An enlightened despot was an absolute monarch who adopted selected Enlightenment ideas to reform and strengthen the state while retaining unrestricted political authority. Catherine the Great and Frederick the Great promoted rational government, but neither accepted popular sovereignty or reforms that seriously threatened the established social order.
| Ruler | Enlightened measures | Limits of enlightenment |
|---|---|---|
| Frederick II of Prussia | Promoted religious toleration, ended most judicial torture, improved legal administration and issued the General Education Regulations in 1763. He described the monarch as the state’s “first servant.” | He retained absolute authority, strengthened the army and depended on the landowning Junker elite. Serfdom remained, especially on noble estates. |
| Catherine II of Russia | Corresponded with Enlightenment thinkers and issued the Nakaz in 1767, advocating equality before the law and criticizing torture and serfdom. She reorganized provincial administration in 1775 and introduced an education statute in 1786. | The Legislative Commission produced no new legal code. Catherine preserved autocracy, relied on the nobility and expanded noble control over serfs rather than abolishing serfdom. |
The common misconception is that an enlightened despot was democratic or consistently humanitarian. In reality, these rulers selected reforms that improved administration, education, law or religious toleration while rejecting reforms that endangered monarchical power or elite support.
In an IB Paper 3 essay, do not merely list reforms. For an evaluate or to what extent question, establish criteria such as legal reform, toleration, education and treatment of serfs, then weigh achievements against political and social limitations. A strong judgement is that both rulers were enlightened in method and rhetoric, but remained despotic in the source and exercise of power.
