Free state is a term occasionally used in the official titles of some states. In principle the title asserts and emphasises the freedom of the state in question, but what this actually means varies greatly in different contexts: \n* Sometimes it asserts sovereignty or independence (and with that, lack of foreign domination). \n* Sometimes it asserts autonomy within a larger nation-state. \n* Sometimes it is used as a synonym for republic but not all "free states" have been republics. While the historical German free states and the Orange Free State were republican in form, the Congo and Irish Free States were governed under forms of monarchy. The republican sense derives from libera res publica (literally, "free state")', a term used by Roman historians for the period of the Roman republic.

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