King vs Emperor
To understand the difference between a King and an Emperor, one must first know the difference between a kingdom and an empire. Both King and Emperor are titles that refer to the ruler of a particular area, but depending on the area where their reign is, the title differs. The word king refers to a male sovereign. It is important to know that the male sovereign is the hereditary ruler of an independent state or a Kingdom. An emperor, on the other hand, refers to the sovereign of an empire. This is the main difference between the two words, king and emperor. It is interesting to note that a sovereign in the rank of an emperor is higher than the sovereign in the rank of a king. Both kings and emperors were considered as Gods within their kingdom or empire by their subjects. They were very much respected. Kings and emperors were always interested in expanding the borders of their kingdoms and empires.
Who is a King?
The word King is a title that refers to a male sovereign. It is important to know that the male sovereign is the hereditary ruler of an independent state or a kingdom. However, a king can be the ruler of only a part of a much larger empire. In that case, it only shows that a king is a ruler of any independent state or a dependent region. The female ruler in a kingdom is known as the Queen. This queen can be the wife or the mother of the king. Also, the queen can simply be the ruler of a kingdom where there is no king.
King James II and VII
Who is an Emperor?
On the other hand, an emperor is a ruler of an entire empire. There can be many vassal kings in that empire. These vassal kings are in charge of the various small kingdoms in the big empire. These rulers had the title of kings, but they definitely had lesser powers than the emperor.
It is the emperor who manages and looks after all the affairs of an entire empire. On the other hand, a king is bestowed with limited responsibilities by the emperor. These responsibilities and duties pertain only to the limited piece of land to which he is declared as a king.
Wilhelm II, German Emperor and the King of Prussia
It is known from history that many vassal kings have paid taxes to the most important emperor, in the form of land taxes collected from the individual members of the society. The emperor, on the whole, takes care of all the small kingdoms managed by individual kings.
The female ruler in an empire is known as the Empress. An empress can be the mother or the wife of the emperor. The empress can simply be ruler of the empire.
What is the difference between King and Emperor?
• The word king usually is a title, and it refers to a male sovereign. It is important to know that the male sovereign is the hereditary ruler of a kingdom. An emperor, on the other hand, refers to the sovereign of an empire, which may comprise many small kingdoms.
• A king can be an independent ruler of an independent state or a vassal king or a dependent king of a dependent state. The king becomes a dependent ruler only when his kingdom belongs to a larger empire. An emperor is always an independent ruler.
• An emperor looks after all the affairs of an entire empire as a whole. A king under the emperor may only have limited responsibilities as the emperor desires. An independent king has the same powers as an emperor as there is no one superior to him.
• The female ruler in a kingdom is the Queen. The female ruler in an empire is the Empress.
• An emperor comes into power through conquest or inheritance. A king also comes into power through conquest and inheritance. The king can also come to power through election like in the ancient Kingdom of Rome.
• Examples for emperors are the Japanese and Chinese emperors and Napoleon Bonaparte. Examples for kings are King George V and George VI.
These are the differences between the two words, namely, king and emperor.
Images Courtesy: King James II and VII and Wilhelm II, German Emperor and the King of Prussia via Wikicommons (Public Domain)
