Different ways to address an emperor

[Jo Zebedee]

But you know, Ace has a point. No matter how humourous you want it, there has to be a sense of what is possible and lines that cannot be crossed, otherwise it makes the title, and your world farcical. So oh great one in private between friends but sir ( because ofthe military line of command in mine) or Emperor/ liege/ whatever in public.

 

[allmywires]

Oh yeah, I mean, he's not going to say it to his face, especially now as he's been taken under his wing for employ. It's more for his mockery of the imperial guards, etc, who aren't so powerful.

 

[Abernovo]

Okay, you want to keep it real, so no silly names to their faces (behind their backs a completely different matter, so long as you don't get caught), but remember that some royalty, emperors and even nobility have different titles.

Queen Victoria was Her Majesty in Britain and Ireland, but in other parts of the empire, she was Her Imperial Majesty. HRH Charles, Prince of Wales, is also the Duke of Cornwall, but in Scotland, his official senior title is HRH Charles, Duke of Rothesay. He also has lesser titles.

So, he might be His Imperial Highness, X, followed by 'lord of all he surveys' (or whatever the official flattery is, such as Defender of the Faith). But, depending upon where he is, and who's attending him, he might also be His Majesty, Hereditary Prince-Elect of the Faraway Islands, Lord of the Sceptred Isles.

Or, my sovereign.

Or, Bob, to his mother (despite the name change to Ferdinando on his coronation).

 

[Gumboot]

If this is an underling trying to curry favour with the soon-to-be Emperor, I think a good start is to introduce a sense of a special relationship, so instead of "Your Highness" (as you might normally address a Prince) it might be "My Prince".

I think it comes down to how formalised the titles are. In the good ole times of yore, leaders tended to adopt whatever titles they felt like adopting. Look at the mess Alexander the Great had when he became Pharaoh and tried to get his Macedonians to display the same gestures and titles of respect as his Egyptian and Persian underlings.

If it's less formalised, there's more room for sniveling, sarcasm, and boot-licking, as each underling tries to out-do the other with the over-the-top addresses. In a more formalised institution, saying anything except the exact appropriate title might get you in serious trouble. For example, if an underling over plays his cards and addresses the prince using the Emperor's titles before his father has died, said loyal son might view this as an act of treason against his father and have said underling executed.

 

[MstrTal]

"Light of Heaven"
"Jade Dragon' (That one is Chinese I believe)
"Immortal Lord" (Depending on your cultural build)
"Great One'
"Holiness" (If the Emperor also acts as a form of divinity or carries the "Mandate of Heaven")
"Sword of (Insert Title/Divenity here)"

Historically Emperors were also refereed to by any titles they may have held. Real or inherited. An example would be the Japanese Emperors being the "Son of Morning" as they are believed to be the earthly descendants of Amaterasu the Japanese Kami (high Goddess) of Light/Sun.

Of course in the reverse you have examples like Genghis Khan who eschewed titles though he was nominally a great warlord and emperor himself simply allowing himself to be referred to as Khan.

 

[Ursa major]

I've heard Madge used for the Queen (it is obviously a contraction of Majesty), so couldn't one-behind-the-back version of Imperial Majesty by Madge the Imp (or just the Imp, if you don't mind a comparison with Tyrion from ASoIaF)?

 

[The Ace]

Funny, despite being the Supreme Head of the Church of England, and equal in rank to the Pope(the Archbishop of Canterbury, 'His Eminence,' does the actual work) Her Majesty has never expressed the wish to be particularly holy.

 

[MstrTal]

English Royalty may not have expressed the wish, in recent centuries or maybe even ever not sure, to be viewed as particularly holy but in other cultures things are and have been viewed differently. As with my Japanese example previously. Before it's disbandment at the hands of the US Armed Forces and the Allies post WW2 Japan's official religion was State Shinto with the Emperor at its head.

At that time in Japanese history the Emperor was not only viewed as the head of Church and State but divinity incarnate. While no longer "officially" sanctioned as a form of living god or Kami there are still many who hold the belief that the seated Japanese Emperor = Kami or divine. So while uncommon one may still address the Japanese Emperor as one would a Japanese God and not get to many funny looks.

Unless of course your a Gaijin.

 

[Mischov]

"Oh great prince whose brilliance holds back the tides of darkness"?
"Most magnificent majesty"?
"Emperor-son"?
"Sire"?

 

[Phyrebrat]

Your Nakedness?

pH

 

[Alex The G and T]

Your Eminence

Your holiness.

She Who Must Be Obeyed. (Usually reserved for one's daughters, especially from a male perspective.)