Eli5: Why is the Japanese emperor an emperor if Japan is not an empire and doesn’t have a king or multiple Kings below him?
In: Other
“Emperor” means the exact same thing “king” does. The term “imperator” was coined after the fall of the roman republic because at the time the culture was “never will a rex/king reign on rome”. Thus imperator was a PC way to call what was effectively a king. Kinda like how dictators will call themselves “secretaries” or “presidents” even though we all know they are dictators.
TL;DR an emperor is the same thing as a king.
Latest Answers