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{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2021}}
{{short description|German word for "emperor", associated with rulers of the German Empire (1871–1918)}}
{{other uses|Kaiser (disambiguation)}}{{distinguish|König (disambiguation){{!}}König}}
{{refimprove|date=October 2012}}
[[File:Portrayal of Franz Joseph and his wife Elisabeth on a millennium memorial leaf with the crown.jpg|thumb|Austrian Emperor [[Franz Joseph I of Austria|Franz Joseph I]] and [[Empress Elisabeth of Austria|Empress Elisabeth]]]]

'''Kaiser''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|k|aɪ|z|əɹ}} {{respell|KY|zər}}; {{IPA|de|ˈkaɪzɐ}}) is the title historically used by German and Austrian [[emperor]]s. In German, the title in principle applies to rulers anywhere in the world above the rank of king ({{lang|de|König}}). In English, the word ''kaiser'' is mainly applied to the emperors of the unified [[German Empire]] (1871–1918) and the emperors of the [[Austrian Empire]] (1804–1918). During the [[First World War]], [[anti-German sentiment]] was at its zenith; the term ''kaiser''—especially as applied to [[Wilhelm II, German Emperor]]—thus gained considerable negative connotations in English-speaking countries.

Especially in [[Central Europe]], between [[northern Italy]] and southern Poland, between western Austria and western Ukraine and in Bavaria, Emperor [[Franz Joseph I of Austria|Franz Joseph I]] is still associated with {{lang|de|Der Kaiser}} (the emperor) today. As a result of his long reign from 1848 to 1916 and the associated [[Golden Age]] before the First World War, this title often has still a very high historical respect in this geographical area.<ref>[https://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/ausland/franz-joseph-i-von-oesterreich-der-ewige-kaiser-14145260.html Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung: Der ewige Kaiser]</ref><ref>[https://www.wn.de/Welt/Kultur/2016/11/2607494-Der-verklaerte-Kaiser-Franz-Joseph-I.-als-Symbol-einer-Epoche Der verklärte Kaiser Franz Joseph I. als Symbol einer Epoche]</ref><ref>[https://www.welt.de/geschichte/article159596333/So-pflichtbewusst-starb-Kaiser-Franz-Joseph-I.html This is how dutifully Emperor Franz Joseph I died.]</ref>

==Etymology and language usage==
{{See|Kaiserlich}}

Similarly to the Slavic title ''[[tsar]]'', ''kaiser'' is directly derived from the [[Roman emperor]]s' title of ''[[Caesar (title)|Caesar]]'', which in turn is derived from the personal name of the [[Julii Caesares]], a branch of the ''[[gens]]'' (clan) [[Julia (gens)|Julia]], to which [[Julius Caesar|Gaius Julius Caesar]], the forebear of the [[Julio-Claudian dynasty]], belonged. It has been suggested, on the grounds of an anecdote reported in e.g. Suetonius (''Divus Julius'' 79.2), that Caesar himself once used his cognomen by way of a title; but this is ultimately unlikely.<ref>[https://histos.org/documents/2023AA02KrebsIt'sCaesarNotMrKing.pdf Krebs, C.B. (2023)], "‘IT’S CAESAR [KAISER/TSAR], NOT MR. KING.’ (MIS)UNDERSTANDING A CAESARIAN PUN (SUET. IUL. 79.2) AND ITS IRONIES," Histos 17: 43–51</ref>

Although the British monarchs styled "[[Emperor of India]]" were also called ''[[Kaisar-i-Hind]]'' in [[Hindi]] and [[Urdu]], this word, although ultimately sharing the same Latin origin, is derived from the Persian ''[[Caesar_(title)#Ottoman_Empire|Kaysar]]'', not the German {{lang|de|Kaiser}}.<ref>Witzel, M. [http://www.people.fas.harvard.edu/~witzel/EJVS-7-3.htm "Autochthonous Aryans? The Evidence from Old Indian and Persian Texts"], p. 29, 12.1 (as Urdu ''kaisar'').</ref>

{{lang|de|Kaiserwetter}} (Weather of the emperor) is a colloquial expression and means in German "Sunny weather" with a deep blue, cloudless sky. According to Duden, this proverb goes back to the mostly bright sunshine on 18 August, the birthday of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria.<ref>[https://www.duden.de/rechtschreibung/Kaiserwetter Duden: Kaiserwetter]</ref> [[Kaiserschmarrn]] (Emperor's Mess) is a lightly sweetened pancake that takes its name also from Franz Joseph I.<ref>Jürgen Herrmann "Lehrbuch für Köche." Hamburg (1999) p 317.</ref> Also with the Austrian {{lang|de|Kaisersemmel}} ("[[Kaiser roll]]"), {{lang|de|Kaiserfleisch}} ("Kaiser meat") or {{lang|de|Kaisersuppe}} ("Kaiser soup") the word ''kaiser'' is supposed to denote the ultimate highest increase, the best of its kind.<ref>Stefan Hebenstreit: Hitlerweck und Kaisersemmel. Wahlkampfgeschenke und politisch-propagandistische Devotionalien aus dem Backofen. In: Thomas Gimesi, Werner Hanselitsch "Geben, Nehmen, Tauschen." Münster (2010), ISBN 978-3-643-50211-7, p 74.</ref> ''[[Kaiserjäger]]'' and ''[[Kaiserschützen]]'' were special elite units of the [[Imperial and Royal]] (k.u.k.) [[Austro-Hungarian Armed Forces]], especially expressed by the part of the name Kaiser.<ref>Anton Graf Bossi-Fedrigotti: Kaiserjäger – Ruhm und Ende. Graz 1977, pp 3.</ref>

{{lang|de|Der Kaiser}} is the nickname of both [[Franz Beckenbauer]], a German footballer active in the 1960s and 1970s who captained West Germany to the [[1974 World Cup]] title,<ref>Manuel Neukirchner: "Spieler Beckenbauer wird Kaiser Franz." FAZ.NET, 6 September 2015.</ref> and of the Austrian ski racer and 1976 Olympic champion [[Franz Klammer]] - both in an allusion to the Austrian Kaiser [[Francis I of Austria|Franz I]].

== German history and antecedents of the title ==
{{Main|Holy Roman Emperor|Emperor of Austria|German Emperor}}

The [[Holy Roman Emperors]] called themselves ''Kaiser'',<ref name=nie>{{Cite NIE|wstitle=Kaiser|year=1905}}</ref> combining the imperial title with that of ''[[King of the Romans]]'' (assumed by the designated heir before the imperial coronation); they saw their rule as a continuation of that of the [[Roman Emperor]]s and used the title derived from the title ''[[Caesar (title)|Caesar]]'' to reflect their supposed heritage. From 1452 to 1806, except for the years 1742–1745, only members of the [[Habsburg]] family were "Holy Roman Emperors".

In 1806, the [[Holy Roman Empire]] was dissolved, but the title of ''kaiser'' was retained by the [[House of Habsburg]], the head of which, beginning in 1804, bore the title of Kaiser of Austria.<ref name=nie/> After 1273, the Habsburgs provided most of Holy Roman Kings or Emperors, so they saw themselves as legitimate heirs to the title they adopted. Despite Habsburg ambitions, however, the [[Austrian Empire]] could no longer claim to rule over most of Germany, although they did rule over large areas of lands inhabited by non-Germans in addition to Austria. According to the historian Friedrich Heer, the Austrian Habsburg emperor remained an "auctoritas" of a special kind. He was "the grandson of the Caesars", he remained the patron of the holy church, but without excluding other religions. In this tradition, the Austrian emperor saw himself as the protector of his peoples, minorities and all religious communities.<ref>Friedrich Heer "Der Kampf um die österreichische Identität" (1981), p 259.</ref> In this regard, minorities in the Habsburg Monarchy, but also the Jews <ref>Marta S. Halpert "Mutig hinaus für Kaiser und Vaterland", In: Wina, June 2014.</ref> on the one hand and the Muslims <ref>[https://www.derstandard.at/story/1389857544369/mit-dem-fes-auf-dem-kopf-fuer-oesterreich-ungarn Mit dem Fes auf dem Kopf für Österreich-Ungarn]</ref> on the other hand were particularly loyal to the emperor (German: "kaisertreu").

In 1867 the Austrian Empire was divided into the state of Austria-Hungary (the so-called Danube Monarchy), with [[Franz Joseph I of Austria|Franz Joseph I]], like his successor [[Charles I of Austria|Karl I]], being Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary. As a result of this centuries-long uninterrupted tradition, today family members of the Habsburgs are often referred to as Imperial Highnesses (German: Kaiserliche Hoheit) and, for example, the members of the [[Order of St. George (Habsburg-Lorraine)|Imperial and Royal Order of Saint George]] as Imperial Knights. There were four kaisers of the Austrian Empire who all belonged to the [[Habsburg]] dynasty. They had an official list of crowns, titles, and dignities ([[Grand title of the emperor of Austria]]). 

The kaisers of the Austrian Empire (1804–1918) were:
* [[Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor|Franz I]] (1804–1835);
* [[Ferdinand I of Austria|Ferdinand I]] (1835–1848);
* [[Franz Joseph I of Austria|Franz Joseph I]] (1848–1916);
* [[Charles I of Austria|Karl I]] (1916–1918).

[[Karl von Habsburg]] is currently the head of the House of Habsburg.

With the [[unification of Germany]] (aside from Austria) in 1871, there was some debate about the exact title for the monarch of those German territories (such as free imperial cities, principalities, duchies, and kingdoms) that agreed to unify under the leadership of [[Prussia]], thereby forming the new German Empire. The first kaiser himself preferred either {{lang|de|Kaiser von Deutschland}} ("Emperor of Germany"). In the end, his chancellor [[Otto von Bismarck|Bismarck]]'s choice {{lang|de|Deutscher Kaiser}} ("German Emperor") was adopted as it simply connoted that the new emperor, hearkening from Prussia, was a German, but did not imply that this new emperor had dominion over all German territories, especially since the Austrian kaiser would have been offended as Austria, inhabited by Germans, was still considered part of the German lands.<ref name="huber">Ernst Rudolf Huber: ''Deutsche Verfassungsgeschichte seit 1789. Band III: Bismarck und das Reich.'' 3rd edition, [[Kohlhammer Verlag]], Stuttgart 1988, p. 750-753.</ref> There were only three kaisers of the (second) German Empire. All of them belonged to the [[Hohenzollern]] dynasty, which, as kings of Prussia, and had been ''de facto'' leaders of lesser Germany (Germany excluding Austria).

The kaisers of the German Empire (1871–1918) were:
* [[William I, German Emperor|Wilhelm I]] (1871–1888);
* [[Friedrich III, German Emperor|Friedrich III]] (9 March – 15 June 1888), who ruled for 99 days;
* [[Wilhelm II, German Emperor|Wilhelm II]] (1888–1918), during whose reign the monarchy in Germany ended near the end of [[World War I]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-i/kaiser-wilhelm-ii|title=Kaiser Wilhelm II - World War I - HISTORY.com|website=HISTORY.com|access-date=17 January 2018}}</ref>

[[Georg Friedrich, Prince of Prussia|Georg Friedrich Ferdinand]], Prince of Prussia, is currently head of the House of Hohenzollern, which was the former ruling dynasty of the German Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia.

== See also  ==
* [[Austrian nobility]]
* [[German monarchy]]
* [[German nobility]]
* ''Kaiserlich und Königlich'', a German term which translates to [[Imperial and Royal]]
* [[Kaiserjäger]]
* [[Kaiserschmarrn]]
* [[Kaiserschützen]]
* [[Kayser-i Rûm]]
* [[Qaisar]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links==
{{wiktionary|kaiser}}
* {{Cite Americana|wstitle=Kaiser |short=x}}

{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Holy Roman Emperors|*]]
[[Category:German emperors]]
[[Category:Emperors of Austria]]
[[Category:Heads of state of Germany]]
[[Category:Imperial titles]]
[[Category:German noble titles]]
[[Category:Titles of national or ethnic leadership]]