What is the main difference between a vassal state, client state and puppet state?

[Normandia]

Since I play both eu4 and hoi4, I am curious if is there any actuall difference about these in reality.

[Blue Knight™]

Puppet is a modern term, and usually is just a state with teh same goverment as yours, and that is completly complient to you

vassal is a medieval term and usually allows alot of autonomy, depending on the type of vassal it may be, some consider a tributary as a vassal, and some other consider the King of England (also the duke of normandy) as a vassal (he was, but he also wasnt) the term is different

Client state is a state made entirly by you, the state that you are created it, and rules it through a puppet goverment

Examples of Puppets, Slovakia (german puppet during WW2) Poland, Hungry, Slovakia, eastern europe mostly (puppets of Soviet union after WW2)

Examples of Vassals, Duke of Normandy/King of England, Duke of Burgundy (who was and wasnt a vassal, and also may of been a vassal of both HRE and France) and the Duke of York (an actual normal vassal of the King of England)

Examples of client states, Much of India/ Africa that the British Empire owned, they were all created by England but were ruled by a differnt monarch, that got orders from the British

hope this helped, and if im wrong, please correct me

[FRITZ HABER]

Originally posted by Blue Knight™:

Puppet is a modern term, and usually is just a state with teh same goverment as yours, and that is completly complient to you

vassal is a medieval term and usually allows alot of autonomy, depending on the type of vassal it may be, some consider a tributary as a vassal, and some other consider the King of England (also the duke of normandy) as a vassal (he was, but he also wasnt) the term is different

Client state is a state made entirly by you, the state that you are created it, and rules it through a puppet goverment

Examples of Puppets, Slovakia (german puppet during WW2) Poland, Hungry, Slovakia, eastern europe mostly (puppets of Soviet union after WW2)

Examples of Vassals, Duke of Normandy/King of England, Duke of Burgundy (who was and wasnt a vassal, and also may of been a vassal of both HRE and France) and the Duke of York (an actual normal vassal of the King of England)

Examples of client states, Much of India/ Africa that the British Empire owned, they were all created by England but were ruled by a differnt monarch, that got orders from the British

hope this helped, and if im wrong, please correct me

duke of burgundy isn't and never been vassal of hre, house of burgundy was junior branch of capet which is swear loyalty to the french king. but at something because of "Feudalism" which makes most of people confused. they grew so strong until they didn't loyal to the french king. it's trouble with hre because they held some lands from ex-hre territory such as frisia and county of flanders