*** Welcome to piglix ***

Chinese emperor

Emperor of China
Imperial
Qinshihuang.jpg
Details
Style Varies according to dynasty/His Imperial Majesty
First monarch Qin Shi Huang
Last monarch Puyi
Formation 221 BC
Abolition 12 February 1912
Residence Varies according to dynasty, most recently the Forbidden City in Beijing
Pretender(s) Jin Yuzhang
(Qing dynasty)

The Emperor of China (Chinese: 皇帝; pinyin: About this sound Huángdì) was the title of any sovereign of Imperial China reigning between the founding of the Qin dynasty that unified China in 221 BC, until the abdication of Puyi in 1912 following the Xinhai Revolution and the establishment of the Republic of China. The emperor was also referred to as the "Son of Heaven" (Chinese: 天子; pinyin: tiānzǐ), a title that predates the Qin unification and recognized as the ruler of "all under heaven" (i.e., the whole world). In practice not every Emperor held supreme power in China, although this was usually the case.

Emperors from the same family are classified in historical periods known as dynasties. Most of China's imperial rulers have commonly been considered members of the Han ethnicity, although recent scholarship tends to be wary of applying present day ethnic categories to historical situations. During the Yuan and Qing dynasties China was ruled by ethnic Mongols and Manchus respectively. The orthodox historical view sees these as non-native dynasties that became sinicized, though some recent scholars (such as those of the New Qing History school) argue that the interaction between politics and ethnicity was far more complex. Nevertheless, in both cases these rulers claimed the Mandate of Heaven to assume the role of traditional Confucian emperors in order to rule over China proper.


...
Wikipedia

...