Editing March (territory) (section)

{{Short description|Medieval European borderland or buffer zone}}
{{Redirect|Marches|the commune in France|Marches, Drôme|other uses|March (disambiguation)|and|Marche (disambiguation)}}

In [[Middle Ages|medieval Europe]], a '''march''' or '''mark''' was, in broad terms, any kind of [[border]]land,{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=689}} as opposed to a state's "heartland". More specifically, a march was a border between [[realm]]s or a neutral [[buffer zone]] under joint control of two states in which different laws might apply. In both of these senses, marches served a political purpose, such as providing warning of [[Invasion|military incursions]] or regulating cross-border trade.

Marches gave rise to the titles [[marquess]] (masculine) or marchioness (feminine).