A
rump state is the remnant of a once-larger
government, left with limited powers or authority after a
disaster,
invasion,
military occupation,
secession or partial overthrowing of a government. In the last case, a government stops short of going
in exile because it still controls part of its previous territory. For example, after the
Qing government assumed control over most of China, the original
Ming regime turned to resistance in the south until eventual conquest.
The Seleucid Empire, which once controlled most of the Middle East, was reduced drastically in size by the rise of the Parthian Empire in its eastern provinces because of a regional rebellion. What was left of the once large empire was a rump state composed of little more than Antioch, Damascus, and an area roughly equal in size to modern Syria.
Some other states labeled as rump states, or that today would be considered rump states, at one point or another are listed below.
