thumb|Kaiser of the Austrian Empire, [[Francis I of Austria|Franz I (1804-1835).]]
Kaiser is the
German title meaning "
Emperor", with
Kaiserin being the female equivalent, "
Empress". Like the
Russian Czar it is directly derived from the Latin Emperors'
title of Caesar, which in turn is derived from the name of
Julius Caesar. "the Kaiser" is usually reserved for the Emperors of the
German Empire, the emperors of the
Austrian Empire and those of the
Austro-Hungarian Empire. Although the British monarchs styled "
Emperor of India" were also called "Kaisar i Hind" in
Hindi and
Urdu, this word, although ultimately sharing the same Latin origin, is derived from the
Greek Kaisar, not the German
Kaiser.
German history and antecedents of the title
The
Holy Roman Emperors (962–1806) called themselves
Kaiser , combining the imperial title with that of Roman King (assumed by the designated heir before the imperial coronation); they saw their rule as a continuation of that of the
Roman Emperors and used the title derived from "
Caesar" to reflect their supposed heritage.
The rulers of the
Austro-Hungarian Empire (1804–1918) were born in the
Habsburg dynasty, which had provided most of
Holy Roman Emperors since 1438. The Austrian-Hungarian rulers adopted the title
Kaiser. There have only been three Kaisers of the Austrian Empire, the successor empire to the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation (Heilige Römische Reich Deutscher Nation), and they have all belonged to the
Hapsburg dynasty. The successor empire to the Austrian Empire was termed the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which had only two Kaisers, both again from the
Hapsburg dynasty.
In 1871, there was much debate about the exact title for the monarch of those German territories (i.e. free imperial cities, principalities, duchies, and kingdoms) that agreed to unify under the leadership of Prussia, thereby forming the German Empire.
Deutscher Kaiser ("German Emperor") was chosen over alternatives such as
Kaiser von Deutschland ("Emperor of Germany"), or
Kaiser der Deutschen ("Emperor of the Germans"), as the chosen title simply connoted that the new emperor, hearkening from Prussia, was a German, but did not imply that this new emperor had dominion over all German territories . There have only been three Kaisers of the (second) German Empire. All of them belonged to the
Hohenzollern dynasty, which, as kings
Prussia, had been de facto leaders of greater Germany.
In
English the (untranslated) word "Kaiser" is mainly associated with the emperors of the unified
German Empire (1871–1918), in particular with Kaiser
Wilhelm II, and with the emperors of Austria-Hungary, in particular with Kaiser
Franz Joseph I.
The Kaisers of the Austrian Empire (1804-1867) and of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (1867-1918) were:
The Kaisers of the German Empire (1871-1918) were:
Footnotes
See also
*Category:German EmpireCategory:German loanwordsCategory:Heads of stateCategory:History of GermanyCategory:Royal titlesCategory:German noble titlesCategory:Titles of national or ethnic leadershipaz:Kayzerca:Kaiseres:Káiserka:კაიზერიmk:Кајзерpt:Cáiserro:Kaiserru:Кайзерth:ไกเซอร์
