What is the difference between Emperor and King? The Different Ranks of Monarchs

00:00 Introduction
00:18 List of Monarch Ranks
00:39 What is an Emperor/Empress
01:34 Origins of the Position of Emperor
02:13 The Holy Roman Emperor
02:46 European Empires
03:28 The Japanese Emperor
03:42 What is a King/Queen
04:25 Current Kings and Queens
04:35 What is an Archduke/Archduchess
05:54 What is a Grand Duke/Grand Duchess
06:28 Grand Prince/Grand Princess
06:42 The Grand Duchy of Luxemburg
06:54 What is a Prince/Princess
07:37 Current Principalities
08:10 What is a Duke/Duchess
08:50 What is a Sovereign Prince (Fürst/Fürstin)
09:20 The Principality of Liechtenstein
09:35 Outro

We will go over the different tiers and ranks of a monarch. From the most powerful emperor to the small holdings of the German principalities.

We will go over the differences between Emperor / Empress , King / Queen , Archduke / Archduchess , Grand duke / Grand duchess , Prince / Princess , Duke / Duchess , Sovereign prince / Sovereign princess , Fürst / Fürstin. And explains the difference between an empire, kingdom, archduchy, grand duchy, principality, duchy and sovereign principality.

This video answers questions like: What is the difference between an emperor and a king? What is the difference between an empire and a kingdom? What was the Holy Roman Empire? How was medieval Europe divided? Who ruled in medieval Europe?

Music by Vindsvept (Lake of Light)

[niceguy]

Fun fact, the word "Caesar" was pronounced "Kaiser" in Latin. That is probably why they adopted that form of saying Emperor.

[nicknaylor]

The Caesar thing is more complicated. The emperors in the early empire held the official title “Princeps” (meaning first citizen). Their regal names included Caesar because one would be proclaimed the designated heir or a usurper would claim the title as a part of declaring themselves to being the ruling emperor. But after the crisis of the 3rd century, Diocletian instituted the tetrarchy and the junior emperors were called Caesar and they were specifically heirs to the senior emperors, who were called Augustus. After the fall of the Western Empire, in the Eastern Empire the title eventually stopped denoting emperors because heirs were elevated to co-emperors instead of just being proclaimed as a Caesar. The title became more of an honorific given to second- and third-born children so that they’d hold an imperial office with a role that kept them working in the imperial system without being a ruler.

Actually, duke comes from the Latin Dux, which was a military position created by Diocletian and they were in charge of the military for any given province.

[johnscanlan]

Yes please do a video that carefully explains the roles of counts, barons and other titled Europeans. Thank you

[Blaqjaqshellaq]

There's also the title of viceroy/vicereine (vice-king), for someone who represents a king outside his regular territory, like the governors-general of the British Empire's dominions.
The King of Portugal also became Emperor of Brazil.
BTW, Belgium's royal house, the House of Saxe-Coburg before World War I, was renamed the House of the Belgians because of anti-German feeling. (Like the British branch becoming the House of Windsor.) And the term Holy Roman Empire only appeared a few centuries after Charlemagne, who was simply called Roman Emperor.

[marquesdevalera]

Technically given the definition of an Emperor or Empress ruling over multiple states the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland could be styled Empress as she if the head of state (monarch) of unified kingdoms of England, Northern Ireland and Scotland plus the Principality of Wales. British monarchs were actually once styled Emperors or Empresses of India (ie maharaja or mahameina) which was actually a confederation of various Principalities ruled by rajas. Also in classical Latin as spoken by the Romans Caesar was pronounced Kaesar not Seasar.

[SonofTiamat]

King George III almost became Emperor of Great Britain and Ireland in 1802, but he declined this promotion put forth by Parliament

It's thought he did so because he was already a Prince-Elector of the HRE, as well as having at least two seats in the Reichstag. Having the emperor of one country deciding the fate of another empire would have been awkward

[gentlemanlypanda]

Byzantium was also an empire or at least held the rank until the fall of Constantinople in 1453.

[huibertlandzaat]

You made a very interesting video. Thank you for uploading.

[dr_buschy]

I really like your videos, allthough I haven't seen many because I only recently came over from the Westeroscraft Channel (I love your work there). I like that you mentioned the german Word Kaiser originating from Ceasar, but I think you misspelled it Kaisar which is not the modern form. Nonetheless very informativ and well done video :)

[autografzwei]

Ceasar was not a title, it was a family name which was used by all Roman emperors to achieve a kind of justification to be the successor of Julius Ceasar and Octavianus Ceasar ("Augustus"). The name Ceasar was for some time used by all members of the family of the emperor, later only by the emperor and his heir, not only by the emperor. The title actually representing the power was Augustus, a title (not a name!) representing a kind of lower divine status and as well imperator. Emperors used both titles, Augustus representing merely the religious role (which was directly connected with any position in the Roman state), imperator the military role (used as well by non-emperors in that role).

[Spi_nes_cent]

just binged all of these, I love this series a ton!! :D

[jardon]

intresting, you mentioned the UK and france, , , , the monarch often only used the title in official ceremonies and and by colonies, king emperor= india (the raj) and in west africa ( king emperor of france used both by napoleon and the earlier kings of france in new france (ontario)...

the holy roman emperor often used the titles in personal =political union
ke of austria, king of the romans germans, hungary, bohemia, croatia etc

[thevenbede]

The title Caesar was actually given to the junior emperor. The senior emperor was Augustus.

[charlieduke]

Ok, a Grand Duke/Grand Prince were roughly equal to the Archdukes of Austria until they essentially became the hereditary Holy Roman Emperors.

I would argue that the Grand Dukes of Lithuania were equal to a King, as they ruled over a far greater land area than the majority of the German Kingdoms of the German Empire, with the exception of Prussia, and it was far bigger than at least half of the Kingdoms and Sultanates in the word today.

Also the Duchy of Nassau was by far larger in area than the Grand Duchies of Mecklenburg Strelitz, Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, and possibly equal or slightly smaller than the Grand Duchy Oldenburg.

[Top_Nep]

kool ill make use of this info in my dnd game

[Nikioko]

The Prince Electors elected the German King who then was crowned Roman Emperor by the Pope.

[HeadCannon]

2:13 Byzantine/Eastern Roman Empire: Am I a joke to you?

[cocobako]

An emperor must love sports
Yknow, since he's High King



















hehe

[ramesesthegreat]

Odd question what would Pharoh be like an emperor or king? Like Pharoh of ancient Egypt or Nubia

[vaclavvostoupalml.]

Czech word "císař" also comes from Caesar, and Czech word for king "král" comes from the name of Karel, or in English Charles.