Social:Emperor of Central Africa
Emperor of Central Africa (French: Empereur de Centrafrique) was the title used by Jean-Bédel Bokassa from 4 December 1976, who was crowned on 4 December 1977 in a lavish ceremony that was estimated to cost the Central African Empire United States dollar 20 million (equivalent to $84 million in 2019). Although nominally a constitutional monarch, in practice Bokassa ruled with absolute power. For all intents and purposes, the country was still a military dictatorship, as had been the case with the Central African Republic since Bokassa took power in the 1966 coup d'état.
Bokassa I attempted to justify his actions by claiming that creating a monarchy would help Central Africa "stand out" from the rest of the continent, and earn the world's respect. The coronation consumed one third of the nation's annual budget and all of the France aid that year, but despite generous invitations, no foreign leaders attended the event. Many thought Bokassa was insane, and compared his egotistical extravagance with his contemporary – Africa's other well-known eccentric dictator, President of Uganda Idi Amin.
List of rulers
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Reign start | Reign end | Duration | Prime Minister | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emperor of Central Africa (1976–1979) | |||||||
| 1 | .jpg)
|
Bokassa I (1921–1996) |
4 December 1976 | 21 September 1979 Deposed. |
2 years, 291 days | Patassé (1976–1978) |
He is the first emperor of central Africa from December 4, 1976, and deposed on September 21, 1979. |
| Maïdou (1978–1979) | |||||||
| Head of the House of Bokassa (1979–present) | |||||||
| 1 |
|
Bokassa I (1921–1996) |
21 September 1979 | 3 November 1996 Died. |
17 years, 43 days | Vacant, since the monarchy was abolished in 1979. | Deposed on September 21, 1979, he became the Head of the House of Bokassa until his death on November 3, 1996. |
| 2 | Bokassa II (born 1973) |
3 November 1996 | Present | 27 years, 265 days | After his father died on November 3, 1996, he became the Head of the House of Bokassa from November 3, 1996. | ||
Gallery
Imperial Crown of Bokassa I.
Imperial Standard of Bokassa I.
.svg)
See also
- History of the Central African Republic
- List of heads of state of the Central African Republic
References
- Lentz, Harris M. (1994), Heads of States and Governments: A Worldwide Encyclopedia of Over 2,300 Leaders, 1945 through 1992, Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, ISBN 0-89950-926-6, OCLC 30075961, https://archive.org/details/headsofstatesgov00lent.
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