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* In John Maddox Roberts's SPQR series, the protagonist, Decius Metellus, a staunch republican living in the early years of Octavian/Augustus's reign, despises him so much that he refuses to refer to him except by his innocuous title of "First Citizen", which Decius is fully aware is a cover for the fact that the Emperor holds absolute power.

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* In John Maddox Roberts's SPQR ''Literature/{{SPQR}}'' series, the protagonist, Decius Metellus, a staunch republican living in the early years of Octavian/Augustus's reign, despises him so much that he refuses to refer to him except by his innocuous title of "First Citizen", which Decius is fully aware is a cover for the fact that the Emperor holds absolute power.
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* In ''Tik-Tok of Oz'', the eighth [[Literature/LandOfOz Oz book]], there is a land where everyone is a king or queen ''except'' that the guy with the position of ruling over all these kings and queens is "the Private Citizen". Even he gets a fancy title, namely "the Great Jinjin," but his subordinates still get to have the regal titles that the Private Citizen doesn't.

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* In ''Tik-Tok of Oz'', the eighth [[Literature/LandOfOz Oz book]], ''Literature/TikTokOfOz'', there is a land where everyone is a king or queen ''except'' that the guy with the position of ruling over all these kings and queens is "the Private Citizen". Even he gets a fancy title, namely "the Great Jinjin," but his subordinates still get to have the regal titles that the Private Citizen doesn't.
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* The vast [[BigScrewedUpFamily Arameri]] [[TheClan family]] of ''Literature/InheritanceTrilogy'' rules the entire world, controlling literal gods that can engage in RegionalRedecoration or beyond if the Arameri so command, and the head of the family is effectively global emperor. However, they're officially known only as "advisors" to the legislative body and the local ChurchMilitant.
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* The United States "President" (i.e. "the one who presides") was originally conceived as one of those, and the title had previously been mostly used for chairmen of committees. The style of the King was "By the Grace of God, of Great Britain, France and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, Prince-Elector of Hanover, Duke of Brunswick" and he was addressed as "Your Majesty". The longest title that the President gets is "the President of the United States", and they are generally addressed merely as "Mister President".

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* The United States "President" (i.e. "the one who presides") was originally conceived as one of those, and the title had previously been mostly used for chairmen of committees.committees; indeed, under the Articles of Confederation that preceded the current Constitution, the President of the Continental Congress was little more than a glorified debate moderator and ceremonial figurehead. The style of the King was "By the Grace of God, of Great Britain, France and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, Prince-Elector of Hanover, Duke of Brunswick" and he was addressed as "Your Majesty". The longest title that the President gets is "the President of the United States", and they are generally addressed merely as "Mister President".
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** The left-wing Quebec provincial party Québec Solidaire's constitution requires it to have two co-spokespeople, a man and a woman, to serve as the public face of the party—the functional equivalent of other parties' leaders—both for gender parity and to avoid the movement becoming too wrapped up with a single politician's persona. However, Quebec electoral law requires each party to have one and only one leader. As a result, QS's ''de jure'' "leader" is a party functionary who has no particular public profile, doesn't run for the National Assembly, and never does anything leader-ish.
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** After Gul Dukat takes over the Cardassian government, he retains the title ''Gul'', roughly equivalent to a colonel or navy captain:

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** After [[Characters/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineGulDukat Gul Dukat Dukat]] takes over the Cardassian government, he retains the title ''Gul'', roughly equivalent to a colonel or navy captain:
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* In ''VideoGame/MetalGear'' Naked Snake goes through a lot of military organisations (most of them [[NGOSuperPower NGO Super Powers]]) as their leader, first is the Mercenary outfit [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolidPeaceWalker MSF (Military Sans Frontiers)]] [[spoiler: until it's blown up]], then the [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolidV Diamond Dogs]] which is basically a beefed up version of the previous organisation, both are situated on oil rigs out at sea. Then he goes on to be in charge of [[VideoGame/MetalGear Special Operations FOXHOUND]] [[spoiler:and a large military fortress on the southern tip of Africa known as [[ArcWords Outer Heaven]]]], and then [[spoiler: his own nation of [[VideoGame/MetalGear2 Zanzibar Land]]]]. Throughout all of this he takes no military or political rank, simply being known as [[LivingLegend Big Boss]].
** [[DragonTheirFeet Revolver]][[spoiler:/Liquid]] [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder Ocelot]] himself manages to become the most [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4 powerful man in the world]] [[spoiler:by taking control of every weapon in the world]] using his [=GoP=] system. Yet he never takes any kind of rank or title, only ever being mentioned or addressed by his code name.

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* In ''VideoGame/MetalGear'' Naked Snake goes through a lot of military organisations (most of them [[NGOSuperPower NGO Super Powers]]) as their leader, first is the Mercenary outfit [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolidPeaceWalker MSF (Military Sans Frontiers)]] [[spoiler: until it's blown up]], then the [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolidV Diamond Dogs]] which is basically a beefed up version of the previous organisation, both are situated on oil rigs out at sea. Then he goes on to be in charge of [[VideoGame/MetalGear [[VideoGame/MetalGear1 Special Operations FOXHOUND]] [[spoiler:and a large military fortress on the southern tip of Africa known as [[ArcWords Outer Heaven]]]], and then [[spoiler: his own nation of [[VideoGame/MetalGear2 [[VideoGame/MetalGear2SolidSnake Zanzibar Land]]]]. Throughout all of this he takes no military or political rank, simply being known as [[LivingLegend Big Boss]].
** [[DragonTheirFeet Revolver]][[spoiler:/Liquid]] [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder Ocelot]] himself manages to become the most [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4 [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots powerful man in the world]] [[spoiler:by taking control of every weapon in the world]] using his [=GoP=] system. Yet he never takes any kind of rank or title, only ever being mentioned or addressed by his code name.
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** After pro-slavery reactionaries [[TheCoup seize control]] of Norvos, Mycan Banderis is officially just the Chief Minister of the resulting GovernmentInExile formed by the ousted po-abolition pragmatists, with the priest known as the Voice of Noom being the nominal head of state. However, he quickly reduces the Voice to a PuppetKing and wields all the real power, and when Norvos itself is liberated from the reactionaries, he rules it effectively as a dictator for a year before other members of the government can arrive to reestablish control.
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** In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'', the Crystal Exarch's epithet is a result of his refusal to be called a "king" despite earning himself unquestioned authority over the Crystarium. The people wound up calling him the Crystal Exarch for his ties to the Crystal Tower and his leadership.

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** In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'', the Crystal Exarch's epithet is a result of his refusal to be called a "king" despite earning himself unquestioned authority over the Crystarium. The people wound up calling him the Crystal Exarch for his ties to the Crystal Tower and his leadership. [[spoiler:His real name, G'raha Tia, could be said to count as well. Seeker of the Sun naming conventions label males as "Nunh" if they are in a position of leadership, or "Tia" if they are not. Y'shtola (also a Seeker herself) observes that, as leader of the Crystarium, he would be perfectly justified in calling himself "G'raha Nunh" if he wished, but he continues to introduce himself as Tia.]]
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* Initially inverted with the title King in Prussia held by the Electors of Brandeburg in the UsefulNotes/HolyRomanEmpire. Though they were awarded with a sovereign title, they were still technically vassals of the King of the Romans (i.e. the Holy Roman Emperor), hence they were Kings ''in'' Prussia, not ''of'' Prussia. It was only under Frederick the Great that Prussia became a great power and he could formally crown himself as King of Prussia.

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* Initially inverted with the title King in Prussia held by the Electors of Brandeburg in the UsefulNotes/HolyRomanEmpire. Though they were awarded with a sovereign title, they were still technically vassals of the King of the Romans (i.e. the Holy Roman Emperor), hence they were Kings ''in'' Prussia, not ''of'' Prussia. It was only under Frederick the Great UsefulNotes/FrederickTheGreat that Prussia UsefulNotes/{{Prussia}} became a great power and he could formally crown himself as King of Prussia.
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* ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'' provides a somewhat less villainous example with Oberon, whose sole title is Lord of Avalon, even though for all intents and purposes he's a PhysicalGod who rules [[TheFairFolk the Third Race]] as King (and allows his wife Titania to use the title "Queen"). His sense of egalitarianism seems especially odd, since as a rule [[SmugSuper he's not exactly humble]]. WordOfGod is that the title ''is'' Oberon's attempt at humility, and he does consider himself to be humble - he's just too arrogant to be any good at it. The rest of the Third Race puts up with him because their previous ruler, Oberon's mother Queen Mab, was TheCaligula outright, and even Oberon looks good next to her. He was also actually pretty reasonable compared to Titania, originally; her being a RoyalBrat led him to divorce her and exile the whole race from Avalon for several centuries. However, the centuries among mortals caused her to mellow and develop while he remained the same because he didn't think he had any lessons to learn.

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* ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'' provides a somewhat less villainous example with Oberon, whose sole title is Lord of Avalon, even though for all intents and purposes he's a PhysicalGod who rules [[TheFairFolk the Third Race]] as King (and allows his wife Titania to use the title "Queen"). His sense of egalitarianism seems especially odd, since as a rule [[SmugSuper he's not exactly humble]]. WordOfGod is that the title ''is'' Oberon's attempt at humility, and he does consider himself to be humble - he's just too arrogant to be any good at it. The rest of the Third Race puts up with him because their previous ruler, Oberon's mother Queen Mab, was TheCaligula outright, and even Oberon looks good next to her. He was also actually pretty reasonable compared to Titania, originally; her being a RoyalBrat led him to divorce her and exile the whole race from Avalon for several centuries. However, the centuries among mortals caused her to mellow and develop while he remained the same because he didn't think he had any lessons to learn.
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* In ''VideoGame/BackToTheFutureTheGame'', Marty returns to an alternate 1985 in which Dr. Emmett Brown started a romance with teetotaler Edna Strickland in 1931, never saw ''Film/{{Frankenstein}}'', and instead used his enormous brain to create Edna's version of the perfect society in which alcohol and all other vices are illegal, all activity is monitored by cameras, and "troublesome" people are brainwashed into compliance. This version of the Doc calls himself "First Citizen Brown" and genuinely believes he is the benevolent leader of a utopia, until the Marty from the original timeline snaps him out of it.

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* In ''VideoGame/BackToTheFutureTheGame'', Marty returns to an alternate 1985 in which Dr. Emmett Brown started a romance with teetotaler Edna Strickland in 1931, never saw ''Film/{{Frankenstein}}'', ''Film/{{Frankenstein|1931}}'', and instead used his enormous brain to create Edna's version of the perfect society in which alcohol and all other vices are illegal, all activity is monitored by cameras, and "troublesome" people are brainwashed into compliance. This version of the Doc calls himself "First Citizen Brown" and genuinely believes he is the benevolent leader of a utopia, until the Marty from the original timeline snaps him out of it.
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* A variant occurs in ''Film/{{Downfall}}''. After Eva Braun marries Hitler an officer briefly stumbles over what to call her, since they never bothered to come up with a title for the wife of a Führer. She tells him to just call her ''Frau Hitler''. [[labelnote:Translation]] Frau is German for "Mrs." She's simply taking his surname as her own, as is standard in marriages. [[/labelnote]]

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* A variant occurs in ''Film/{{Downfall}}''. After Eva Braun marries Hitler an officer briefly stumbles over what to call her, since they never bothered to come up with a title for the wife of a Führer. She tells him to just call her ''Frau Hitler''. [[labelnote:Translation]] Frau is German for "Mrs." She's simply taking his surname as her own, as is standard in marriages. [[/labelnote]]Hitler'' (in English, "Mrs. Hitler").
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* First Consul UsefulNotes/NapoleonBonaparte. There were two other junior consuls, both of them experienced statesmen, but it was clear who was in charge of the triumviraate. He later gave up all pretense and just crowned himself Emperor.

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* First Consul UsefulNotes/NapoleonBonaparte. There were two other junior consuls, both of them experienced statesmen, but it was clear who was in charge of the triumviraate. He later gave up all pretense and just crowned himself Emperor. Demonstrating the importance of this trope, this actually did tarnish him in the eyes of many admirers, from Music/LudwigVanBeethoven, who scratched out Napoleon's name from his Symphony No. 3's dedication and rededicated it to "the memory of a great man," and UsefulNotes/SimonBolivar, who, sadly, would himself travel the ambitious road from republican revolutionary to would-be dictator before coming to a tragic end.
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* The rulers of the Old Assyrian Empire styled themselves as "Assi'ak Assur", meaning "steward of Ashur". (In theory, the actual king was Ashur, the Assyrian patron deity, and the empire's mortal ruler was just filling in for him.) The later Neo-Assyrian monarchs {{Averted}} and outright {{Inverted}} this trope, however, as they styled themselves "king of the universe" among other bombastic titles.

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* The rulers of the Old Assyrian Empire styled themselves as "Assi'ak "Issi'ak Assur", meaning "steward of Ashur". (In theory, the actual king was Ashur, the Assyrian patron deity, and the empire's mortal ruler was just filling in for him.) The later Neo-Assyrian monarchs {{Averted}} and outright {{Inverted}} this trope, however, as they styled themselves "king of the universe" among other bombastic titles.
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* The rulers of the Old Assyrian Empire styled themselves as "Assi'ak Assur", meaning "steward of Ashur". (In theory, the actual king was Ashur, the Assyrian patron deity, and the empire's mortal ruler was just filling in for him.) The later Neo-Assyrian monarchs {{Averted}} and outright {{Inverted}} this trope, however, as they styled themselves "king of the universe" among other bombastic titles.

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* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII'': [[AffablyEvil Vayne]]'s official title is "Consul", but he insists that the citizens of Rabanastre don't even use that to address him. Instead, he requests that they address him as "Vayne" and treat him like any other citizen.
* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'', the Crystal Exarch's epithet is a result of his refusal to be called a "king" despite earning himself unquestioned authority over the Crystarium. The people wound up calling him the Crystal Exarch for his ties to the Crystal Tower and his leadership.

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* ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'':
**
''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII'': [[AffablyEvil Vayne]]'s official title is "Consul", but he insists that the citizens of Rabanastre don't even use that to address him. Instead, he requests that they address him as "Vayne" and treat him like any other citizen.
* ** In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'', the Crystal Exarch's epithet is a result of his refusal to be called a "king" despite earning himself unquestioned authority over the Crystarium. The people wound up calling him the Crystal Exarch for his ties to the Crystal Tower and his leadership.

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[[folder:Film]]
* A variant occurs in ''Film/{{Downfall}}''. After Eva Braun marries Hitler an officer briefly stumbles over what to call her, since they never bothered to come up with a title for the wife of a Führer. She tells him to just call her ''Frau Hitler''. [[labelnote:Translation]] Frau is German for "Mrs." She's simply taking his surname as her own, as is standard in marriages. [[/labelnote]]

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[[folder:Film]]
* A variant occurs in ''Film/{{Downfall}}''. After Eva Braun marries Hitler an officer briefly stumbles over what to call her, since they never bothered to come up with a title for the wife of a Führer. She tells him to just call her ''Frau Hitler''. [[labelnote:Translation]] Frau is German for "Mrs." She's simply taking his surname as her own, as is standard in marriages. [[/labelnote]]
[[folder:Films -- Animation]]


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[[folder: Films -- Live Action]]
* A variant occurs in ''Film/{{Downfall}}''. After Eva Braun marries Hitler an officer briefly stumbles over what to call her, since they never bothered to come up with a title for the wife of a Führer. She tells him to just call her ''Frau Hitler''. [[labelnote:Translation]] Frau is German for "Mrs." She's simply taking his surname as her own, as is standard in marriages. [[/labelnote]]
[[/folder]]
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** The dwarfs' word for their King literally translates to "senior mining engineer" -- an understated gesture of authority, given the vast network of mining communities that constitutes the dwarf homeland. Kings are elected by the senior mining leaders and are the final word in dispute resolution.
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Actually, this is a better way of putting it after all.


* [[OlderThanTheyThink Before him]], we have UsefulNotes/BenitoMussolini, who started out calling himself ''Duce del Partito Fascista'', meaning "Leader of the Fascist Party". ''Duce'' itself was just a fancy way to say "leader" (coming from the Latin ''[[PretentiousLatinMotto dux]]'', from which also the Italian ''duca'' and its English equivalent ''duke'' are derived), before his use of it ruined the title in the eyes of most Italians. He operated as dictator through holding the position of Prime Minister of Italy [[note]]in full, the "President of the Council of Ministers of the Kingdom of Italy"[[/note]] – officially the king was still in charge, and had the power to dismiss him... as he actually did in 1943. After that, as leader of a German-occupied puppet state in northern Italy, Mussolini's title was ''Duce e Capo del Governo'' (Leader and Chief of the Government).

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* [[OlderThanTheyThink Before him]], we have UsefulNotes/BenitoMussolini, who started out calling himself ''Duce del Partito Fascista'', meaning "Leader of the Fascist Party". ''Duce'' itself was just a fancy way to say "leader" (coming from the Latin ''[[PretentiousLatinMotto dux]]'', from which also the Italian ''duca'' and its English equivalent ''duke'' are derived), before his use of it ruined the title in the eyes of most Italians. He operated as dictator through holding As dictator, he simply held the position of Prime Minister of Italy [[note]]in full, the "President of the Council of Ministers of the Kingdom of Italy"[[/note]] – officially the king was still in charge, and had the power to dismiss him... as he actually did in 1943. After that, as leader of a German-occupied puppet state in northern Italy, Mussolini's title was ''Duce e Capo del Governo'' (Leader and Chief of the Government).
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* [[OlderThanTheyThink Before him]], we have UsefulNotes/BenitoMussolini, who started out calling himself ''Duce del Partito Fascista'', meaning "Leader of the Fascist Party". ''Duce'' itself was just a fancy way to say "leader" (coming from the Latin ''[[PretentiousLatinMotto dux]]'', from which also the Italian ''duca'' and its English equivalent ''duke'' are derived), before his use of it ruined the title in the eyes of most Italians. As dictator, he simply held the position of Prime Minister of Italy[[note]]in full, the "President of the Council of Ministers of the Kingdom of Italy"[[/note]] – officially the king was still in charge, and had the power to dismiss him... as he actually did in 1943. After that, as leader of a German-occupied puppet state in northern Italy, Mussolini's title was ''Duce e Capo del Governo'' (Leader and Chief of the Government).

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* [[OlderThanTheyThink Before him]], we have UsefulNotes/BenitoMussolini, who started out calling himself ''Duce del Partito Fascista'', meaning "Leader of the Fascist Party". ''Duce'' itself was just a fancy way to say "leader" (coming from the Latin ''[[PretentiousLatinMotto dux]]'', from which also the Italian ''duca'' and its English equivalent ''duke'' are derived), before his use of it ruined the title in the eyes of most Italians. As dictator, he simply held He operated as dictator through holding the position of Prime Minister of Italy[[note]]in Italy [[note]]in full, the "President of the Council of Ministers of the Kingdom of Italy"[[/note]] – officially the king was still in charge, and had the power to dismiss him... as he actually did in 1943. After that, as leader of a German-occupied puppet state in northern Italy, Mussolini's title was ''Duce e Capo del Governo'' (Leader and Chief of the Government).

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