In 913 Simeon I of Bulgaria was crowned emperor in a makeshift ceremony officiated by the Patriarch of Constantinople and imperial regent Nicholas I Mystikos outside of the Byzantine capital. This unpopular concession was swiftly revoked by the succeeding Byzantine government, and the decade 914–924 was spent in destructive warfare between Byzantium and Bulgaria over this and other matters of conflict. The Bulgarian monarch, who had further irritated his Byzantine counterpart by claiming the title "emperor of the Romans", was eventually recognized, albeit reluctantly, as "emperor of the Bulgarians" after a meeting with the Byzantine Emperor Romanos I Lakapenos in 924. The concession was confirmed at the conclusion of permanent peace and a dynastic marriage in 927. In the meantime, the Bulgarian imperial title may have been also confirmed by the Pope. The title was recognized anew after Bulgaria recovered its independence following a period of Byzantine Domination (1018–1185). In its final simplified form, it read "emperor and autocrat of all Bulgarians and Greeks". The "Greek" component in the Bulgarian imperial title indicates both rulership over Greek-speakers and the derivation of the imperial tradition from the Romans. 14th-century Bulgarian literary compositions clearly denote the Bulgarian capital as a successor of Rome and Constantinople, in effect, the "Third Rome". It should be noted that after Bulgaria obtained complete independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1908, its monarch took the traditional title of "tsar", but was recognized internationally only as a king.

Serbia::

In 1345 the Serbian King Stefan Uros IV Dusan proclaimed himself emperor and had himself crowned as such at Skopje on Easter 1346 by the newly created Patriarch of Serbia, and by the Patriarch of Bulgaria and the autocephalous Archbishop of Ohrid. His imperial title was recognized by Bulgaria and various other neighbors and trading partners but not by the Byzantine Empire. In its final simplified form, the Serbian imperial title read "emperor of Serbians and Greeks". It was only employed by Stefan Uros IV Dusan and his son Stefan Uros V in Serbia, after which it became extinct. A half-brother of Dusan, Simeon Uros, and then his son Jovan Uroš, claimed the same title, until the latter's abdication in 1373, while ruling as dynasts in Thessaly. The "Greek" component in the Serbian imperial title indicates both rulership over Greek-speakers and the derivation of the imperial tradition from the Romans.

Russia::

In 1472, the niece of the last Byzantine emperor, Sophia Palaiologina, married Ivan III, grand prince of Moscow, who began championing the idea of Russia being the successor to the Byzantine Empire. This idea was represented more emphatically in the composition of the monk Filofej addressed their son Vasili III. After ending Muscovy's dependence on its Mongol overlords in 1480, Ivan III had begun the usage of the titles emperor and autocrat. His insistence on recognition as such by the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire since 1489 resulted in the granting of this recognition in 1514 by Emperor Maximilian I to Vasili III. His son Ivan IV emphatically crowned himself emperor on 16 January, 1547. On 31 October, 1721 Peter I was crowned emperor with a new style, "imperator", which is a westernizing form equivalent to the traditional Slavic title "tsar". He based his claim partially upon a letter discovered in 1717 written in 1514 from Maximilian I to Vasili III, Sophia's son and Ivan IV's father, in which the Holy Roman Emperor used the term in referring to Vasili. The title has not been used in Russia since the abdication of Emperor Nicholas II on 15 March, 1917. The apparent distinction between the titles of "tsar" and "imperator" in post-1721 usage have led to the mistaken impression that the title of "tsar" is an intermediate rank between those of "emperor" and "king", or else equivalent to the latter.

Austria::

On 11 August, 1804 anticipating the eventual collapse of the Holy Roman Empire at the behest of Napoleon I, Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor assumed the additional title of Emperor of Austria (as Francis I thereof). The precaution was a wise one, because two years later on August 6 1806 he was obliged to proclaim the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire. Emperor Karl of Austria, the last ruling hereditary monarch in that country, "relinquished every participation in the administration of the State" on November 11 1918.

Germany::

Following victory after the Franco-Prussian war and the founding of the German Empire, the Prussian king had himself crowned German Emperor as Wilhelm I on January 18 1871, as part of the competition with the Emperor of Austria (whose Habsburg dynasty had de facto been hereditary in the Holy Roman Empire for centuries) for dominance in the German-speaking lands. With defeats in World War I and revolution breaking out, Emperor Wilhelm II abdicated on 9 November 1918 and a republic was established.

Other Emperors residing in Western Europe

France::

The kings of the Ancien Régime and the July Monarchy used the title Empereur de France in diplomatic correspondence and treaties with the Ottoman emperor from at least 1673 onwards. The Ottomans insisted on this elevated style while refusing to recognize the Holy Roman Emperors or the Russian tsars due to their rival claims of the Roman crown. In short, it was an indirect insult by the Ottomans to the HRE and the Russians. The French kings also used it for Morocco (1682) and Persia (1715).

Mexico::

In Mexico, there were two short-lived attempts to create an Empire. Agustín de Iturbide, the general who helped secure Mexican independence from Spanish rule, was proclaimed Emperor Agustín I in 12 July, 1822, but was overthrown the next year. In 1863, the invading French under Napoleon III, in alliance with Mexican conservatives, proclaimed an empire and invited Archduke Maximilian, younger brother of the Austrian Emperor, to become emperor as Maximilian I. The childless Maximilian also adopted Agustín's grandson as his heir to bolster his claim. After the withdrawal of French protection in 1867, Maximilian was captured and executed by liberal forces.

Indian Subcontinent
Pre-Mughal::

The Sanskrit word for emperor is Samra? (word stem: samraj). This word has been used as an epithet of various Vedic deities, like Varuna, and has been attested in the Holy Rig Veda, possibly the oldest compiled book among the Indo-Europeans.

Typically, in the later Vedic age, a Hindu king ((Maha)rajah) was only called Samra? after performing the Vedic Rajasuya sacrifice, enabling him by religious tradition to claim superiority over the other kings and princes. Another word for emperor is sarvabhauma. The title of Samra? has been used by many rulers of the Indian subcontinent as claimed by the Hindu mythologies. In proper history, most historians call Chandragupta Maurya the first samra? (emperor) of the Indian subcontinent, because of the huge empire he ruled. The most famous Hindu emperor was his grandson Ashoka the Great. Other dynasties that are considered imperial by the historians are the Kushanas, the Guptas ,the Cholas and the Vardhanas. The followers of Hindutva regard Prithviraj Chauhan (12th century AD) as the last Hindu emperor of India.

Mughal & Sur dynasties of Hind (Hindustan)::

After India was invaded by the Mongol Khans and Turkic Muslims, the rulers of their major states on the subcontinent were titled Sultan, which may not be translated as emperor (except for the Ottoman 'Great Sultan', but he is actually styled, amongst other titles, Sultan of Sultans, proving there is a rank above Sultan, while an emperor has no superior). In this manner, the only empress-regnant ever to have actually sat on the throne of Delhi was Razia Sultan. Some other Indian (Hindu) monarchs held the rare title Maharajadhiraja ('Great King of Kings') but because it was awarded to their political vassals by the Mughals and the British, it is usually not considered imperial.

The Mughal Emperors (1526–1857, shortly interrupted by the Suri dynasty, 1540-1555), originally yet another Muslim dynasty in (actually often in alternative capitals near) Delhi, finally united nearly all the subcontinent (soon to start falling apart again) and called it Hind, i.e. greater Hindustan, referring to their mainly Hindu subjects and vassals. They adopted the Muslim title Badshah (a corruption of padishah, an imperial style used by the Persian and Ottoman emperors; they followed Muslim Persian examples in many things, as reflected by the adoption, of many Persian words, modified of not, sometimes even in hybrid mixes with Hindi).

The throne of India (rendering Hind) became vacant after Bahadur Shah Zafar was unseated by the British, whence a title of Emperor/Empress in chief of India could later be assumed by the British Monarch, then Queen Victoria, as successor to the (now colonial) position of Paramount ruler.

For the episode from 1877 to 1947 when British Emperors ruled colonial India as the pearl in the crown of the British Empire, see above. Note that if Razia Sultan's short reign is excluded, Queen Victoria was the only reigning empress of India, though she never actually sat on the throne of Delhi.