Deutscher Kaiser

Deutscher Kaiser, a term used in the Middle Ages to denote ‘der Deutsche König und Römische Kaiser’ (see Deutscher König and Deutsches Reich, Altes). Strictly speaking, ‘Deutscher Kaiser’ was applicable only to those medieval German kings who were crowned emperor by the Pope at Rome. The title ceased with the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806 (see Heiliges Römisches Reich). In 1871 ‘Deutscher Kaiser’ became the designation of the head of the new German empire, an office vested hereditarily in the king of Prussia. This title lapsed with the abdication of Wilhelm II in 1918.