Emperor

:This article is about Emperor in the meaning of "monarch", for all other uses, see: Emperor (disambiguation)

Distinction between Emperor and other types of monarch

Both kings and emperors are monarchs. There is no single rule to distinguish the one from the other: several factors, like interpretations of historians, the size and characteristics of the governed realm, and the title(s) chosen by the monarch play a role in distinguishing the one from the other. General characteristics indicating that a monarch is to be considered an emperor rather than a king include:

Related Topics:
King - Monarch

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• The monarch chose a title that usually translates as "emperor" in English, and/or is accepted as the equivalent of "emperor" in international diplomatic relations;
• The monarch rules over other monarchs, without stripping monarchy-related titles from these subjects ("vassals" or non-sovereign monarchs);
• The monarch assumes divine or other high-ranked religious characteristics (see: imperial cult, caesaropapism);
• The monarch rules several formerly sovereign countries, or peoples from different nations or ethnic provenance.

Where the title chosen by the monarch has become a separate concept in the English language, the distinction whether this monarch would have been an "emperor" or a "king" is often no longer made: for instance caliph, sultan or khan as a concept of a type of monarch is usually defined separately, making it redundant to apply the emperor/king distinction to these types of monarchy.

Related Topics:
Caliph - Sultan - Khan - Monarchy

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