An emperor (through Old French empereor from Latin imperator) is a (male) monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother (empress dowager), or a woman who rules in her own right (empress regnant). Emperors are generally recognized to be of a higher honor and rank than kings.
Currently, the Emperor of Japan is the only reigning monarch with the title.
Read more about Emperor: Distinction From Other Monarchs, Roman Tradition, Ottoman Empire, Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Empire, Emperors of Eastern Europe, Pre-Columbian Traditions, Persia, Indian Subcontinent, Oceania, Fictional Uses
Famous quotes containing the word emperor:
“Even the emperor has straw-sandaled relatives.”
—Chinese proverb.
“We have resolved to endure the unendurable and suffer what is unsufferable.”
—Hirohito, Emperor Of Japan (1901–1989)
“Such is the caprice of Romans ... who reject kings in name but not in practice, and accept an Emperor mightier than a hundred kings.”
—Pierre Corneille (1606–1684)