the act or fact of ruling or the state of being ruled
Foreign rulership of the country began in the 18th century
Word origin
[1640–50; ruler + -ship]This word is first recorded in the period 1640–50. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: electric, generator, intrigue, liaison, tonic-ship is a native English suffix of nouns denoting condition, character, office, skill,etc. Other words that use the affix -ship include: clerkship, friendship, statesmanship