Sultan, Shah, Sheikh, and Czar
The name for a Persian king
Shah
Connect to your deity, earn notoreity
Religion
This Mughal emperor was famously inclusive
Akbar
These Ottoman fighters were the first recorded wearers of "Virginity Rocks" T-shirts
Janissaries
Our first celebrity is wearing the guilt of the death of his son - terribly 2020!
Ivan the IV (The Terrible)
From the Arabic for 'authority', as-sulTa
Sultan
Clear enough to show who's the boss.
Compact enough for your scrapbooking collection.
Miniature Paintings
This Mughal emperor was famously exclusionary
Aurangzeb
Like Netflix, you pay me by month,
Unlike Netflix, I have strong set of morals.
Samurai
Our next celebrity is wearing the latest in French style - odd to see so far east!
Peter the Great
The meaning of the term 'czar'
Caesar
Money has to count for some legitimacy, right? Name one way that these empires collected moolaa from their subjects.
Tax Farming; Zamindars; Tribute; Corvee
Step 1: Conquer massive empire
Step 2: Force everyone to wear this hairstyle.
Step 3: Profit.
Queue
These folks weren't conscripted, they gave tribute instead,
Not guns or corvee, but soft gold for your bed.
Fur Trade
Our next celebrity is wearing his dead wife this evening - very avant garde!
Shah Jahan
This ruler Westernized Russia
Peter the Great
Russian nobles causing a stink? Stick 'em in a giant cold building away from home and those guys will calm down.
Boyars
Sikhism
Merit-based induction, or preteen abduction?
Devshirme
Our next celebrity is wearing his best daimyos - very mighty indeed!
Shogun Tokugawa
This ruler marked the height of the Ottoman Empire - the full name is a good example of legitimizing power...
Suleiman the Magnificent
Honorifics help. It's like wearing the number 23 to your conquest of Siberia.
The Great
Them darn ___________, always scheming to make faith more important than the emperor! We oughtta kick 'em out and give their followers what for!
Jesuits
'Protect and serve' weren't even afterthoughts for this Terrible enforcement squad.
Definitely the inspiration for the Nazgul.
Oprichnina / Oprichniki, founding the wonderful tradition of secret policing in Russia. Est. 1565. Cheers!
Our last celebrity is making a surprise appearance after last year's ended in a brawl with Suley and Akbar! Here's to hoping that he doesn't bring up the weird cult stuff til he sits with Tom Cruise.
Shah Ismail