Titles and emblems of the German Emperor after 1873

Lore & Background

The titles and coats of arms of the German Emperors were last fixed in 1873, but the titles did not necessarily mean that the area was really dominated. Parallel to the large, mid-sized, and small coats of arms of Prussia, new titles were introduced for the King of Prussia in 1817: the large title, the mid-length title, and the short title. The decree of 16 August 1873 defined the great, mid-sized, and small coats of arms and corresponding titles, not a mere selection. The title 'Tupu Sili' of Samoa was a local honorific used by the German governor, not by the Emperor himself.

Reader's Guide

The significance of the titles and emblems of the German Emperor after 1873 lies in their formal codification of imperial authority, even though the titles did not always reflect actual territorial control. The great title included designations such as King of Prussia, Margrave of Brandenburg, Count of Hohenzollern, Sovereign and Supreme Duke of Silesia as well as the County of Glatz, Grand Duke of the Lower Rhine and Posen, Duke of Saxony, and Duke of Westphalia. These titles reflected historical acquisitions and claims, such as the transformation of the Teutonic Order into the Duchy of Prussia, the Hohenzollern acquisition of Brandenburg, and the Prussian annexation of Silesia and parts of Saxony. The legacy of this system is that it preserved a complex hierarchy of titles that acknowledged both historical and contemporary political realities, while also allowing for additional titles like 'Tupu Sili' of Samoa, showing the global reach of the empire.

Did You Know?

• The titles did not necessarily mean that the area was really dominated, and sometimes several princes bore the same title.
• The title 'Tupu Sili' of Samoa was a local honorific used by the German governor, not by the German Emperor.
• The great title included 'Count of Hohenzollern', a title granted by Emperor Leopold I in 1685.
• The King of Prussia already held the title 'Duke of Saxony' before the Congress of Vienna, where Prussia annexed about half (not three-fifths) of Saxony.