alternatehistory.com

We get the word "emperor" from the Romans, via one of the many titles of the Caesars: "imperator". But what if there were never any Roman emperors...what generic term would have been used instead to refer to the rulers of empires? Would we have started referring to all of them as Huangdis, after the rulers of China? Or would we have instead called them Shahs after the Persians, or maybe even Khans after the Mongols? So what do you think would have become the standard imperial title had the Roman Empire never existed?
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