Kaiser
Kaiser is the German word for "emperor". Like the Bulgarian, Serbian, and Russian word Tsar, it is directly derived from the Roman emperors' title of Caesar, which in turn is derived from the personal name of the Julii Caesares, a branch of the gens (clan) Julia, to which Gaius Julius Caesar, the forebear of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, belonged. In general the German title was only used for rulers over the rank of kings (König).
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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: Καῖσαρ (kaisar), not the German Kaiser.[1]
In English, the term "the Kaiser" is usually reserved for the emperors of the German Empire and the emperors of the Austrian Empire. During the First World War, anti-German sentiment was at its zenith; the term Kaiser—especially as applied to Wilhelm II, German Emperor—thus gained considerable negative connotations in English-speaking countries. Still this title has high historical respect in German-speaking regions.
German history and antecedents of the title
The Holy Roman Emperors (962–1806) called themselves Kaiser,[2] combining the imperial title with that of King of the Romans (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 the title Caesar to reflect their supposed heritage.
In 1806, the Holy Roman Empire was dissolved, but the title of Kaiser was retained by the House of Habsburg, the head of which, beginning in 1804, bore the title of Emperor (Kaiser) of Austria.[2] After 1438, the Habsburgs had provided most of Holy Roman Emperors, so they saw themselves as legitimate heirs to the title they adopted. Despite Habsburg ambitions however, the Austrian Empire could no longer claim to rule over most of Germany, although they did rule over large areas of lands inhabited by non-Germans in addition to Austria. There were four Kaisers of the Austrian Empire who all belonged to the Habsburg dynasty.
With the Unification of Germany (aside from Austria) in 1871, there was some debate about the exact title for the monarch of those German territories (such as free imperial cities, principalities, duchies, and kingdoms) that agreed to unify under the leadership of Prussia, thereby forming the new German Empire. The first Kaiser himself preferred either Kaiser von Deutschland ("Emperor of Germany"). In the end, his chancellor Bismarck's choice Deutscher Kaiser ("German Emperor") was adopted as it 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, especially since the Austrian Kaiser would have been offended as Austria, inhabited by Germans, was still considered part of the German lands.[3] There were only three Kaisers of the (second) German Empire. All of them belonged to the Hohenzollern dynasty, which, as kings of Prussia, had been de facto leaders of lesser Germany (Germany excluding Austria).
In English, the (untranslated) word Kaiser is mainly associated with the emperors of the unified German Empire (1871–1918).
The Kaisers of the Austrian Empire (1804–1918) were:
- Franz I (1804–1835);
- Ferdinand I (1835–1848);
- Franz Joseph I (1848–1916);
- Karl I (1916–1918).
The Kaisers of the German Empire (1871–1918) were:
- Wilhelm I (1871–1888);
- Friedrich III (9 March-15 June 1888), who ruled for 99 days;
- Wilhelm II (1888–1918), during whose reign the monarchy in Germany ended near the end of World War I.[4]
Georg Friedrich Ferdinand, Prince of Prussia, is currently head of the House of Hohenzollern, which was the former ruling dynasty of the German Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Karl von Habsburg is currently the head of the House of Habsburg.
See also
- German Monarchy
- German nobility
- List of German monarchs
- Qaisar
- Kayser-i Rûm
- Georg Friedrich, Prince of Prussia
- Austrian nobility
References
- Witzel, M. "Autochthonous Aryans? The Evidence from Old Indian and Iranian Texts", p. 29, 12.1 (as Urdu kaisar).
- Gilman, D. C.; Peck, H. T.; Colby, F. M., eds. (1905). . New International Encyclopedia (1st ed.). New York: Dodd, Mead.
- Ernst Rudolf Huber: Deutsche Verfassungsgeschichte seit 1789. Band III: Bismarck und das Reich. 3rd edition, Kohlhammer Verlag, Stuttgart 1988, p. 750-753.
- "Kaiser Wilhelm II - World War I - HISTORY.com". HISTORY.com. Retrieved 2018-01-17.
