The German Emperor was the official title of the head of state and
hereditary ruler of the German Empire. A specifically chosen term, it was used
between the 18 January 1871 proclamation of King of Prussia and President of the
North German Confederation Wilhelm I as "Deutscher Kaiser" and the official
abdication of Wilhelm II on 28 November 1918. The Holy Roman Emperor is
sometimes also called "German Emperor" when the historical context is clear.
Following the revolution of 1918, the German head of state function was
succeeded by the Reichspräsident, beginning with Friedrich Ebert.
Creation The title "German Emperor" was carefully
chosen by Minister President of Prussia and Chancellor of the North German
Confederation Otto von Bismarck after discussion which continued until the
proclamation of Wilhelm I at the Palace of Versailles during the Franco-Prussian
War. William I accepted this title grudgingly as he would have preferred
"Emperor of Germany"; this had been unacceptable to the federated monarchs,
and also would have signaled a claim to lands outside his reign. Emperor of the
Germans, as had proposed at the Frankfurt Parliament in 1848, was ruled
out by William as he considered himself a king who ruled by divine right and
chosen "By the Grace of God", not by the people in a popular monarchy.
By this ceremony, the North German Confederation was transformed into the
German Empire. This empire was a federal monarchy; the emperor was head of state
and president of the federated monarchs. Under the imperial constitution, the
empire was a confederation of states under the permanent presidency of
Prussia. The King of Prussia was named in the constitution as the "President of
the Confederation." Thus, the imperial crown was directly tied to the Prussian
crown—something Wilhelm II discovered in the aftermath of World War I. He
erroneously believed that he ruled the empire in personal union with Prussia.
With the war's end, he conceded that he could not remain emperor, but initially
thought he could at least retain his Prussian crown.
Full titles The German Emperors had an extensive
list of titles and claims that reflected the geographic expanse and diversity of
the lands ruled by the House of Hohenzollern.
= William I= His Imperial and Royal Majesty William
I, By the Grace of God, German Emperor and King of Prussia; Margrave of
Brandenburg, Burgrave of Nuremberg, Count of Hohenzollern; sovereign and
supreme Duke of Silesia and of the County of Glatz; Grand Duke of the Lower
Rhine and of Posen; Duke of Saxony, of Westphalia, of Angria, of Pomerania,
Lunenburg, Holstein and Schleswig, of Magdeburg, of Bremen, of Guelders,
Cleves, Jülich and Berg, Duke of the Wends and the Kassubes, of Crossen,
Lauenburg and Mecklenburg; Landgrave of Hesse and Thuringia; Margrave of Upper
and Lower Lusatia; Prince of Orange; Prince of Rügen, of East Friesland, of
Paderborn and Pyrmont, of Halberstadt, Münster, Minden, Osnabrück, Hildesheim,
of Verden, Cammin, Fulda, Nassau and Moers; Princely Count of Henneberg;
Count of Mark, of Ravensberg, of Hohenstein, Tecklenburg and Lingen, of
Mansfeld, Sigmaringen and Veringen; Lord of Frankfurt.
= Frederick III= His Imperial and Royal Majesty Frederick
III, By the Grace of God, German Emperor and King of Prussia, Margrave of
Brandenburg, Burgrave of Nuremberg, Count of Hohenzollern, Duke of Silesia
and of the County of Glatz, Grand Duke of the Lower Rhine and of Posen, Duke of
Saxony, of Angria, of Westphalia, of Pomerania and of Lunenburg, Duke of
Schleswig, of Holstein and of Crossen, Duke of Magdeburg, of Bremen, of
Guelderland and of Jülich, Cleves and Berg, Duke of the Wends and the
Kashubians, of Lauenburg and of Mecklenburg, Landgrave of Hesse and in
Thuringia, Margrave of Upper and Lower Lusatia, Prince of Orange, of Rugen, of
East Friesland, of Paderborn and of Pyrmont, Prince of Halberstadt, of
Münster, of Minden, of Osnabrück, of Hildesheim, of Verden, of Kammin, of
Fulda, of Nassau and of Moers, Princely Count of Henneberg, Count of the Mark,
of Ravensberg, of Hohenstein, of Tecklenburg and of Lingen, Count of
Mansfeld, of Sigmaringen and of Veringen, Lord of Frankfurt.
= William II= His Imperial and Royal Majesty William
II, By the Grace of God, German Emperor and King of Prussia, Margrave of
Brandenburg, Burgrave of Nuremberg, Count of Hohenzollern, Duke of Silesia
and of the County of Glatz, Grand Duke of the Lower Rhine and of Posen, Duke of
Saxony, of Angria, of Westphalia, of Pomerania and of Lunenburg, Duke of
Schleswig, of Holstein and of Crossen, Duke of Magdeburg, of Bremen, of
Guelderland and of Jülich, Cleves and Berg, Duke of the Wends and the
Kashubians, of Lauenburg and of Mecklenburg, Landgrave of Hesse and in
Thuringia, Margrave of Upper and Lower Lusatia, Prince of Orange, of Rugen, of
East Friesland, of Paderborn and of Pyrmont, Prince of Halberstadt, of
Münster, of Minden, of Osnabrück, of Hildesheim, of Verden, of Kammin, of
Fulda, of Nassau and of Moers, Princely Count of Henneberg, Count of the Mark,
of Ravensberg, of Hohenstein, of Tecklenburg and of Lingen, Count of
Mansfeld, of Sigmaringen and of Veringen, Lord of Frankfurt.
German Emperors See also
Crown of William II German State Crown
History of Germany Holy Roman Emperor
List of German monarchs List of monarchs of Prussia
Family tree of the German monarchs Year of the Three Emperors
References = Bibliography=
External links House of Hohenzollern