Cornwall as a territorial Duchy has its roots in 1068 when the Earldom of Cornwall (Comitatus Cornubiæ) was formed and existed until 1336 to maintain a form of independence for Kernow from Wessex (England). The sovereignty of the Earl was founded on, and replaced that of, the British Cornish princes, the representatives of the Cornish people themselves. In 1337 the Earldom of Cornwall was made into a Duchy, the Duke obtaining greater rights over Cornwall than the Earls had previously exercised.