial designations.

In many works of fiction, the ruler of a country or piece of land will often share his surname with the land itself. There can be a few reasons -- the country may have been named by the ruler after himself, or the ruler may be an outsider who took the country's name as his own to fit in. It may also simply be tradition for the current ruler to take the name of the country as a surname when he comes to power.

This practice comes from the old naming convention to refer to nobility as "<name> of <land>", such as Henry of York. This was known as a "territorial surname" and was used to specifically note that the person was a landowner or noble of some sort. On the other hand, the country might in fact have been named after the dynasty that rules or ruled it -- the Principality of Liechtenstein, for example, is named after the ruling House of Liechtenstein ... which in turn is named after its ancestral home in Castle Liechtenstein, Austria. In fiction this can occur due to authors not having knowledge of noble houses, or the proper history behind territorial surnames. In short, it's simply easy to name the ruler of a country after the country, because it saves the writer getting into the politics of the political houses and it's easier to remember for the reader.

* In Literature/WillOfHeaven, characters are usually referred to as whatever they're king/emperor of.

* Territorial surnames are still in informal use among British Peers, but only among equals. For example, an earl may adress Hugh Clayton Lowther, 8th Earl of Lonsdale, simply as "Lonsdale", but a duke (which is a higher rank) or a baron (which is a lower rank) may not.

* ''VisionOfEscaflowne'': Van Fanel, King of Fanelia

* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'', a couple games give the royal family of Hyrule the last name Hyrule. Both are justified, as the land was once ruled and protected by the goddess Hylia, [[spoiler:and ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword Skyward Sword]]'' reveals that the first Zelda was Hylia's reincarnation and is implied to have resettled Hyrule with humans after the game's end]].

* Averted in {{Homestuck}}. [[BigBad Lord English]] is not the lord of England, or really even all that English to begin with. [[spoiler: He's a space alien]]. Lord English (as well as his minions) are all billiards-themed gangsters, and the term "english", referring to the spin you put on the cue ball.

* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'', a couple games give the royal family of Hyrule the last name Hyrule. Both are justified, as the land was once ruled and protected by the goddess Hylia, [[spoiler:and ''Skyward Sword'' reveals that the first Zelda was Hylia's reincarnation and is implied to have resettled Hyrule with humans after the game's end]].