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 Holy Roman Empire was dissolved, but the title of Kaiser was retained by the House of Habsburg, the head of which, beginning in 1804, bore the title of Emperor (Kaiser) of Austria. After 1438, the Habsburgers had provided most of Holy Roman Emperors, so they saw themselves as legitimate heirs to the title they adopted. Despite Habsburg ambitions however, the Austrian Empire could no longer claim to rule over most of Germany, although they did rule over large areas of lands inhabited by non-Germans in addition to Austria. There were four Kaisers of the Austrian Empire who all belonged to