Traditional rank amongst European imperiality, royalty, peers, and nobility is rooted in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages. Although they vary over time and among geographic regions (for example, one region's prince might be equal to another's grand duke), the following is a reasonably comprehensive list that provides information on both general ranks and specific differences. Distinction should be made between reigning (or formerly reigning) families and the nobility – the latter being a social class subject to and created by the former.
Sovereign
The word monarch is derived from the Greek , monárkhēs, "sole ruler" (from , mónos, "single" or "sole", and , árkhōn, "archon", "leader", "ruler", "chief", the word being the present participle of the verb , árkhein, "to rule", "to lead", this from the noun , arkhē, "beginning", "authority", "principle") through the Latinized form . The word sovereign is derived from the Latin ("above"). Autocrat is derived from the Greek : ("self") and ("to hold power"), and may be translated as "one who rules by himself."
Many titles listed may also be used by lesser nobles – non-sovereigns – depending on the historical period and state. The sovereign titles listed below are grouped together into categories roughly according to their degree of dignity; these being: imperial (Emperor/Empress, etc.), royal (King/Queen, Grand Duke, etc.), others (sovereign Prince, sovereign Duke, etc.), and religious.
Imperial titles Emperor (in English), (in Portuguese), (in Spanish), (in Italian), Împărat (in Romanian), and (in French), from the Latin , was originally a military title. Soldiers would salute the leader of a victorious army as ''. In English, the feminine form is Empress (the Latin is ). The realm of an emperor or empress is termed an Empire. Other words meaning Emperor include: Augustus, a Roman honorific title which means "venerable" or "majestic", used by Roman Emperors from the beginning of the Empire onwards. The feminine form is Augusta. Caesar, the appellation of Roman emperors derived from the Roman dictator Julius Caesar, whose great-nephew and adopted son Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus became the first emperor of Rome. Augustus' four successors were each made the adoptive son of his predecessor, and were therefore legally entitled to use "Caesar" as a constituent of their names; after Nero, however, the familial link of the Julio-Claudian dynasty was disrupted and use of the word Caesar continued as a title only. Kaiser, derived from Caesar, primarily used in Germanic countries. The feminine form in German is Kaiserin. Tsar / Tzar / Csar / Czar, derived as shortened variant of the Slavic pronunciation of Caesar (tsyasar), the feminine form is Tsaritsa, primarily used in Bulgaria, and after that in Russia and other Slavic countries, although in English Tsarina was also sometimes used. Keizer, the Dutch word for Caesar. The Dutch and Portuguese gave the rulers of Sonbai the title of "emperor" (keizer, imperador). Kaysar-i Rûm, claimed by the Ottoman monarchs Basileus kai Autokrator, Medieval Greek title meaning "sovereign and autocrat", used by the Greek Byzantine Emperors from the 9th century onwards. Huēyi Tlahtloāni, the Classical Nahuatl term for the ruler of multiple , a pre-Hispanic city-state in Mesoamerica, commonly referring to the head of the Aztec Triple Alliance, or Aztec Empire. It is variously translated in English as "Great Speaker" or the equivalent to the European "great king" or "high king", though more usually as "emperor".Lockhart (2001, p.238); Schroeder (2007, p.3). See also the entry for "TLAHTOANI" , in Wimmer (2006) Sapa Inca, The Sapa Inca (Hispanicized spelling) or Sapa Inka (Quechua for "the only Inca"), also known as Apu ("divinity"), Inka Qhapaq ("mighty Inca"), or simply Sapa ("the only one"), was the ruler of the Kingdom of Cusco and, later, the monarch of the Tawantinsuyu (called Inca Empire by historians) and the Neo-Inca State. Samrat, (Sanskrit: samrāt or ) is an ancient Indian title meaning "king of all lands".The Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary, Vaman Shivaram Apte The feminine form is Samrājñī ("queen of all lands"). Chakravarti, the universal monarch in the Indian cultural sphere. The feminine form is Chakravartini. Chakravartigal, the equivalent of the northern Chakravartin. Used by the emperors of the Chola Empire. Tribhuvana-Chakravartin, literally "emperor of the three worlds", used by the Cholas Cakkavattin, Pali for Chakravartin. Claimed by the Siamese, Khmer, Lao, and Burmese monarchs. Chakkaphat, the Thai/Lao version of Cakkavattin 轉輪王 ("wheel-turning king") or 轉輪聖王 ("wheel-turning sacred king"), the Chinese characters for Chakravarti, used in East Asia 金輪王 or 金輪聖王, meaning "cakravartin of the golden wheel", used by the Chinese empress Wu Zetian, the Japanese emperor Go-Daigo, the Goryeo monarchs of Korea, etc. Emperor Manjushri, one of the titles for the Qing emperors. Related to the wheel-turning king (Chakravarti). Padishah, Persian pād "master" and shāh "king". Used in the Ottoman Empire and the Mughal Empire. 皇帝 is the title of emperors in East Asia. An emperor is called Huángdì in Chinese, Hwangje in Korean, Hoàng đế in Vietnamese, and Kōtei in Japanese, but these are all just their respective pronunciations of the Chinese characters 皇帝. Huangdi (皇帝), the Imperial monarch during Imperial China. Da Huangdi (大皇帝), literally "great emperor", one of the titles for the Qing emperors Hwangje (황제; 皇帝), title used for emperors of the Korean Empire Seonghwang (성황; 聖皇), literally "holy emperor", one of the titles for the rulers of the Goryeo. It is a combination of 聖 (seong), meaning "holy", and 皇, an abbreviation of 皇帝 (hwangje). Hoàng đế (皇帝), Vietnamese, meaning "emperor" Kōtei (), Japanese title primarily used for emperors of other nations (e.g. Rome, Russia, China, Germany). Tennō refers only to an emperor of Japan, whereas kōtei refers to an emperor of any country. Tennō (), meaning "heavenly emperor", title used for emperors of Japan. It is a combination of 天 (ten), meaning "heavenly", and 皇, an abbreviation of 皇帝 (kōtei). Mikado (帝), the traditional title for Tennō. 帝 (mikado) is an abbreviation of 皇帝 (kōtei). King of Kings, the style of monarchic title used in a number of empires Khagan, derived from "khan of khans", used by the Central Asian nomads. The feminine form is Khatun. Tian Kehan (天可汗), meaning "heavenly khagan", given to Tang Taizong and Tang Gaozong by Turkic nomads Šar Šarrāni, Akkadian for "king of kings" Shahanshah, Persian title equivalent of the style King of Kings, meaning "shah of shahs". Used by Persian/Iranian monarchs. Sulṭānü's-Selāṭīn, the sultanic equivalent of the style King of Kings, meaning "Sultan of Sultans". Basileus Basileōn, Ancient Greek title meaning "king of kings", used by Alexander the Great after the similar title of the Achaemenid dynasty of Persia. A translation from Ancient Persian Shahanshah. Nəgusä Nägäst, title of the rulers of Ethiopia, meaning "king of kings". Ark'ayits Ark'a, Արքայից Արքայ, Armenian for "king of kings" Mepe-Mepeta, მეფეთა მეფე, Georgian for "king of kings" Rajadhiraja, Sanskrit for "king of kings" Maharajadhiraja, meaning "great king of kings", used by the emperors of the Gupta Empire. In ancient India it was an imperial title, but it later became a royal title. Paramabhattaraka-Maharajadhiraja-Paramesvara, a standard formula of imperial dignity in India. The feminine form is Paramabhattarika-Maharajadhiraja-Paramesvari. Malik al-Muluk, Arabic title meaning "king of kings"
Royal titles
King, from the Germanic *kuningaz, roughly meaning "son of the people." (See: Germanic kingship) The realm of a king is termed a kingdom (sovereign kings are ranked above vassal kings). The female equivalent is queen, with a distinction between queen regnant and queen consort, from the Germanic *kwoeniz, or *kwenon, "wife"; cognate of Greek γυνή, gynē, "woman"; from PIE *gʷḗn, "woman". Regardless of a ruler's sex, their realm is known as a kingdom. Rex, Latin for king, the feminine form is Regina. Rei (in Portuguese and Catalan), Rey (in Spanish), Re (in Italian), Roi (in French), Rege (in Romanian) - Derived from Latin Rex, meaning "ruler". Rex is cognate with Raja, Rí, Reign, Regina, Arqa (Armenian Արքա), etc. Basileus, from Mycenaean Greek meaning "chieftain", used by various Ancient Greek rulers. Bretwalda, title given to some of the rulers of Anglo-Saxon kingdoms from the 5th century onwards who had achieved overlordship of some or all of the other Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. Arka or Arqa (Արքա) is a royal title (king) in Great Armenia and various Kingdoms of Armenia. Another used name was Tagavor or Thagawor, which also appeared later in Cilician Armenia. Melech, Hebrew word for king. The word for queen is Malka. 王 is the title of kings in East Asia. A king is called Wáng in Chinese, Wang in Korean, Vương in Vietnamese, and Ō in Japanese, but these are all just their respective pronunciations of the Chinese character 王. Wáng (王), the head of state of Ancient China. In ancient China it was a royal title, but later became a princely title. (霸王), meaning "Hegemon-King" Tian Wang (天王), meaning "heavenly king" (異姓王), meaning "different surnamed king/prince". This title was granted to subjects as a peerage. Wang (왕; 王), Korean, meaning "king" Daewang (대왕; 大王), Korean title meaning "great king" Taewang (태왕; 太王), literally "greatest king", a Korean title for the rulers of the Goguryeo Seongwang (성왕; 聖王), meaning "holy king", used by the Balhae monarchs Sinseongjewang (신성제왕; 神聖帝王), literally "holy emperor-king", one of the titles for the rulers of the Goryeo Vương (王), Vietnamese, meaning "king". In ancient Vietnam it was a royal title, but later became a princely title. Đại vương (大王), Vietnamese, meaning "great king/prince" Ō (王), Japanese, meaning "king", or "sovereign". Also the title for the rulers of the Wakoku. In ancient Japan it was a royal title, but later became a princely title. The female title is Joō (女王). Okimi (大王), Japanese title meaning "great king" Król (in Polish) Král (in Czech), Király (in Hungarian), Король (in Russian and Ukrainian), Кароль (in Belarusian), Краљ / Kralj (in Croatian and Serbian), Крал (in Bulgarian), Crai (in Romanian), Korol – Derived from Old East Slavic Король king, used in Kazakh, Tatar, and Kyrgyz languages. The korol, krol, kral, крал and kiraly versions used in Central Europe and Eastern Europe derive from the name of Charlemagne. Tsenpo, also known as Ihase or "Divine Son", was the title of the monarchs of Tibet. Chanyu, short for Chengli Gutu Chanyu (撐犁孤塗單于) was a title used by supreme nomadic rulers of Inner Asia. Meaning "Son of Heaven, Ruler of the North", it was later superseded by the title Khagan. Rí, Gaelic title meaning king, of which there were several grades, the highest being Ard Rí (high king). Cognate with Indian Raja, Latin Rex, and ancient Gaulish Rix. Arasan (அரசன்), Vēndhar (வேந்தர்), Kō (கோ) are the various titles referring to the King in Tamil. Raja, Sanskrit, later Hindustani, for "king". Cognate with Latin Rex, Irish Rí, Armenian Arqa, etc. The female equivalent is Rani. The Filipino feminine equivalent is Hara. Devaraja, literally "god king". A title in the Khmer Empire and throughout Java Raya, a regional variation of Raja. Devaraya, literally "god king", used by the Vijayanagara monarchs Rai, a regional variation of Raja. Rao, a regional variation of Raja. Rana, a regional variation of Raja. Rawal, a regional variation of Raja. Racha / Rachini written in Thai as ราชา or ราชินี. deriving from the Sanskrit राज (rāja, "king"). King is ราชา (Racha), Queen is ราชินี (Rachini). Typically refer to the person, not necessary a title. Khosi a king in Lesotho, Botswana and other Sotho speaking communities.