Lists of emperors

This is a list including all rulers who had carried the title of emperor through history.

Emperors of traditional empires

Ancient empires

• Persian Empire (559 BC–330 BC)—see List of kings of Persia
• Hellenistic Empire (331 BC–301 BC)—see Alexander the Great and Diadochi
• Mauryan Empire (321 BC–185 BC)—see Mauryan dynasty
• Imperial China (221 BC–1912)—see Table of Chinese monarchs
• Funan (68–550)—see List of Kings of Cambodia
• Roman Empire (27 BC–476)—see List of Roman Emperors
• Ethiopian Empire (ca. 3rd century–1975)—see Emperor of Ethiopia, Rulers and heads of state of Ethiopia, and Kings of Axum

Middle Ages

Western and Byzantine traditions

• Byzantine Empire (395–1453)—see List of Byzantine Emperors—and its rival & split-offs,
  • Latin Empire of Constantinople (1204–1261, with the title of (Latin) "Emperor of Constantinople" continuing to 1383)
  • Empire of Nicaea (1204–1261)—"Byzantine Empire" in exile during the rule of the "Latin Empire" over Constantinople.
  • Empire of Trebizond (1204–1461)—Another split of the "Byzantine Empire"
  • Empire of Thessalonica (1224–1242)—Offshoot of the Despotate of Epirus, reduced to vassal status of other powers after 1230
• Ottoman Empire (1299–1922)—see Ottoman dynasty
• Carolingian Empire (800–843, 884–888)
• Holy Roman Empire (891–1806)—see List of Holy Roman Emperors
• West Francia (875–877, 881–887)–see List of French monarchs
• Bulgaria (Empire 913–1422)—see List of Bulgarian monarchs
• Serbia (Empire 1345–1371)—see Emperor of Serbia
• Muscovy (Empire 1547–1721)—see List of Russian rulers—continued in Imperial Russia from 1721 (see below)

Asian

• Persian Empire (Iran) (1501–1979)—see List of kings of Persia
• Japan (monarchs known as tenno from 7th century CE)—see Emperor of Japan and List of Emperors of Japan
• Korean Empire (1897–1910)—see Emperor of Korea
• Chola Empire (300–1279)—see List of Tamil monarchs
• Chenla (550–802)—see List of Kings of Cambodia
• The first ruler of Vietnam to take the title of Emperor (Hoang De) was the founder of the Dinh Dynasty, Dinh Bo Linh, in the year AD 966—see List of Vietnamese dynasties
• Khmer Empire (802–1431)—see List of Kings of Cambodia

The Angkor Wat of Khmer Empire 802–1431

• Ottoman Empire (1299–1922)—see Ottoman dynasty
• Mongol Empire (1206–1634)—see List of Mongol Khans
• Mughal Empire (1526–1857)—see List of Mughal emperors
• Durrani Empire (1747–1823)
• Talpur dynasty (1783–1843)

Americas

• Aztec Empire (1375–1521)—see Hueyi Tlatoani
• Inca Empire (1438–1533)—see Sapa Inca

Pre-modern Empire

• Spanish Empire was the first world-wide empire in history, (1492–1898) with its maximum expansion between 1520 and 1700 reaching 31 million square kilometers
• Austrian Empire, 1804–1867 and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, 1867–1918 as Emperor of Austria (both under the Habsburgs)
• British Empire de jure 1877–1947
  • India (under the British Raj with British Monarch as Emperor of India, 1876–1947)
• Third Bulgarian Tsardom (internationally equivalent to a kingdom, 1908–1946)—see list of Bulgarian monarchs
• Empire of Brazil (Pedro I, 1822–1831 and Pedro II, 1831–1889)—see Brazilian imperial family
• France: (under the Bonapartes, 1804–1814, 1815; 1852–1870)—see Emperor of the French
  • First French Empire ( Napoleon I, 1804–1814, 1815)
  • Second French Empire (Napoleon III, 1852–1870)
• German Empire (under the Hohenzollern dynasty as German Emperors, 1871–1918)
• Russian Empire (under the Romanovs, 1721–1917)—see list of Russian rulers

Emperors of short-lived "empires"

• Emperor Jacques I of the Empire of Haiti (1804–1806)
• Emperor Augustine of the first Mexican Empire (1822–1823)
• Emperor Faustin I of the Empire of Haiti (1849–1859)
• Emperor Maximilian of the second Mexican Empire (1864–1867)
• Emperors Sunjong and Gojong of the Korean Empire (1897–1910)
• The Hongxian Emperor of the Empire of China (1915–1916)
• Emperor Puyi of the Empire of Manchuria (1934–1945)
• Emperor Bảo Đại of the Empire of Vietnam (1945)
• Emperor Bokassa I of the Central African Empire (1976–1979)

Self-proclaimed "emperors"

See also Self-proclaimed monarchy and micronation

• Simeon Uroš, "Emperor of Serbs and Greeks" (held by Uroš V), in reality Despot of Epirus and Thessaly (1359–1369)
• John Uroš, "Emperor of Serbs and Greeks", in reality Despot of Thessaly (1369–1373)
• Jovan Nenad, "Emperor of Serbs" (1526–1527)
• Paul of Smederevo, "Serb Emperor" (1560s)
• Joshua Abraham Norton “Emperor of the United States of America” (1859-1880)

Fictional emperors

• Galactic Empire (Isaac Asimov)
• Emperor Sheev Palpatine of the First Galactic Empire (19BBY-4ABY)
• Emperor Karl Franz, of the Empire of the Warhammer Fantasy franchise

See Category of fictional emperors and empresses