Self-Proclaimed Monarchies

Self-proclaimed monarchies were abruptly founded in their native lands — with one exception in Egypt — by commoners or minor nobles without links to a royal family. These military men aggrandized their status through enthronement, mostly as Emperors. Their reigns were brief and thunderous, rarely establishing lasting dynasties. International recognition of their new status varied, with those of Haiti, Centrafrica, and China being disallowed by entrenched royalty. (Image: the regalia of Emperor Bokassa of the Central African Empire ordered in Paris for his 1977 coronation at a cost of approximately $5 million 1977 dollars.)