5. Central African Dictator Becomes Emperor Bokassa I
Less fun and whimsical than many of the self-proclaimed monarchs is Jean-Bédel Bokassa, the head of state of the Central African Republic and its successor state, the Central African Empire, as a result of a military coup d'état he lead in 1966. Soon after, he started referring to himself as Emperor Bokassa I of the Central African Empire. He managed to serve almost eleven years as president before he declared himself emperor, and managed that for three years until another coup supported by France deposed him. As with most people who decide they're emperors without any official decree, Bokassa's title wasn't recognised by...well, just about anybody. Not that he was particularly popular with the rest of the world anyway. Following in the footsteps of his idol, Napoleon, he crowned himself emperor of the Central African Empire in a ceremony that cost upwards of $20 million, which practically bankrupted the country. Despite some good work abolishing FGM, for one his decadence didn't go unpaid for.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
