Caesar (title)

The Roman dictator Julius Caesar

Caesar (Latin: caesar) was one of the titles of the Roman emperor. It derives from the cognomen of Julius Caesar (Iulius Caesar), the Roman general, consul and dictator. Initially it was just a family name, but from the year of the four emperors (69) it became an imperial qualifier. During the remainder of the Imperial era, the title was used primarily to designate the emperor's designated successor, but it also formed part of the title of the reigning emperor.

The term "Caesar" It is the origin of the German title Kaiser, equivalent to 'emperor', and of the Slavic Tsar, whose translation is more ambiguous.

Meaning

The specific meaning of Caesar is highly disputed, and there are numerous legends, although it is known that in the year 208 BC. C. there was already a Sixth Julius Caesar named praetor in Sicily. In a legend from the Historia Augusta, the following is said: «The most renowned scholars and experts affirm that the first bearer of said name was called that for having killed an elephant in combat, an animal that In the Carthaginian language it is called caesai, or because it was brought into the world after the death of its mother and by an incision in its abdomen [cesarean section], or because it had thick hair [caesaries], or, finally, because it had bright gray eyes [oculis caesiis]].» The death of the elephant must have occurred in the middle of the century III a. C., during the first Punic war.

History

The first emperor, Augustus, bore this name as a symbol of his family ties to Julius Caesar (his great-uncle), who had adopted him posthumously. As of 44 B.C. C., Octavio (Gaius Octavius) was renamed Gaius Iulius Caesar, although he is usually called "Octavian" to avoid confusion. He officially appears to have used simply Gaius Caesar, and as of 42 BC. C. he began to be called divi filius (& # 34; son of the divine & # 34;). From the 27 a. C. his full name was Imperator Caesar Augustus . At that time neither party represented an official position.

The fourth emperor, Claudius, was the first to assume the name upon assuming power, without having been adopted by the previous emperor; however, he was at least a blood member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. The first emperor to assume the office and name simultaneously without any royal claim to either was Galba, who took the imperial throne under the name Servius Galba Caesar Augustus after Nero's death in the AD 68. Thereafter the name was used as a title among Roman emperors, eventually becoming synonymous with "ruler".

In the year 293, Diocletian established the so-called tetrarchy, a system of government that divided the empire into two parts, East and West, each with two "augusts" and two "Caesars". The two main emperors were named in the same way they had been named until then: Imperator Caesar NN Pius Felix Invictus Augustus, while the two lesser rulers, each adjunct and successor of an august, were named as were previous designated emperors, such as NN Nobilissimus Caesar. However, the system was soon abandoned, especially as it required the simultaneous resignation of the two Augusti for the two Caesars to assume power.

The fall of the Western Roman Empire caused the title Caesar to fall into disuse. In the Eastern Roman, or Byzantine, Empire, most emperors chose to solidify the succession of their heirs by elevating them directly to co-augusts. Therefore, the title was most often awarded to minor sons or close relatives: thus, for example, Alexios Mosele was Theophilus' son-in-law (r. 829-842), Bardas was Michael III's uncle and minister (r. 842-867), Bardas Phocas the Elder was the father of Nicephorus II (r. 963-969), etc. An exceptional case was the award of the dignity and its insignia to the Bulgarian Khan Tervel by Justinian II (r. 685 -695, 705-711) who helped him regain his throne in 705.

In the early 11th century, Alexios I Komnenos created the title Sebastocrator, a neologism that can be translated as "Majestic Ruler". This replaced Kaisar (καῖσαρ) as the second most important imperial title, first carried by Prince Isaac Komnenos. This changed again in the XII, when the title of despotes was introduced as a higher rank. One of the last "Caesars" documented was General Alejo Estrategópulo (fl. 1250-1270), who also bore the title megas domestikos, which came after Kaisar. The title declined so much that, from the 14th century, it was used primarily to refer to any foreign ruler.

Later uses

The legacy and influence of the Roman Empire caused the term "caesar" became popular throughout Europe. The name became synonymous with "monarch" in various kingdoms of Central and Eastern Europe, thus forming the title of Tsar. However, this used to be translated as "king" (instead of "emperor") by Western scribes. This is because the term "caesar" it was used in Slavic translations of the Bible to refer to monarchs in general, without distinction of rank. Consequently, titles such as Kniaz were translated as "great prince" or "grand duke", indicating a hierarchy that really only existed in Western Europe.

The first foreign ruler to use the title "caesar" it was Simeon I of Bulgaria (r. 893-927), who proclaimed himself "tsar of the Romans and Bulgars". His title was recognized by the Byzantines in 913 through a coronation outside Constantinople, although only as "tsar of the Bulgars". In this context, the title was considered equivalent to basileus. , that is, "emperor". In fact, Simeons ultimate goal was precisely to seize the throne of the Empire. Centuries later, in 1346, King Stephen Dušan (r. 1346-1355) proclaimed himself "Tsar of the Serbs and Romans", using the term basileus when using the Greek language.

Although the Holy Roman Emperors were called Kaiser in German, their correct title in Latin, the learned language of the time, was Imperator Augustus, without Caesar. In this context both terms were considered and translated as the same, that is, as "emperor".