RichyCapy at 08:23, 21 March 2026

2026-03-21T08:23:02Z

New page

{{short description|Title used by British monarchs from 1876 to 1948}}
{{about|the British title|other rulers considered emperors in the Indian subcontinent|List of Indian monarchs|the British battleship|HMS Emperor of India|the Indian title|Emperor of Hindustan}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox former monarchy
| royal_title = Emperor
| native_name = ''Kaisar-i-Hind''
| coatofarms = Star-of-India-gold-centre.svg
| coatofarmscaption = The [[Star of India (flag)#Emblem|Star of India]]
| realm = India
| border = imperial
| image = King George VI LOC matpc.14736 (cleaned).jpg
| image_size =
| alt =
| caption = '''Last to reign [[George VI]]''' 11 December 1936 – 15 August 1947
| first_monarch = [[Queen Victoria|Victoria]]
| last_monarch = [[George VI]] (continued as [[List of heads of state of India#Monarch of India (1947–1950)|monarch of India]] and [[Monarchy of Pakistan|Pakistan]])
| began = 1 May 1876
| ended = 22 June 1948
}}

'''Emperor''' (or '''Empress''') '''of India''' was a title used by [[British monarch]]s from 1 May 1876 (with the [[Royal Titles Act 1876]]) to 22 June 1948<ref name="gazette1948-06-22a">{{London Gazette |issue=38330 |date=22 June 1948 |page=3647}} Royal Proclamation of 22 June 1948, made in accordance with the [http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1947/30/pdfs/ukpga_19470030_en.pdf Indian Independence Act 1947, 10 & 11 GEO. 6. CH. 30.] ('Section 7: ...(2)The assent of the Parliament of the United Kingdom is hereby given to the omission from the Royal Style and Titles of the words " Indiae Imperator " and the words " Emperor of India " and to the issue by His Majesty for that purpose of His Royal Proclamation under the Great Seal of the Realm.'). According to this Royal Proclamation, the King retained the [[Style of the British sovereign#Styles of British sovereigns|style and titles]] 'George VI by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, Ireland and the British Dominions beyond the Seas King, Defender of the Faith'</ref><ref name="Act1947">''[[Indian Independence Act 1947]]'' (10 & 11 Geo. 6. c. 30)</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=David Kenneth Fieldhouse |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nZHdAZDr-kYC&pg=PA37 |title=Select Documents on the Constitutional History of the British Empire and Commonwealth: Settler self-government, 1840–1900 |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |year=1985 |isbn=978-0-313-27326-1 |page=37}}</ref> to signify their sovereignty over the [[British Indian Empire]] as its imperial [[head of state]]. The image of the Emperor or Empress appeared on [[Indian currency]], in government buildings, railway stations, courts, on statues, etc. Oaths of allegiance were made to the Emperor or Empress and the lawful successors by the [[Viceroy and Governor-General of India|governors-general]], [[Princely State|princes]], governors, [[Chief Commissioner's Province|commissioners]] in India in events such as [[imperial durbar]]s.

The title was abolished on 22 June 1948, with the [[Indian Independence Act 1947]], under which [[George VI]] made a [[royal proclamation]] that the words "Emperor of India" were to be omitted in [[styles of address]] and from [[customary title]]s. This was almost a year after he became the [[titular head]] of the newly [[partition of India|partitioned]] and independent dominions of [[Dominion of India|India]] and [[Dominion of Pakistan|Pakistan]] in 1947. These were abolished upon the establishment of the [[Republic of India]] in 1950 and the [[Islamic Republic of Pakistan]] in 1956.

==History==

{{See also|Style of the British sovereign}}

[[File:Victoria Disraeli cartoon.jpg|thumb|left|upright|''New Crowns for Old'': Disraeli and Victoria in a cartoon mimicking a scene in [[Aladdin]] where lamps are exchanged. She made him [[Earl of Beaconsfield]] at this time.<ref>{{cite book |author=Harold E. Raugh |title=The Victorians at War, 1815–1914: An Encyclopedia of British Military History |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HvE_Pa_ZlfsC&pg=PA122 |year=2004 |publisher=[[ABC-Clio]] |page=122 |isbn=9781576079256 }}</ref>]]

After the nominal [[Mughal emperor]] [[Bahadur Shah Zafar]] was deposed at the conclusion of the [[Indian Rebellion of 1857]] (10 May 1857 – 1 November 1858), the government of the [[United Kingdom]] decided to transfer control of [[British India]] and the [[princely state]]s from the mercantile [[East India Company]] (EIC) to [[British Crown|the Crown]], thus marking the beginning of the [[British Raj]]. The EIC [[East India Stock Dividend Redemption Act 1873|was officially dissolved on 1 June 1874]], and the [[British prime minister]], [[Benjamin Disraeli]], decided to offer [[Queen Victoria]] the title "Empress of India" shortly afterwards. Victoria accepted this style on 1 May 1876. The first [[Delhi Durbar]] (which served as an imperial coronation) was held in her honour eight months later on 1 January 1877.<ref>L. A. Knight, "The Royal Titles Act and India", ''The Historical Journal'', Cambridge University Press, Vol. 11, No. 3 (1968), pp. 488–489.</ref>

[[File:ImperialCrownOfIndia2.jpg|thumb|The [[Imperial Crown of India]]]]

The idea of having Queen Victoria proclaimed Empress of India was not particularly new, as [[Edward Law, 1st Earl of Ellenborough|Lord Ellenborough]] had already suggested it in 1843 upon becoming the [[governor-general of India]]. By 1874, [[Major General (United Kingdom)|Major-General]] [[Sir Henry Ponsonby]], the Queen's private secretary, had ordered English charters to be scrutinised for imperial titles, with [[Edgar the Peaceful|Edgar]] and [[Stephen, King of England|Stephen]] mentioned as sound precedents. The Queen, possibly irritated by the sallies of the republicans, the tendency to democracy, and the realisation that her influence was manifestly on the decline, was urging the move.<ref name="Knight 489">L. A. Knight, p. 489.</ref> Another factor may have been that the Queen's first child, [[Victoria, Princess Royal|Victoria]], was married to [[Frederick III, German Emperor|Frederick]], the heir apparent to the [[German Empire]]. Upon becoming empress, she would outrank her mother.<ref>{{cite web |title=Remembering Vicky, the Queen Britain never had |url=https://www.newstatesman.com/ideas/2013/07/remembering-vicky-queen-britain-never-had |work=[[New Statesman]] |date=10 June 2021 }}</ref> By January 1876, the Queen's insistence was so great that Benjamin Disraeli felt that he could procrastinate no longer.<ref name="Knight 489" /> Initially, Victoria had considered the style "Empress of Great Britain, Ireland, and India", but Disraeli had persuaded the Queen to limit the title to India in order to avoid controversy.<ref>L. A. Knight, p. 488.</ref> Hence, the title ''Kaisar-i-Hind'' was coined in 1876 by the orientalist [[G.W. Leitner]] as the official imperial title for the British monarch in India.<ref>B.S. Cohn, "Representing Authority in Victorian India", in E. Hobsbawm and T. Ranger (eds.), ''The Invention of Tradition'' (1983), 165–209, esp. 201-2.</ref> The term ''Kaisar-i-Hind'' means emperor of India in the vernacular of the Hindi and Urdu languages. The word ''kaisar'', meaning 'emperor', is a derivative of the Roman imperial title {{lang|it|[[caesar (title)|caesar]]}} (via [[Persian language|Persian]] and [[Ottoman Turkish]] – see {{lang|ota-Latn|[[Kaiser-i-Rum]]}}), and is cognate with the German title {{lang|de|[[Kaiser]]}}, which was borrowed from the Latin at an earlier date.<ref>See [[Michael Witzel|Witzel, Michael]], "Autochthonous Aryans? The Evidence from Old Indian and Iranian Texts", p. 29, 12.1 [http://www.ejvs.laurasianacademy.com/ejvs0703/ejvs0703article.pdf PDF] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130523094912/http://www.ejvs.laurasianacademy.com/ejvs0703/ejvs0703article.pdf|date=23 May 2013}}</ref>

Many in the United Kingdom, however, regarded the assumption of the title as an obvious development from the [[Government of India Act 1858]], which resulted in the founding of British India, ruled directly by [[the Crown]]. The public were of the opinion that the title of "queen" was no longer adequate for the ceremonial ruler of what was often referred to informally as the "Indian Empire". The new styling underlined the fact that the native states were no longer a mere agglomeration but a collective entity.<ref>L. A. Knight, pp. 491, 496</ref>

[[File:George V Signature.svg|thumb|George V's signature with the initials {{lang|la|R I}} ({{lang|la|Rex Imperator}})]]

[[File:Epreuve de 1 cent en laiton représentant un rameau d' érable.jpg|thumb|A Canadian 1-cent coin with the inscription {{lang|la|Ind. Imp.}} ({{lang|la|Indiae Imperator}})']]

When [[Edward VII]] ascended to the throne on 22 January 1901, he continued the imperial tradition laid down by his mother, Queen Victoria, by adopting the title Emperor of India. Three subsequent British monarchs followed in his footsteps, and the title continued to be used after India and Pakistan had become independent on 15 August 1947. It was not until 22 June 1948 that the style was officially abolished.<ref name="Act1947" />

The first emperor to visit India was [[George V]]. For his imperial coronation ceremony at the [[Delhi Durbar]], the [[Imperial Crown of India]] was created. The Crown weighs {{convert|920|g|lb|abbr=on}} and is set with 6,170 diamonds, 9 emeralds, 4 rubies, and 4 sapphires. At the front is a very fine emerald weighing {{convert|32|carat|g}}.<ref>{{cite book |author=Edward Francis Twining |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XvIOAQAAMAAJ |title=A History of the Crown Jewels of Europe |publisher=B. T. Batsford |year=1960 |page=169 |asin=B00283LZA6 |author-link=Edward Twining}}</ref> The King wrote in his diary that it was heavy and uncomfortable to wear: "Rather tired after wearing my crown for {{frac|3|1|2}} hours; it hurt my head, as it is pretty heavy."<ref>{{cite book |last=Brooman |first=Josh |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JyWgAAAAMAAJ |title=The World Since 1900 |publisher=Longman |year=1989 |isbn=0-5820-0989-8 |edition=3rd |page=96}}</ref>

The title "Emperor of India" did not disappear when British India became the [[Dominion of India|Union of India]] (1947–1950) and [[Dominion of Pakistan]] (1947–1952) after independence in 1947. George VI retained the title until 22 June 1948, the date of a Royal Proclamation<ref name="RP">{{London Gazette |issue=38330 |date=22 June 1948 |page=3647}}</ref> made in accordance with Section 7 (2) of the [[Indian Independence Act 1947]], reading: "The assent of the Parliament of the United Kingdom is hereby given to the omission from the Royal Style and Titles of the words {{lang|la|Indiae Imperator}} and the words "Emperor of India" and to the issue by His Majesty for that purpose of His Royal Proclamation under the Great Seal of the Realm."<ref>[http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1947/30/pdfs/ukpga_19470030_en.pdf Indian Independence Act 1947], Section 7 (2)</ref> Thereafter, George VI remained monarch of Pakistan until his death in 1952, and of India until it became the [[India|Republic of India]] on 26 January 1950.

[[British coins]], as well as those of the [[British Empire|Empire]] and the [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]], had routinely included the abbreviated title {{lang|la|Ind. Imp}}. Coins in India, on the other hand, had the word ''empress'', and later ''[[king-emperor]]'' in English. The title appeared on coinage in the United Kingdom throughout 1948, with a further Royal Proclamation made on 22 December under the [[Coinage Act 1870]] to omit the abbreviated title.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=38487|date=24 December 1948|page=6665}}</ref>

==List of title-holders==

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
!Portrait
!Name
!Birth
!Reign
!Death
!Consort
![[Imperial Durbar]]
![[Royal House]]
|-
|[[File:Queen Victoria by Bassano.jpg|120px]]
|[[Queen Victoria|Victoria]]
|24 May 1819
|1 May 1876 – 22 January 1901
|22 January 1901
|''None''{{efn|Victoria's husband [[Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha|Prince Albert]] died on 14 December 1861.}}
|[[Delhi Durbar#Durbar of 1877|1 January 1877]] (''represented by [[Robert Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Earl of Lytton|Lord Lytton]]'')
|[[House of Hanover|Hanover]]
|-
|[[File:Eduard VII.jpg|120px]]
|{{Nowrap|[[Edward VII]]}}
|9 November 1841
|22 January 1901 – 6 May 1910
|6 May 1910
|[[File:Queen Alexandra Portrait 1913.jpg|70px]]
[[Alexandra of Denmark]]
|[[Delhi Durbar#Durbar of 1903|1 January 1903]] (''represented by [[George Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston|Lord Curzon]]'')
|[[House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha|Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]]
|-
|[[File:King George 1923 LCCN2014715558 (cropped).jpg|120px]]
|[[George V]]
|3 June 1865
|6 May 1910 – 20 January 1936
|20 January 1936
|[[File:Queenmaryformalportrait edit3.jpg|70px]]
[[Mary of Teck]]
|[[Delhi Durbar#Durbar of 1911|12 December 1911]]
|Saxe-Coburg and Gotha {{small|(1910–1917)}} <hr />[[House of Windsor|Windsor]] {{small|(1917–1936)}}
|-
|[[File:HRH The Prince of Wales No 4 (HS85-10-36416).jpg|120px]]
|{{Nowrap|[[Edward VIII]]}}
|23 June 1894
|20 January 1936 – 11 December 1936
|28 May 1972
|''None''
|''None''{{efn|[[Abdication of Edward VIII|Edward VIII abdicated]] after less than one year of reign.}}
|Windsor
|-
|[[File:King George VI LOC matpc.14736 A (cropped).jpg|120px]]
|[[George VI]]
|14 December 1895
|11 December 1936 – 15 August 1947
|6 February 1952
|[[File:Queen Elizabeth - NARA - 5730844.jpg|70px]]
[[Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon]]
|''None''{{efn|A durbar was deemed expensive and impractical due to [[Poverty in India#Poverty prevalence and estimates|poverty]] and demands for [[Indian independence movement|independence]].<ref>{{Citation|last=Vickers|first=Hugo|title=Elizabeth: The Queen Mother|publisher=Arrow Books/Random House|year=2006|page=175|isbn=978-0-09-947662-7}}</ref>}}
|Windsor
|}

==See also==
*[[Indian independence movement]]
*[[Kaisar-i-Hind Medal]]

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Emperors of India}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Emperor of India}}
[[Category:Monarchy of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Emperors of India| ]]
[[Category:Heads of state of India]]
[[Category:Bangladesh and the Commonwealth of Nations]]
[[Category:India and the Commonwealth of Nations]]
[[Category:Pakistan and the Commonwealth of Nations]]
[[Category:United Kingdom and the Commonwealth of Nations]]
[[Category:Imperial titles]]
[[Category:Commonwealth royal styles]]

Emperor of India - Revision history

RichyCapy at 08:23, 21 March 2026