Retired Emperor (title)

Retired Emperor (title)

Retired Emperor, Grand Emperor, or Emperor Emeritus is a title occasionally used throughout East Asian feudal regimes for former emperors who had (at least in name) abdicated voluntarily to their sons. This title appeared in the history of China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. Although technically no longer the reigning sovereign, there are instances like the Qianlong Emperor of the Qing Dynasty in China or several emperors of the Trần Dynasty in Vietnam, where the emperor continued to exert considerable if not more power than the reigning emperor.