Editing Princely state (section)

===Non-salute states===
[[File:Princely States. Karauli. Manak Pal (1772-1804) Karauli mint. Struck in the name of the Mughal emperor Shah Alam II. Dated 1784-5 CE.jpg|thumb|Coinage of king Manak Pal (1772-1804), [[Karauli State|Princely State of Karauli]]. Karauli mint. Struck in the name of the Mughal emperor [[Shah Alam II]]. Dated 1784-5 CE]]
There was no strict correlation between the levels of the titles and the classes of gun salutes, the real measure of precedence, but merely a growing percentage of higher titles in classes with more guns.
As a rule the majority of gun-salute princes had at least nine, with numbers below that usually the prerogative of Arab Sheikhs of the [[Aden protectorate]], also under British protection.

There were many so-called non-salute states of lower prestige. Since the total of salute states was 117 and there were more than 500 princely states, most rulers were not entitled to any gun salute. Not all of these were minor rulers – [[Surguja State]], for example, was both larger and more populous than [[Karauli State]], but the Maharaja of Karauli was entitled to a 17-gun salute and the Maharaja of Surguja was not entitled to any gun salute at all.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lethbridge |first=Sir Roper |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zykYAAAAYAAJ&q=karauli+gun+salute |title=The Golden Book of India. A Genealogical and Biographical Dictionary of the Ruling Princes, Chiefs, Nobles, and Other Personages, Titled Or Decorated, of the Indian Empire. With an Appendix for Ceylon |date=1900 |publisher=S. Low, Marston & Company |pages=132 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Office |first=Great Britain India |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HGJPAAAAMAAJ&q=karauli+gun+salute |title=The India List and India Office List for ... |date=1902 |publisher=Harrison and Sons |pages=172 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Hooja |first=Rima |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tosMAQAAMAAJ |title=A History of Rajasthan |date=2006 |publisher=Rupa & Company |isbn=978-81-291-0890-6 |pages=856 |language=en}}</ref>

A number of princes, in the broadest sense of the term, were not even acknowledged as such.{{example needed|?|date=December 2018}} On the other hand, the dynasties of certain defunct states were allowed to keep their princely status – they were known as [[political pensioner]]s, such as the Nawab of [[Oudh]]. There were also certain estates of British India which were rendered as [[Saranjamdar|political saranjams]], having equal princely status.<ref name="Patel1957">{{cite book|author=Govindlal Dalsukhbhai Patel|title=The land problem of reorganized Bombay state|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XvQCAAAAMAAJ|access-date=9 June 2012|year=1957|publisher=N. M. Tripathi}}</ref> Though none of these princes were awarded gun salutes, princely titles in this category were recognised as a form of [[vassal state|vassals]] of salute states, and were not even in direct relation with the paramount power.