on the Laws of England (England, before 1268)
What is the difference between the terms imperial and royal ?
Though the word royal is often used to refer to all monarchs, it correctly only refers to a monarch of a kingdom and his or her family. Thus an empire has an imperial family (Japan), a kingdom (or dominion) has a royal family (United Kingdom, Canada), and a principality has a princely family (Monaco).
Quickies
Did you know …
• that dominion and realm are synonyms for kingdom?
Where did the rulers of China and Japan get the title Emperor ?
The title was adopted from the West. It was the descriptive term applied to them by Europeans and, in that sense, it, too comes from the Roman Empire. The Chinese and Japanese themselves had a quite different name for their rulers — the “Son of Heaven.”
What was the first imperial dynasty of China?
The short-lived Ch’in dynasty, whose ruler, Shih Huang-Ti, was the first emperor. The dynasty gave its name to China.
Quickies
Did you know …
• that Caesar (Julius Caesar and Augustus Caesar) is the root for the titles tsar (Russia), kaiser (Germany), and shah (Iran)?
Which king was styled Emperor of Britain?
King Edgar, one of the Saxon monarchs. Empire does not inherently mean a geographically large entity as it is used in popular parlance. It means independent of any other sovereignty. “This England is an Empire,” declared Henry VIII by statute. Kings were originally subordinate to emperors.
Was the British monarch ever Emperor or Empress of the British Empire?
Although there was a British Empire, there has not been a “British Emperor” or “Empress” since 1066, and the title has remained King or Queen. Queen Victoria was proclaimed Empress of India, though, in 1877, and the title Emperor of India was borne by the next four monarchs — Edward VII, George V, Edward VIII, and George VI. India became a dominion under King George VI, and a republic before Elizabeth II came to the throne, so George VI was the last Emperor of India.
What does the word king mean?
King comes from the Old English word cyning. It means “scion of the kin” or “son of the kindred,” the kindred being sacral royalty who were seen as the kin of the gods. Cyning is connected with the Old Norse word konungr, a combination of kin and ung meaning “descendant.” The German word for king — kõnig — is also related and the Russian word for prince — kniaz — derives from konungr too. Everyone knows that the Latin word for king is rex. From the same root come other forms of the name: the Irish ri (ard-ri is “high king”), Hindu raja (maharaja means “great king”), French roi, Italia re, Spanish rey, and so on. Kingship is a world-wide phenomenon.
What does queen mean?
Queen can have two meanings. A “queen regnant” is a reigning monarch in her own right. A “queen consort” is the wife of a reigning king. In many European countries women could not reign, and in those where they now can, it took centuries for women to establish their right to do so.
Ranks in British/Commonwealth Peerage
• Duke/Duchess
• Marquess/Marchioness
• Earl/Countess
• Viscount/Viscountess
• Baron/Baroness
Who was the first English monarch officially addressed as Your Majesty?
King Henry VIII was the first to be so addressed. Prior to him, the monarchs were addressed as Your Grace, and Your Majesty was reserved
