Wiktionary
alt. A leader or ruler chosen by another ruler to head a government, usually under the other ruler's order n. A leader or ruler chosen by another ruler to head a government, usually under the other ruler's order
WordNet
n. a leader or ruler who is chosen by a despot to head a government [syn: puppet leader]
Wikipedia
A puppet ruler is a person who has a title indicating possession of political power, but who, in reality, is controlled by outside individuals or forces. Such outside power can be exercised by a foreign government, in which case the puppet ruler's domain is called a puppet state. But the puppet ruler may also be controlled by internal forces, such as non-elected officials.
Usage examples of "puppet ruler".
Serilla could not decide which danger was greater: that the Chalcedeans would take him to Chalced, hold him as a hostage and make him a puppet ruler, or that the nobility of Jamaillia would seize every scrap of power they could while the boy Satrap was gone.
At long last, a truly great Galactic power, and the berserkers were certainly that, was taking him seriously-even if the offer was only to install him as their puppet ruler.
The Imps also appear to have mounted a rescue operation to retrieve the perator of Cartann and, presumably, install him as a puppet ruler.
In the east the Thracians were massing to invade - ready to install a distant cousin of Philip's, Pausanias, as a puppet ruler.
Those masterminds were the ones who manipulated the robot Regent through this puppet ruler whom the brain recognized.
Like many another puppet ruler, he will live to see the strings his masters have tied on him.