Imperator

The Latin word imperator was a title originally roughly equivalent to commander during the period of the Roman Republic. It later went on to become a part of the titulature of the Roman emperors and to enter European political vocabulary as a synonym for emperor. Unlike emperor, the word is pronounced with stress on the third syllable.

Post-Roman use

After the Roman empire collapsed in the West in the fifth century, Latin continued to be used as the language of learning and diplomacy for some centuries. The Eastern Roman, or Byzantine emperors, were referred to as imperatores in Latin texts. After 800, the title was used (in conjunction with augustus) in succession by the Carolingian and German Holy Roman emperors until the Holy Roman Empire was dissolved in 1806. Over time, imperator became the title most often used by these emperors.

Related Topics:
Fifth century - Byzantine emperors - 800 - Carolingian - Holy Roman - 1806

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In 1721, as part of his drive to both westernize the Russian Empire and assert his imperial status as a successor to the Byzantine emperors, Peter the Great imported the Latin word directly into Russian and styled himself imperator (ИМПЕРАТОРЪ). The style remained the official one for all his successors down to the end of the Russian Empire in 1917, though the Russian rulers continued to be colloquially known as tsar. Reigning female Russian rulers were styled imperatritsa.

Related Topics:
1721 - Westernize - Russian Empire - Peter the Great - Russian - 1917 - Tsar

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After the Napoleonic wars, the number of emperors in Europe proliferated, but Latin began to fall out of use for all but the most ceremonial situations. Still, in those rare cases in which a European monarch's Latin titles were used, imperator was used as a translation for emperor. Famously, after assuming the title Emperor of India, British monarchs would follow their signatures with the initials RI, standing for rex imperator ("king-emperor"). George VI of the United Kingdom was the last European ruler to claim an imperial title; when he abdicated as Emperor of India in 1948, the last active use of the title imperator ceased.

Related Topics:
Napoleonic wars - Emperor of India - George VI of the United Kingdom - 1948

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