2006-07-02 20:59:17 · 12 answers · asked by Q 1 in Arts & Humanities ➔ History
Supposedly, the emperor was ruler of kings. When emperor Napoleon got married, six kings carried the bride' trail
2006-07-03 12:59:09 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
All of the answers have pointed out the linguistic differences and the political concepts between king and emperor. The small thing that I think could be added is the hierarchical/ protocol difference. As everyone has pointed out the word emperor derives from the Latin imperator or high commander.
This was not a title given to a general by the government, rather a general was "acclaimed" imperator by his troops on the field of battle after a spectacular victory. Being acclaimed was the first step towards receiving a "triumph." When Octavian / Augustus planned out his political settlement after the civil wars, he took the title imperator in the sense of supreme army commander. As the political face of the state, Augustus as "emperor" could determine whether royal kings could rule or not; for example he made the settlement of Herod as king of the Jews. As the empire continued, the title of emperor developed a ceremonial around it. This was partly in response to the political rivalry with the Persian Emperor or Shahanshah (king of kings) a title dating back to the first Persian empire in 6th century B.C. Likewise, in China when the ruler of feudal state of Ch'in succeeded in conquering the other states of ancient China he declared himself Shih Huangdi, the First Emperor (or overuler.) What we can see from the political development of the office is that the king is a ruler of a people, but an emperor claims a universal rule that transcends national borders or ethnic groups. Thus when Charlemagne, who was King of the Franks by birth had"reunited" Western Europe under his rule, the pope declared him emperor. The Holy Roman empire of European history dates itself from his crowning. Titles like Tsar (Caesar) or Kaiser were attempts by later states to declare Aa "universal" dominion. So while a king (like the King of Bohmeia) may rule over his people, an emperor ruled over kings.
2006-07-03 02:45:31 · answer #2 · answered by Mr. Knowitall 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
KING :-
Definition: royal ruler
A male ruler of a country who is not elected but born to the position.
A male sovereign.
One that is supreme or preeminent in a particular group, category, or sphere.
The king wore purple robes to show his royalty.
EMPEROR:-emperor [Lat. imperator=one holding supreme power, especially applied to generals], the sovereign head of an empire. In the Roman republic the term imperator referred to the chief military commander and was used only on the battlefield. It was first used continuously by Julius Caesar and was retained by his successor Augustus. It was then adopted by all succeeding Roman rulers as an official title. An emperor continuously ruled over the eastern segment of the Roman Empire, which became known as the Byzantine Empire, until the 15th cent. In the West, after the fall of the empire, the title was revived with the crowning of Charlemagne (800). Eventually the territory reigned over by the successors of Charlemagne became known as the Holy Roman Empire, which lasted until 1806. In 1721 the Russian czar Peter I adopted the title emperor, and his example was followed in the 19th cent. by the monarchs in Austria, France, Germany, and Great Britain (Indian Empire, 1877–1947). The title was also used by several rulers in the Americas—in Brazil from 1822 to 1889; in Mexico by Agustín de Iturbide and Maximilian; and in Haiti by Jean Jacques Dessalines and Henri Christophe. In a general sense the title has been used to describe a non-European ruler of considerable territory, e.g., the emperor of Japan and the emperor of Ethiopia.
An emperor is a (male) monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress is the feminine form. As a title, "empress" may indicate the wife of an emperor (empress consort) or a woman who is a ruling monarch (empress regnant). Emperors are generally recognised to be above kings in honour and rank.
2006-07-02 23:05:54 · answer #3 · answered by sami_terachera 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A king is usually the hereditary ruler of a kingdom
An emperor rules over an empire, the word means 'military commander'.
2006-07-02 21:04:36 · answer #4 · answered by limey_not_lime 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
An emperor is in charge of an imperial state. Imperial meaning that is has colonies. Rome was a empire, because it had provinces which it ruled, but the people who lived there weren't concerned citizens.
Kings on the other hand rule by divine right. The reasoning goes like this, "My father was king. God knows that the first born son of my father will rule this country. I was born first. Therefor God wants me to be King."
2006-07-02 21:10:55 · answer #5 · answered by Olwen C 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
King has a Kingdom, Emperor has an Empire, Emperors conquer and colonize foreign lands, Kings rule their kingdoms...Kings can be emperors, and most emperors are kings.
2006-07-02 21:04:01 · answer #6 · answered by romantemple16 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well Emperors used to rule in the past and have real big Empires while kings were them people rulin little Kingdoms. And as for the present age, if you're a ruler and you know you're not Japanese, you're probably a King.
2006-07-02 21:05:39 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
There is no difference. Emperor means is a male monarch usually the soverign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. A king is a male monarch or head of state. Just depends what country you are living in and which form is correct in address royal head of state.
2006-07-03 15:47:45 · answer #8 · answered by Gail M 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Emperor is king of all he surveys but the king is not emperor of anything,
2006-07-02 22:06:21 · answer #9 · answered by spooky_ppp 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A King/Queen is usually the ruler or Head of State of a Kingdom. An Emperor/Empress is the ruler or Head of State of an Empire.
2016-03-27 02:06:09 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋