a title of honour among the ancient Romans, conferred on a general who had been victorious, and now made to signify a sovereign prince, or supreme ruler of an empire.
The title of emperor adds nothing to the rights of sovereignty; it only gives preeminence above other sovereigns. The emperors, however, pretend, that the imperial dignity is more eminent than the regal. It is disputed whether emperors have the power of disposing of the regal title; however this may be, they have sometimes taken upon them to erect kingdoms: thus it is that Bohemia, Prussia, and Poland, are said to have been raised to that dignity. In the east, the title of emperor is more frequent than with us; thus the sovereign princes of China, Mogul, &c., are called emperors. perors. In the west, the title has been a long time restrained to the emperors of Germany. The first who bore it was Charlemagne, who was crowned by Pope Leo III. in 800. And it is to be observed, that there was not a foot of land or territory annexed to the emperor's title.
In the year 1723, the Czar of Muscovy assumed the title of emperor of all the Russias. The kings of France were also called emperors, when they reigned with their sons, whom they associated in the crown: thus Hugh Caput was called emperor, and his son Robert king. The kings of England were anciently styled emperors, as appears from a charter of king Ed- gar.
The emperor of Germany is a limited monarch in regard to the empire, though he is an absolute sove- reign in most of his hereditary dominions; the late emperors of the Austrian family, having hereditary dominions, enumerated all of them in their title. Charles VI. was styled emperor of the Romans, al- ways august, king Bohemia and Hungary, archduke of Austria, &c.; but the present empress inheriting those countries, her consort enjoys only the title of emperor of the Romans, duke of Lorraine and Tusc- any. The emperor creates dukes, marquises, and o- ther noblemen; and he appoints most of the officers, civil and military, in the empire: he is elected by the nine electors; and he summons the general diet of the empire.