Byzantium's close cultural and political interaction with its Balkan neighbours
Bulgaria and
Serbia, and with Russia (Kievan Rus', then Muscovy) led to the adoption of Byzantine imperial traditions in all of these countries.
Holy Roman Empire , Holy Roman Emperor from 1519 to 1556, after
Titian The
Emperor of the Romans' title was a reflection of the
translatio imperii (
transfer of rule) principle that regarded the Holy Roman emperors as the inheritors of the title of Emperor of the
Western Roman Empire, despite the continued existence of the
Roman Empire in the east, hence the
problem of two emperors. From the time of
Otto the Great onward, much of the former
Carolingian kingdom of
Eastern Francia became the
Holy Roman Empire. The
prince-electors elected one of their peers as
King of the Romans and
King of Italy before being crowned by the
Pope. The emperor could also pursue the election of his heir (usually a son) as King, who would then succeed him after his death. This junior king then bore the title of King of the Romans. Although technically already ruling, after the election he would be crowned as emperor by the pope. The last emperor to be crowned by the pope was
Charles V; all emperors after him were technically
emperors-elect, but were universally referred to as
emperor. The Holy Roman emperor was considered the first among those in power. He was also the first defender of Christianity. From 1452 to the end of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806 (except in the years 1742 to 1745) only members of the
House of Habsburg were Holy Roman emperors.
Karl von Habsburg is currently the head of the House of Habsburg.
Austrian Empire The first Austrian Emperor was the last Holy Roman Emperor,
Francis II. In the face of aggressions by
Napoleon, Francis feared for the future of the
Holy Roman Empire. He wished to maintain his and his family's Imperial status in the event that the Holy Roman Empire should be dissolved, as it indeed was in 1806 when an Austrian-led army suffered a humiliating defeat at the
Battle of Austerlitz. After which, the victorious Napoleon proceeded to dismantle the old
Reich by severing a good portion from the empire and turning it into a separate
Confederation of the Rhine. With the size of his imperial realm significantly reduced, Francis II,
Holy Roman Emperor became Francis I,
Emperor of Austria. The new imperial title may have sounded less prestigious than the old one, but Francis'
dynasty continued to rule from Austria and a Habsburg monarch was still an emperor (
Kaiser), and not just merely a king (
König), in name. According to the historian Friedrich Heer, the Austrian Habsburg emperor remained an "auctoritas" of a special kind. He was "the grandson of the Caesars", he remained the patron of the
Holy Church. The title lasted just a little over one century until 1918, but it was never clear what territory constituted the "
Empire of Austria". When Francis took the title in 1804, the Habsburg lands as a whole were dubbed the
Kaisertum Österreich.
Kaisertum might literally be translated as "emperordom" (on analogy with "kingdom") or "emperor-ship"; the term denotes specifically "the territory ruled by an emperor", and is thus somewhat more general than
Reich, which in 1804 carried connotations of universal rule. Austria proper (as opposed to the complex of Habsburg lands as a whole) had been part of the
Archduchy of Austria since the 15th century, and most of the other territories of the Empire had their own institutions and territorial history. There were some attempts at centralisation, especially during the reign of
Maria Theresa and her son
Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor. These efforts were finalised in the early 19th century. When the
Lands of the Crown of Saint Stephen (Hungary) were given self-government in 1867, the non-Hungarian portions were called the Empire of Austria. They were officially known as the "Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the
Imperial Council (
Reichsrat)". The title of Emperor of Austria and the associated Empire were both abolished at the end
World War I in 1918, when
German Austria became a
republic and the other kingdoms and lands represented in the Imperial Council established their independence or adhesion to other states. The
Kaisers of the Austrian Empire (1804–1918) were
Franz I (1804–1835),
Ferdinand I (1835–1848),
Franz Joseph I (1848–1916) and
Karl I (1916–1918). The current head of the House of Habsburg is
Karl von Habsburg.
Bulgaria , the first holder of the Imperial title
Tsar In 913,
Simeon I of Bulgaria was crowned Emperor (
Tsar, originally more fully Tsesar,
cěsar') of his own people by the
Patriarch of Constantinople and Imperial regent
Nicholas Mystikos outside the Byzantine capital. In its final expanded form, under the
Second Bulgarian Empire the title read "Emperor and Autocrat of all Bulgarians and Greeks" (Цар и самодържец на всички българи и гърци,
Car i samodăržec na vsički bălgari i gărci in the modern vernacular). The Roman component in the Bulgarian imperial title indicated both rule over Greek speakers and the derivation of the imperial tradition from the Romans, however this component was never recognised by the Byzantine court. Byzantine recognition of Simeon's imperial title was revoked by the succeeding Byzantine government. The decade 914–924 was spent in
destructive warfare between Byzantium and Bulgaria over this and other matters of conflict. The Bulgarian monarch, who had further irritated his Byzantine counterpart by claiming the title "Emperor of the Romans" (
basileus tōn Rōmaiōn), was eventually recognised, as "Emperor of the Bulgarians" (
basileus tōn Boulgarōn) by the Byzantine Emperor
Romanos I Lakapenos in 924. Byzantine recognition of the imperial dignity of the Bulgarian monarch and the patriarchal dignity of the
Bulgarian patriarch was again confirmed at the conclusion of permanent peace and a Bulgarian-Byzantine dynastic marriage in 927. In the meantime, the Bulgarian imperial title may have been also tacitly confirmed by the
pope, as claimed in later Bulgarian diplomatic correspondence. The Bulgarian imperial title "tsar" was adopted by all Bulgarian monarchs up to the fall of Bulgaria under Ottoman rule. Despite the attempt of Pope
Innocent III to limit the Bulgarian monarch to the title of King (
Rex),
Kaloyan of Bulgaria considered himself an Emperor (
Imperator) and his successor
Boril of Bulgaria was specifically accused of improperly using the imperial title by his neighbour, the
Latin Emperor Henry of Flanders. Nevertheless, the Bulgarian imperial title was recognised by its neighbours and trading partners, including Byzantium, Hungary, Serbia, Venice, Genoa, Dubrovnik. 14th-century Bulgarian literary compositions saw the Bulgarian capital (
Tarnovo) as a successor of Rome and
Constantinople. After Bulgaria obtained full independence from the
Ottoman Empire in 1908, its monarch, who was previously styled
Knyaz,
Prince, took the traditional title of
Tsar, this time translated as
King.
Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha is the former Tsar Simeon II of Bulgaria.
France The kings of the
Ancien Régime and the
July Monarchy used the title
Empereur de France in diplomatic correspondence and treaties with the
Ottoman emperor from at least 1673 onwards. The Ottomans insisted on this elevated style while refusing to recognise the Holy Roman emperors or the Russian tsars because of their rival claims of the
Roman crown. In short, it was an indirect insult by the Ottomans to the HRE and the Russians. The French kings also used it for
Morocco (1682) and
Persia (1715).
First French Empire (who had blessed the
regalia), at the
Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.The painting by
David commemorating the event is equally famous: the gothic cathedral restyled
style Empire, supervised by the
mother of the Emperor on the balcony (a fictional addition, while she had not been present at the ceremony), the pope positioned near the altar, Napoleon proceeds to crown his then wife,
Joséphine de Beauharnais as Empress.
Napoleon Bonaparte, who was already First Consul of the French Republic (
Premier Consul de la République française) for life, declared himself
Emperor of the French (
Empereur des Français) on 18 May 1804, thus creating the
French Empire (
Empire Français). Napoleon relinquished the title of Emperor of the French on 6 April and again on 11 April 1814. Napoleon's infant son,
Napoleon II, was recognised by the Council of Peers, as Emperor from the moment of his father's abdication, and therefore reigned (as opposed to ruled) as Emperor for fifteen days, 22 June to 7 July 1815.
Elba Since 3 May 1814, the Sovereign Principality of
Elba was created as a miniature non-hereditary monarchy under the exiled French Emperor Napoleon I. According to the
Treaty of Fontainebleau (1814), Napoleon I was allowed to enjoy the imperial title for life. The islands were
not restyled an empire. On 26 February 1815, Napoleon abandoned Elba for France, reviving the French Empire for a
Hundred Days; the Allies declared an end to Napoleon's sovereignty over Elba on 25 March 1815, and on 31 March 1815 Elba was ceded to the restored
Grand Duchy of Tuscany by the Congress of Vienna. After his final defeat, Napoleon was treated as a general by the British authorities during his second exile to Atlantic Isle of
St. Helena. His title was a matter of dispute with the governor of St. Helena, who insisted on addressing him as "General Bonaparte", despite the "historical reality that he had been an emperor" and therefore retained the title.
Second French Empire Napoleon I's nephew,
Napoleon III, resurrected the title of emperor on 2 December 1852, after establishing the
Second French Empire in a presidential
coup, subsequently approved by a plebiscite. His reign was marked by large scale public works, the development of social policy, and the extension of France's influence throughout the world. During his reign, he also set about creating the
Second Mexican Empire (headed by his choice of
Maximilian I of Mexico, a member of the
House of Habsburg), to regain France's hold in the Americas and to achieve greatness for the 'Latin' race. Napoleon III was deposed on 4 September 1870, after France's defeat in the
Franco-Prussian War. The
Third Republic followed and after the death of his son Napoleon (IV), in 1879 during the Zulu War, the Bonapartist movement split, and the Third Republic was to last until 1940. The role of head of the House of Bonaparte is claimed by
Jean-Christophe Napoléon and
Charles Napoléon.
Iberian Peninsula Spain The origin of the title
Imperator totius Hispaniae (
Latin for
Emperor of All Spain) is murky. It was associated with the
Leonese monarchy perhaps as far back as
Alfonso the Great (
r. 866–910). The last two kings of its
Astur-Leonese dynasty were called emperors in a contemporary source. King
Sancho III of Navarre conquered Leon in 1034 and began using it. His son,
Ferdinand I of Castile, also took the title in 1039. Ferdinand's son,
Alfonso VI of León and Castile, took the title in 1077. It then passed to his son-in-law,
Alfonso I of Aragon, in 1109. His stepson and Alfonso VI's grandson,
Alfonso VII, was the only one who actually had an imperial coronation in 1135. The title was not exactly hereditary but self-proclaimed by those who had, wholly or partially, united the Christian northern part of the
Iberian Peninsula, often at the expense of killing rival siblings. The popes and Holy Roman emperors protested at the usage of the imperial title as a usurpation of leadership in western Christendom. After Alfonso VII's death in 1157 the title was abandoned, and the kings who used it are not commonly mentioned as having been "emperors", in Spanish or other historiography. After the fall of the Byzantine Empire the legitimate heir to the throne,
Andreas Palaiologos, willed away his claim to
Ferdinand and Isabella in 1503.
Portugal ,
King of Portugal and the Algarves,
Emperor of Brazil After the independence and proclamation of the
Empire of Brazil from the
United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves by
Prince Regent Pedro, who became Emperor, in 1822 his father, King
John VI of Portugal, briefly held the honorific style of Titular
Emperor of Brazil and the treatment of
His Imperial and Royal Majesty under the 1825
Treaty of Rio de Janeiro, by which Portugal recognised the independence of Brazil. The style of Titular Emperor was a life title, and became extinct upon the holder's demise. John VI held the imperial title for a few months only, from the ratification of the Treaty in November 1825 until his death in March 1826. During those months, however, as John's imperial title was purely honorific while his son, Pedro I, remained the sole monarch of the Brazilian Empire.
Duarte Pio is the current head of the
House of Braganza.
Great Britain In the late 3rd century, by the end of the epoch of the
barracks emperors in Rome, there were two
Britannic emperors, reigning for about a decade. After the
end of Roman rule in Britain, the Imperator
Cunedda forged the
Kingdom of Gwynedd in northern Wales, but all his successors were titled kings and princes.
England There was no consistent title for the king of England before 1066, and monarchs chose to style themselves as they pleased. Imperial titles were used inconsistently, beginning with
Athelstan in 930 and ended with the
Norman conquest of England.
Empress Matilda (1102–1167) is the only English monarch commonly referred to as "emperor" or "empress", but she acquired her title through her marriage to
Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor. During the rule of
Henry VIII the
Statute in Restraint of Appeals declared that 'this realm of England is an Empire...governed by one Supreme Head and King having the dignity and royal estate of the
imperial Crown of the same'. This was in the context of the divorce of
Catherine of Aragon and the
English Reformation, to emphasise that England had never accepted the quasi-imperial claims of the papacy. Hence England and, by extension its modern successor state, the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, is according to English law an Empire ruled by a King endowed with the imperial dignity. However, this has not led to the creation of the
title of Emperor in England, nor in
Great Britain, nor in the United Kingdom.
United Kingdom ,
King of the United Kingdom and the
British Dominions,
Emperor of India In 1801,
George III rejected the title of Emperor when offered. The only period when British monarchs held the title of
Emperor in a dynastic succession started when the title
Empress of India was created for
Queen Victoria. The government led by
Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli, conferred the additional title upon her by an Act of Parliament, reputedly to assuage the monarch's irritation at being, as a mere Queen, notionally inferior to the emperors of Russia, Germany, and Austria. That included her own daughter (
Princess Victoria, who was the wife of the
reigning German Emperor). Hence, "Queen Victoria felt handicapped in the battle of protocol by not being an Empress herself". The Indian Imperial designation was also formally justified as the expression of Britain succeeding the former
Mughal Emperor as
suzerain over hundreds of
princely states. The
Indian Independence Act 1947 provided for the abolition of the use of the title "
Emperor of India" by the
British monarch, but this was not executed by
King George VI until a
royal proclamation on 22 June 1948. Despite this, George VI continued as king of India until 1950 and as king of Pakistan until his death in 1952. The last Empress of India was George VI's wife,
Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.
German Empire ,
German Emperor and
King of Prussia Under the guise of idealism giving way to realism, German nationalism rapidly shifted from its liberal and democratic character in 1848 to
Prussian prime minister
Otto von Bismarck's authoritarian
Realpolitik. Bismarck wanted to unify the rival German states to achieve his aim of a conservative, Prussian-dominated Germany. Three wars led to military successes and helped to convince German people to do this: the
Second war of Schleswig against Denmark in 1864, the
Austro-Prussian War against
Austria in 1866, and the
Franco-Prussian War against the
Second French Empire in 1870–71. During the
Siege of Paris in 1871, the
North German Confederation, supported by its allies from
southern Germany, formed the
German Empire with the proclamation of the Prussian king
Wilhelm I as German Emperor in the Hall of Mirrors at the
Palace of Versailles, to the humiliation of the French, who ceased to resist only days later. After his death he was succeeded by his son
Frederick III who was only emperor for 99 days. In the same year his son
Wilhelm II became the third emperor within a year. He was the last German emperor. After the empire's defeat in World War I the empire, called the
German Reich, had a president as head of state instead of an emperor. The use of the word
Reich was abandoned following
World War II.
Russia of Russia In 1472, the niece of the last Byzantine emperor,
Sophia Palaiologina, married
Ivan III, grand prince of Moscow, who began championing the idea of Russia being the successor to the Byzantine Empire. This idea was represented more emphatically in the composition the monk Filofej addressed to their son
Vasili III. In 1480, after ending Muscovy's dependence on its overlords of the
Great Horde, Ivan III began the usage of the titles
Tsar and Autocrat (
samoderzhets). His insistence on recognition as such by the emperor of the
Holy Roman Empire since 1489 resulted in the granting of this recognition in 1514 by Emperor
Maximilian I to Vasili III. His son
Ivan IV emphatically crowned himself
Tsar of Russia on 16 January 1547. The word "Tsar" derives from Latin
Caesar, but this title was used in Russia as equivalent to "King"; the error occurred when medieval Russian clerics referred to the biblical Jewish kings with the same title that was used to designate Roman and Byzantine rulers — "Caesar". On 31 October 1721,
Peter I was proclaimed Emperor by the
Governing Senate. The title used was Latin "
Imperator", which is a westernising form equivalent to the traditional Slavic title "
Tsar". He based his claim partially upon a letter discovered in 1717 written in 1514 from Maximilian I to Vasili III, in which the Holy Roman Emperor used the term in referring to Vasili. A formal address to the ruling Russian monarch adopted thereafter was 'Your Imperial Majesty'. The
crown prince was addressed as 'Your Imperial Highness'. The title has not been used in Russia since the
abdication of Emperor
Nicholas II on 15 March 1917. The
Russian Empire produced four reigning Empresses, all in the eighteenth century. These were
Catherine I,
Anne,
Elizabeth, and
Catherine II. The role of head of the
House of Romanov is claimed by
Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna (great-great-granddaughter of
Alexander II),
Prince Andrew Romanoff (great-great-grandson of
Nicholas I), and
Prince Karl Emich of Leiningen (great-grandson of
Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich).
Serbia of
Serbia Dušan the Mighty In 1345, the Serbian King
Stefan Uroš IV Dušan proclaimed himself Emperor (
Tsar) and was crowned as such at
Skopje on
Easter 1346 by the newly created
Serbian Patriarch, and by the
Patriarch of Bulgaria and the autocephalous
Archbishop of Ohrid. His imperial title was recognised by the Bulgarian Empire and various other neighbours and trading partners but not by the Byzantine Empire. In its final standardised form, the Serbian imperial title read "Emperor of Serbs and Greeks" (цар Срба и Грка,
car Srba i Grka in modern Serbian). It was only employed by two monarchs in Serbia, Stefan Uroš IV Dušan and his son Stefan Uroš V, becoming extinct after the latter's death in 1371. A half-brother of Dušan,
Simeon Uroš, and then his son
Jovan Uroš, claimed the same title, until the latter's abdication in 1373, while ruling as dynasts in
Thessaly. The "Greek" component in the Serbian imperial title indicates both rule over Greek speakers and the derivation of the imperial tradition from the Romans. A renegade Hungarian-Serb commander,
Jovan Nenad, who claimed to be a descendant of Serbian and Byzantine rulers, styled himself Emperor. ==The Americas==