theemperor.net

A site about Emperors throughout History

An emperor is a monarch and sovereign ruler of an imperial realm. Emperors are generally recognized to be above kings in honor. From the Latin word Imperator it was originally a title in the Roman army comparable to commander-in-chief. Gaius Julius Caesar, Roman Dictator for Life, was the first to use the title as to mean the commander-in-chief.

The First Emperor

When the republic ended and who was the first "Emperor" is open to interpretation. Julius Caesar was the first to use the title "imperator" as to mean "THE" commander-in-chief instead of as "a" commander-in-chief. By the end of the civil wars Caesar certainly had gained all the powers and positions of an Emperor having been consul (four times) and dictator (five times), having been appointed perpetual dictator in 45 BC, as well as being "pontifex maximus" for several decades and had handsomely prepared for his deification. However, while he was the last dictator of the Republic, he died several years before the final collapse of the traditional Republican system that was replaced by the new imperial system.

Octavian took a more subtle way. As he promised to restore the Republic he was accumulating offices and titles that were of the highest importance in the Republic and preventing anyone else from doing the same One can not really be sure of when Octavian actually became the first Emperor, but it resulted as he collected the title Pontifex Maximus, was acclaimed Augustus (which wasn’t really a title at the time), became princes (First Citizen), and the Senate ordained that he held the tribunician power without needing to be one of the tribunes. Generally Augustus is considered to be the first Emperor

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