Kaiser the emperors of the German Empire and the emperors of the Austrian Empire. During the First World War, anti-German sentiment was at its zenith; the term "the Kaiser"—especially as applied to Wilhelm II of Germany—thus gained considerable negative connotations in English-speaking countries. The Holy Roman Emperors (962–1806) called themselves "Kaiser", combining the imperial title with that of "King of the Romans" (assumed by the designated heir before the imperial coronation); they saw their rule as a continuation of that of the Roman Emperors and used the title derived from the title "Caesar" to reflect their supposed heritage. In 1806 the
Kaiser did not imply that this new emperor had dominion over all German territories, especially since the "Austrian Kaiser" would have been offended as Austria, inhabited by Germans, was still considered part of the German lands. There were only three Kaisers of the (second) German Empire. All of them belonged to the Hohenzollern dynasty, which, as kings of Prussia, had been de facto leaders of lesser Germany (Germany excluding Austria). In English the (untranslated) word "Kaiser" is mainly associated with the emperors of the unified German Empire (1871–1918). The Kaisers of the Austrian Empire (1804–1918) were: The Kaisers of the German