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Roman emperor facts for kids

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Emperor of the Roman Empire
Imperial
Vexilloid of the Roman Empire.svg
Vexillum
Bust of augustus.jpg
Augustus
Details
Style Imperator, Augustus, Caesar, Princeps, Dominus Noster, Autokrator or Basileus (depending on period)
First monarch Augustus
Last monarch Theodosius I (Unified or Classical),
Zeno (Unified),
Julius Nepos (Western),
Constantine XI (Eastern)
Formation 16 January 27 BC
Abolition 17 January 395 AD (Unified or Classical),
22 June 480 AD (Western),
29 May 1453 AD (Eastern)
Pretender(s) None

"Roman Emperor" is the title historians use to refer to rulers of the Roman Empire, after the epoch conventionally named the Roman Republic. In ancient Rome there was no actual title of "Roman Emperor", and there was never a single office corresponding to it. Rather, the title "Roman Emperor" is a convenient shorthand for a complicated collection of offices and powers.

Discussion of Roman Emperors involves a high degree of historian's editorial discretion, for the Romans themselves did not share the modern understanding of the monarchical concepts of "empire" and "emperor". The Roman Empire had kept all the political institutions and traditions of the Roman Republic, including the Senate and assemblies.

In general, the Emperors cannot truly be described as "de jure" rulers (nominally the Emperor was merely primus inter pares), and many were not "de facto" rulers either (Emperors were frequently themselves figureheads for powerful bureaucrats, functionaries, women, and generals).

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See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Emperador romano para niños

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