German Emperor
The German Emperor (German: Deutscher Kaiser, pronounced [ˈdɔʏtʃɐ ˈkaɪzɐ] ⓘ) was the official title of the head of state and hereditary ruler of the German Empire. A specifically chosen term, it was introduced with the 1 January 1871 constitution and lasted until the official abdication of Wilhelm II on 9 November 1918.[1] The Holy Roman Emperor is sometimes also called "German Emperor" when the historical context is clear, as derived from the Holy Roman Empire's official name of "Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation" from 1512.
This article is about the emperors of the German Empire. For a full list of German monarchs before 1871, see List of German monarchs.Emperor of the German Empire
1 January 1871
28 November 1918
Hereditary
Following the revolution of 1918, the head of state was the president of the Reich (German: Reichspräsident), beginning with Friedrich Ebert.
German Empire (1848–1849)[edit]
In the wake of the revolutions of 1848 and during the German Empire (1848–1849), King Frederick Wilhelm IV of Prussia was offered the title "Emperor of the Germans" (German: Kaiser der Deutschen) by the Frankfurt Parliament in 1849, but declined it as "not the Parliament's to give". Frederick Wilhelm believed that only the German princes had the right to make such an offer, in accordance with the traditions of the Holy Roman Empire.