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enlightened despotism, form of government in the 18th century in which absolute monarchs pursued legal, social, and educational reforms inspired by the Enlightenment. Among the most prominent enlightened despots were Frederick II (the Great), Peter I (the Great), Catherine II (the Great), Maria Theresa, Joseph II, and Leopold II.
Definition. An Enlightened Despot is a monarch who embraces the principles of the Enlightenment by implementing reforms aimed at improving society, while still maintaining absolute power.
An enlightened absolutist is a non-democratic or authoritarian leader who exercises their political power based upon the principles of the Enlightenment. Enlightened monarchs distinguished themselves from ordinary rulers by claiming to rule for their subjects' well-being.
Enlightened Despotism refers to a form of absolute monarchy in which rulers were influenced by the ideas of the Enlightenment, promoting reforms that aimed to improve society while maintaining their own power.
Enlightened despots adopted policies that reflected Enlightenment ideals such as rationality, progress, and reform. They implemented changes like legal reform, education improvements, and economic modernization while keeping tight control over political power.
THE HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF ENLIGHTENED DESPOTISM. In the end, enlightened despotism can be seen as the final stage of absolute monarchy, in which personal monarchical power indeed became stronger, but which also gave rise to a new conception of governmental power as rule by and under public law.
Enlightened despotism, also called enlightened absolutism, was among the first ideas resulting from the political ideals of the Enlightenment. The concept was formally described by the German historian Wilhelm Roscher in 1847 and remains controversial among scholars.
