Imperial power has a rather long history. It originated in ancient Rome since the reign of Augustus. Emperors of the world had unlimited power, and this power at some points contributed to the unprecedented growth of the state and the dominance of its ruler, and in some cases led to difficult economic, social and political consequences. Be that as it may, emperors played a huge role in the development of human history.
The meaning of the term "emperor"
The first empire in the world was the Roman Empire, and initially it was not such. In the years of the existence of the republican system, the word "emperor" denoted all the highest ranks endowed with civil, military or judicial power. These included praetors, consuls, magistrates, etc. Subsequently, this title began to be used in relation to one person - the ruler of the state - and it meant unlimited, comprehensive power. Indeed, the emperor is the sole ruler, his word is the law, everyone is subject to him and everything is subject to him. No significant decision in the empire is made without his personal consent or command.
Military power
The rights of the emperor were almost unlimited. The power concentrated in the hands of the ruler was conditionally divided into three broad categories: civil, military and judicial. Briefly dwell on each item separately.
The emperor had supreme military power. It was he who was the supreme commander in chief, and all the soldiers took the oath to him either personally or in front of his image.
Roman emperors distributed all command posts in the army at personal discretion. The number and quantitative composition of the armed forces also depended on the desire of the crowned person. The emperor had the right to declare war and conclude peace.
Civil authority
The first emperor, Octavian Augustus, and those following him, enjoyed the exclusive right to collect taxes and assign their size at their sole discretion. This also included a huge amount of taxes, the so-called gifts presented by almost all citizens of the empire, especially those who had at least some power in their hands.
In fact, the emperor is the owner of absolutely everything that was on the territory of the state. Thus, he could confiscate the property of any person for the "needs of the empire." He himself could spend any amount from the treasury uncontrollably.
Half of the provinces of the empire were completely subordinate to the emperor, the second half was in the power of the Senate, but in reality it turned out that in the senate provinces the sovereign was the complete master, managing certain regions through his own people.
The emperor had the right to bestow Roman citizenship on anyone. At the same time, he played the role of supreme censor over the mores and private life of the Romans. That is, he could invade the personal life of any citizen, and everyone enjoyed the position in society that the ruler gave him.
Religious authority
In the Roman Empire, the emperor is the supreme pontiff. A huge number of beliefs, spread over the vast territory of the empire, were in the full power of the ruler, including in Rome itself. As you know, the empire was originally pagan, but over time, the monotheistic religion - Christianity - was declared state. The emperor disposed of all religious acts, in addition, he was vested with the exclusive right to supervise a large class of priests.
Judicial branch
The emperor was the supreme judge in the entire vast empire. His court was the highest court, so to speak. The decisions made by the ruler could not be appealed.
In addition, he was vested with legislative power, although this privilege was realized only after the approval of the Senate. However, the emperor could issue edicts or decrees having the force of law for the whole society.
In the provinces, the ruler transferred his judicial power to governors - legates, who acted on his behalf and exclusively in his interests.
Title August, or God's chosen emperor
Separately, mention should be made of God's chosen emperors. Officially, this title was assigned only to Octavian, but all subsequent rulers of the empire were called Augustus. What did this title mean?
Augustus is not just a person endowed with power, it is a sacred being. The emperor is a messenger of God, according to ideology, he was sent down by God to rule his subjects. The title of emperor meant the power of the ruler, the title Augustus denoted his holiness. Thus, the emperor also possessed divine power. The subjects were to treat the emperor as a god, which is why obeying imperial edicts and other acts was unquestioning, given the fact of deep faith in almost the entire population of the empire.
Short story
It was said above that imperial power arose in the Roman Empire, and Octavian, who received the title of Augustus, became the first emperor. In the year 395 AD e. The Roman Empire was divided into Western and Eastern. In turn, the West fell in 476. However, the Eastern Roman Empire lasted for almost 1000 years, and it became the successor to imperial power. That is, the eastern part, later called the Byzantine, was ruled by emperors.
The reign of emperors in the West was revived in 800, when Charles the Great received this title, and then Otton I (in 962). Later, the title of emperor was assigned to the rulers of several other states, including France with the famous Napoleon, Austria-Hungary, Germany, Brazil, Mexico, and others. Queen Victoria of England was declared empress of India in 1876.
I must say that imperial power existed not only in European culture, but also in Asian and African. In the literature it can be read that the rulers of China, Siam, Ethiopia, Turkey, Japan and Morocco were called only emperors.
Kings in Russia
The word tsar in the Russian language came from the Greek, i.e., from the Byzantine Empire, while retaining its meaning. Its initial version - “Caesar”, “Caesar” - was gradually replaced by the usual term “king”.
The first ruler to be crowned kingdom in Russia was John IV, whom European historians called the Terrible for allegedly inhuman atrocities. He became king in 1547, and the state was then called the Russian kingdom and existed under that name until 1721.
The Romanovs, who ascended the throne in 1613, were also kings, but not all, but only Michael, Alexei, Fedor, John V, Sophia and Peter I until 1721.
The tsars and emperors of Russia were endowed with unlimited, absolute power, so the period of their rule is called the era of absolutism.
The title of Russian tsars was also assigned a sacred meaning, they were also anointed of God and acted as if on behalf of God. That is why the tsars, and subsequently emperors, were inextricably linked by the Orthodox faith, and it is no coincidence that the Soviets, overthrowing the power of emperors, declared war on Orthodoxy - they recognized the danger that religion was fraught with and understood the role of the legitimate ruler of Russia in it.
Emperors of Russia
The last Russian tsar and the first emperor was Peter I. It was he who in 1721 was given the title of emperor of the Russian state. His power was unlimited and extended to all areas of the state and society. He was the supreme commander in chief and was vested with the highest civil, legislative and executive powers.
The reign of emperors on the Russian throne is represented by the Romanov dynasty, which has been in power for more than 300 years - from 1613 to 1917. During this time, the state has achieved such successes that it has become a leader in economic development. The Russian Empire was the only superpower at that time. There are opinions of serious, respected historians that Russia was ruined by its development, threatening other leading states, especially Great Britain and the USA. The emperors of Russia were indeed patriots of their country and their people, doing everything to ensure that the state flourished, and the standard of living of its subjects increased. The last Russian emperor was de facto Nicholas II, de jure - Mikhail Alexandrovich, his brother.
The era of imperial rule is not over yet. Currently, the only emperor in the world is Akihito - the ruler of Japan. He was crowned on November 12, 1990 and to this day the 82-year-old 125th emperor performs his functions.