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 the Habsburg dynasty. With the Unification of Germany (aside from Austria) in 1871, there was some debate about the exact title for the monarch of those German territories (such as free imperial cities, principalities, duchies, and kingdoms) that agreed to unify under the leadership of Prussia, thereby forming the new German Empire. The first Kaiser himself preferred either "Kaiser von Deutschland" ("Emperor of Germany") or "Kaiser der Deutschen" ("Emperor of the Germans"). In the end, his chancellor Bismarck's choice "Deutscher Kaiser" ("German Emperor") was adopted as it simply connoted that the new emperor, hearkening from Prussia, was a German, but