Who has the best claim to the title of Roman Emperor?

[lpetrich]

Who has the best claim to the title of Roman Emperor? - YouTube vlogger Matt Baker considers five candidates for present-day successor of the Roman Emperors.

• Jean-Christophe Napoléon
• Karl von Habsburg
• King Felipe of Spain
• Dündar Ali Osman (Ottoman)
• Andrew Romanov (Russian)

He invited several history vloggers to give their opinions before giving his.

• Napoleon: 2
• Habsburg: 2
• Spanish: 1
• Ottoman: 4
• Russian: 6

They all have various arguments. Matt Baker has a purely legal argument, from the last Byzantine Emperor willing his titles to the Spanish monarch. The Ottoman Empire's claim is from having conquered the Byzantine Empire, and the Russian one is from a dynastic marriage and continuity of the Eastern Orthodox Church, complete with Moscow being the Third Rome. The Napoleon and Habsburg ones are from Charlemagne being a successor.

[Politesse]

Saw that when it uploaded. Thought it quite a silly, self-contradicting question, as the Roman throne never strictly followed legality or bloodlines in the first place.

[Bronzeage]

I think I have as good a shot at it as anyone.

I remember the classic essay topic from European History, "The Holy Roman Empire was not Holy, was not Roman, and it was not an empire. Discuss." If anyone can claim a right to the position, it would have to come through Charlemagne, which I can do. Some of the documentation is a little sketchy, but nothing that's a deal breaker.

In any case, I'd probably have to decline. There's no lands attached to the title, so I'd be financing the Neo-Roman Empire out of my own pocket and that is a deal breaker.

[Cheerful Charlie]

The emperor of Rome is whoever the Praetorian Guard says it is. The closest we have top a Praetorian Guard would be NATO.

[Bomb#20]

Only the Senate and People Of Rome have the authority to appoint emperors. You become emperor when the Senate votes to declare you Princeps (first citizen). The only Senate currently representing the people of Rome is the Senate of Italy. It seems to me there's only one person with a plausible claim to have been voted first citizen by the Senate: Sergio Mattarella.

[Trausti]

Me! Me! Pick me!

[Tom Sawyer]

I have a half pack of Skittles and a 15% off coupon at Wendy's for anyone who'll vote for me for Roman Emperor.

[steve_bank]

Yes, bribing or promising power to the military was part of it. Was it Claudius who was slated for assassination who was saved by the military as the new leader?Selected by the representatives of the people?

That is like saying Congress represents the people. I'd say project our current politics back to Rome. Inst ed of assassinations and killing off families of rivals it is done by the wealthy and influence of money.
Emperors selected a successor who took power if he lived long enough.


The Roman senate became ineffectual and was ripe for an authoritarian takeover. Trump is an example but he is bounded by a deep cultural norm of our military staying out of politics.

The flip side is Bolivia where the military has just forced the president to resign.

[Cheerful Charlie]

Emperor East or Emperor West?

[Trausti]

Emperor East or Emperor West?

Nerd.