Lists of emperors

Emperors of traditional empires

Ancient empires

• Persian Empire —see List of kings of Persia
• Hellenistic Empire —see Alexander the Great and Diadochi
• Mauryan Empire —see Mauryan dynasty
• Imperial China —see Table of Chinese monarchs
• Funan —see List of Kings of Cambodia
• Roman Empire —see List of Roman Emperors
• Ethiopian Empire —see Emperor of Ethiopia, Rulers and heads of state of Ethiopia, and Kings of Axum

  Middle Ages

Western and Byzantine traditions

• Byzantine Empire —see List of Byzantine Emperors—and its rival & split-offs,
• *Latin Empire of Constantinople
• *Empire of Nicaea —"Byzantine Empire" in exile during the rule of the "Latin Empire" over Constantinople.
• *Empire of Trebizond —Another split of the "Byzantine Empire"
• *Empire of Thessalonica —Offshoot of the Despotate of Epirus, reduced to vassal status of other powers after 1230
• Ottoman Empire —see Ottoman dynasty
• Carolingian Empire
• Holy Roman Empire —see List of Holy Roman Emperors
• West Francia –see List of French monarchs
• Bulgaria —see List of Bulgarian monarchs
• Serbia —see Emperor of Serbia
• Muscovy —see List of Russian rulers—continued in Imperial Russia from 1721

  Asian

• Persian Empire —see List of kings of Persia
• Japan —see Emperor of Japan and List of Emperors of Japan
• Korean Empire —see Emperor of Korea
• Chola Empire —see List of Tamil monarchs
• Chenla —see List of Kings of Cambodia
• The first ruler of Vietnam to take the title of Emperor was the founder of the Dinh Dynasty, Dinh Bo Linh, in the year AD 966—see List of Vietnamese dynasties
• Khmer Empire —see List of Kings of Cambodia

• Ottoman Empire —see Ottoman dynasty
• Mongol Empire —see List of Mongol Khans
• Mughal Empire —see List of Mughal emperors
• Durrani Empire
• Talpur dynasty

  Americas

• Aztec Empire —see Hueyi Tlatoani
• Inca Empire —see Sapa Inca

  Pre-modern Empire

• Spanish Empire was the first world-wide empire in history, with its :es:Imperio_español#/media/File:Imperio_Español_Completo.svg|maximum expansion between 1520 and 1700 reaching 31 million square kilometers
• Austrian Empire, 1804–1867 and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, 1867–1918 as Emperor of Austria
• British Empire de jure 1877–1947
• *India
• Third Bulgarian Tsardom —see list of Bulgarian monarchs
• Empire of Brazil —see Brazilian imperial family
• France: —see Emperor of the French
• *First French Empire
• *Second French Empire
• German Empire
• Russian Empire —see list of Russian rulers

  Emperors of short-lived "empires"

• Emperor Jacques I of the Empire of Haiti
• Emperor Augustine of the first Mexican Empire
• Emperor Faustin I of the Empire of Haiti
• Emperor Maximilian of the second Mexican Empire
• Emperors Sunjong and Gojong of the Korean Empire
• The Hongxian Emperor of the Empire of China
• Emperor Puyi of the Empire of Manchuria
• Emperor Bảo Đại of the Empire of Vietnam
• Emperor Bokassa I of the Central African Empire

  Self-proclaimed "emperors"

• Simeon Uroš, "Emperor of Serbs and Greeks", in reality Despot of Epirus and Thessaly
• John Uroš, "Emperor of Serbs and Greeks", in reality Despot of Thessaly
• Jovan Nenad, "Emperor of Serbs"
• Paul of Smederevo, "Serb Emperor"
• Joshua Abraham Norton “Emperor of the United States of America”

  Fictional emperors

• Galactic Empire
• Emperor Sheev Palpatine of the First Galactic Empire
• Emperor Karl Franz, of the Empire of the Warhammer Fantasy franchise