Sentence:  Suzerainty is a term which was originally used for the relation between the feudal lord and his vassal; the lord was said to be the <WSD>suzerain</WSD> of the vassal, and at that time suzerainty was a term of Constitutional Law only. With the disappearance of the feudal system, suzerainty of this kind likewise disappeared. Modern suzerainty involves only a few rights of the <WSD>suzerain</WSD> State over the vassal State which can be called constitutional rights. The rights of the <WSD>suzerain</WSD> State over the vassal are principally international rights, of whatever they may consist. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  A dominant nation or state which has control over the international affairs of a subservient state which has domestic autonomy.