Emperor: Encyclopedia II - Emperor - Distinction between Emperor and other types of monarch

Emperor - 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 part in distinguishing the one from the other. General characteristics indicating that a monarch is to be considered an emperor rather than a king include:

• 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.

Emperor - Imperium maius

In Christian Europe the use of the title emperor is more than an affectation. A king recognises that the church is an equal or superior in the religious sphere, emperors do not. This was illustrated by Henry VIII of England who started to use the word imperium in his dispute with the Pope over his first divorce. By stating that they were emperors the Russian Tsars claimed to be the head of the Russian Orthodox Church and did not recognise any superior authority but God. The distinction began to blur when kings began to claim divine rights.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Distinction between Emperor and other types of monarch", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki