Last Roman Emperor, also called Last World Emperor or Emperor of the Last Days, is a figure of medieval European legend, which developed as an aspect of

Christian eschatology Christian eschatology, a major branch of study within Christian theology, deals with "last things". Such eschatology – the word derives from two Greek roots meaning "last" () and "study" (-) – involves the study of "end things", whether of ...

. The legend predicts that in the

end times Eschatology (; ) concerns expectations of the end of the present age, human history, or of the world itself. The end of the world or end times is predicted by several world religions (both Abrahamic and non-Abrahamic), which teach that nega ...

, a last emperor would appear on earth to reestablish the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Roman Republic, Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings aro ...

and assume his function as biblical katechon who stalls the coming of the

Antichrist In Christian eschatology, the Antichrist refers to people prophesied by the Bible to oppose Jesus Christ and substitute themselves in Christ's place before the Second Coming. The term Antichrist (including one plural form)1 John ; . 2 John . ...

. The legend first appears in the 7th-century apocalyptic text known as the '' Apocalypse of Pseudo-Methodius''; that and the oracles of the

Tiburtine Sibyl The Tiburtine Sibyl or Albunea was a Roman sibyl, whose seat was the ancient Etruscan town of Tibur (modern Tivoli). The mythic meeting of Cæsar Augustus with the Sibyl, of whom he inquired whether he should be worshiped as a god, was of ...

are its two most important sources. It developed over the centuries, becoming particularly prominent in the 15th century. The notion of Great Catholic Monarch is related to it.

Foundations

The legend is based on the '' Apocalypse of Pseudo-Methodius'', which was, after the

Book of Daniel The Book of Daniel is a 2nd-century BC biblical apocalypse with a 6th century BC setting. Ostensibly "an account of the activities and visions of Daniel, a noble Jew exiled at Babylon", it combines a prophecy of history with an eschatology (a ...

and the

Book of Revelation The Book of Revelation is the final book of the New Testament (and consequently the final book of the Christian Bible). Its title is derived from the first word of the Koine Greek text: , meaning "unveiling" or "revelation". The Book of ...

, "the most widespread apocalypse story in Europe". The work proposes a Last Emperor who will fight against religious enemies, most notably the then-recent spread of

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the ...

during the

Early Muslim conquests The early Muslim conquests or early Islamic conquests ( ar, الْفُتُوحَاتُ الإسْلَامِيَّة, ), also referred to as the Arab conquests, were initiated in the 7th century by Muhammad, the main Islamic prophet. He estab ...

: he will "go forth against them he enemies of the faithfrom the Ethiopian sea and will send the sword and desolation into Ethribus their homeland, capturing their women and children living in the Land of Promise". After conquering his enemies he would travel to Jerusalem and relinquish his power on the

Mount of Olives The Mount of Olives or Mount Olivet ( he, הַר הַזֵּיתִים, Har ha-Zeitim; ar, جبل الزيتون, Jabal az-Zaytūn; both lit. 'Mount of Olives'; in Arabic also , , 'the Mountain') is a mountain ridge east of and adjacent to Jeru ...

. The Last Emperor was further developed in the writings of Adso of Montier-en-Der, whose ''Libellus de Antichristo'' (ca. 954) was a popular biography of the Antichrist, whose coming was preceded by the rise of a Frankish ruler (the continuation of the Roman Empire); this Last Emperor would voluntarily give up his power and die, after which the Antichrist comes to power. Another important impetus came from the oracles of the

, first recorded in Latin around the year 1000; its legend proved particularly adaptable to rulers all over Europe, containing as it did a list of emperors and kings leading up to the Last Emperor which could be revised or added to as political and dynastic circumstances required. It still had great currency in the fifteenth century.

Catholic tradition

The concept of the Great King features prominently in mystical and folk traditions, as well as writings of people thought to have been granted gifts of prophecy or special visitations by messengers from heaven (such as

angel In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles ...

saints In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Catholic, Eastern Orth ...

, or Christ). The Great Catholic Monarch was very popular in popular folklore until the 18th century Enlightenment. He reappeared in 19th century prophecy when French

legitimists The Legitimists (french: Légitimistes) are royalists who adhere to the rights of dynastic succession to the French crown of the descendants of the eldest branch of the Bourbon dynasty, which was overthrown in the 1830 July Revolution. They re ...

believed that

Henri, Count of Chambord Henri, Count of Chambord and Duke of Bordeaux (french: Henri Charles Ferdinand Marie Dieudonné d'Artois, duc de Bordeaux, comte de Chambord; 29 September 1820 – 24 August 1883) was disputedly King of France from 2 to 9 August 1830 as Hen ...

, would be the new king. Marie-Julie Jahenny (1850–1941), also known as the "Breton" stigmatist, prophesied that Henry V, the Count of Chambord, was the chosen King. Despite his death, one of her predictions dated 1890 declares he is yet "reserved for the great epochs", i.e. the end of time. An 1871 book, ''Future Career of Napoleon'', advocated

Napoleon III Napoleon III (Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was the first President of France (as Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte) from 1848 to 1852 and the last monarch of France as Emperor of the French from 1852 to 1870. A neph ...

's reign as Roman Emperor over a 'new ten-kingdomed Roman Empire'. The

Catechism of the Catholic Church The ''Catechism of the Catholic Church'' ( la, Catechismus Catholicae Ecclesiae; commonly called the ''Catechism'' or the ''CCC'') is a catechism promulgated for the Catholic Church by Pope John Paul II in 1992. It aims to summarize, in book ...

speaks only of Christ as the king who is to be manifested in "the last days". It speaks of this manifestation as associated by his recognition by "all Israel" and preceded by the Church's ultimate trial, "a religious deception offering men an apparent solution to their problems at the price of apostasy from the truth. The supreme religious deception is that of the Antichrist, a pseudo-messianism by which man glorifies himself in place of God and of his Messiah come in the flesh". It makes no mention of the coming of any Great Catholic Monarch, whether French or German or of any continent. The

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

writer and Traditionalist Catholic Yves Dupont has opined that the Great Monarch will have a restorationist character and that he will restore European Catholic royalty, destroy the power of heretics and atheists, and successfully convert many

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

s and

Jew Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""T ...

s to the Faith.See ''Catholic Prophecy: The Coming Chastisement'' by Yves Dupont

References

Bibliography

* S.N., '' Mirabilis Liber'', 1522 * Baethgen, Friedrich, ''Der Engelpapst: Vortrag gehalten am 15. Januar 1933 in öffentlicher Sitzung der Königsberger Gelehrten Gesellschaft'', M. Niemeyer, Halle (Saale), 1933 OCLC 9819016 * Alexander, Paul J., ''Byzantium and the Migration of Literary Works and Motifs: The Legend of the Last Roman Emperor'', in Medievalia et Humanistica, NS 2 (1971), p. 47 ISSN ... * Muraise, Eric, ''Histoire et légende du grand monarque'', Albin Michel, Paris, 1975 * Alexander, Paul J., ''The Medieval Legend of the Last Roman Emperor and Its Messianic Origin'', Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes, 41 (1978), pp. 1–15 ISSN ... * Marquis de la Franquerie de la Tour, André Lesage, ''Le Saint Pape et le grand monarque d'après les prophéties'', Editions de Chiré, Chiré-en-Montreuil, 1980 ISBN ... * Bertin, Francis, ''La révolution et la parousie du grand monarque'', in Politica Hermetica, 3 (1989), pp. ... ISSN ... * Birch, Desmond A., ''Trial, Tribulation & Triumph: Before, During, and After Antichrist'', Queenship Publishing Company, ..., 1997 * Möhring, Hannes, ''Der Weltkaiser der Endzeit'', Jan Thorbecke Verlag, Stuttgart, 1999 * Otto, Helen Tzima, ''The Great Monarch and WWIII in Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Scriptural Prophecies'', The Verenikia Press, Rock Hill, 2000 * Gabriele, Matthew, ''An Empire of Memory: The Legend of Charlemagne, the Franks, and Jerusalem before the First Crusade'', Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2011 * Rubenstein, Jay, ''Armies of Heaven: The First Crusade and the Quest for Apocalypse'', Basic Books, 2011

External links

The apocalyptic myth that helps explain evangelical support for Trump
{{Imperial and royal styles Monarchy Traditionalist Catholicism Christian eschatology Medieval legends Mythological kings Styles (forms of address)

Foundations

Catholic tradition

See also

References

Bibliography

External links