4D Enlightened Despots

ENLIGHTENED DESPOTISM
POLICIES
Enlightened despotism might more accurately be described as “enlightened

absolutism”, in that the term applies to monarchs with total control that used reason
to guide their decision making. Their policies promoted religious tolerance, allowed
greater protection of rights for all groups, attempted to limit wasteful governmental
expenditures (spending), sought in various ways to stimulate their economies, and
attempted to liberate serfs (agricultural worker obligated by the feudal system to work
on his lord’s estate) from the feudal control of their noble lords. These reforms were
designed to lessen the power of traditional elite groups such as the clergy, noble
landlords, and corrupt officials in the name of greater equality and freedom. Similarly,
their attempts to tax these elite groups directly, in combination with other measures
such as new forms of taxation, were lauded (praised) as freeing their economies from
the dead hand of the feudal past.
FREDERICK II
Frederick II, also known as Frederick the Great, was king of Prussia (a state in
modern Germany) from 1740 to 1786. He was an absolute ruler, but he lived under
the principle that he was the "first servant of the state." He consequently did not rule
by his own personal whims, but always under the guidance of what was most
beneficial for Prussia, and he expected his people to possess the same devotion. As
king, Frederick issued a series of domestic reforms that modernized Prussia and built
her up as a stronger national power. He established individual protections against the
law by speeding up the legal process, abolishing torture, and making sentences of
death legal only with his personal sanction (approval). Additionally, he established
universal religious toleration and granted freedom of the press. Prussian judges were
educated and the courts gained a reputation as the most honest in Europe. He
established the first German law code and enforced general education rules across
Prussia. Frederick financed the rebuilding of towns through agricultural reforms and
built thousands of miles of roads. Frederick built Prussia into one of the strongest
nations in Europe and left a legacy of absolute devotion to the fatherland that
continued to shape German history into the 20th century.
CATHERINE THE GREAT
On August 21, 1744 Catherine married Peter III, the heir apparent to the Russian
throne. Although Catherine was Prussian, she became empress of Russia when
Peter was assassinated. She is the most renowned (well known) and longest ruling
female leader of Russia, reigning from 1762 until her death in 1796. She governed at
a time when the Russian Empire expanded rapidly by conquest and diplomacy. In the
west, Russia defeated the Ottoman Empire to retain control of Crimea and annexed a
large part of Poland-Lithuanian, and to the east, Russia began to colonize territory in
Alaska. Catherine proceeded to "Westernize" Russia. Her reforms went even farther
after a failed peasant revolt in 1773 threatened Eastern Russia. As a result,
Catherine the Great instituted several drastic reforms within the Russian society.
First, she established the Free Economic Society to encourage the modernization of
agriculture and industry. Second, she encouraged foreign investment in economically
underdeveloped areas. Third, Catherine relaxed the censorship law and encouraged
education for the nobles and middle class.
NATURE OF THE REFORMS
Introducing taxes to groups that had previously been exempt (excused) from paying,
such as the nobility and clergy, not only instilled (put in place) an increased sense of
equality, it also provided a means of increased revenue (money). These enlightened
despots sought to better organize their government through reforms to laws and how
the government exercised its authority over all of the subjects in the state. Absolute
monarchs moved to establish both new institutions and a set of guidelines for
bureaucrats (government officials) that were both clear and uniform—a group of
policies and procedures designed to ensure that the goals established by the
monarch were pursued as intended. Despite the good intentions of these monarchs,
it is clear that they did not desire a restructuring of society. The privileges of the
nobility were not eliminated entirely in any of the kingdoms or empires. None among
them believed that it was possible or desirable to completely eliminate a society in
which the law was written differently for different groups, depending on their social
rank.
Enlightened Despots – Primary Sources
Directions: Read each of the primary sources, then answer the questions that follow.
Frederick the Great
1. According to Frederick, what is his role as a monarch? What reforms did he enact?
2. What examples does he give of a flawed or corrupt leader?
3. Frederick declares himself as the “first servant of the state.” What does he mean by
this?
Joseph II
4. What were some of the reforms passed under Joseph II?
5. Why can he be considered an Enlightened despot?
Catherine the Great
6. What were three reforms that Catherine II passed in Russia during her reign?
7. Where do you see Enlightenment influence in her new law code?
8. What type of government do you think she favors and why?

4D Enlightened Despots

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ENLIGHTENED DESPOTISM

Enlightened despotism might more accurately be described as “enlightened

NATURE OF THE REFORMS

2. What examples does he give of a flawed or corrupt leader?

5. Why can he be considered an Enlightened despot?

Catherine the Great

7. Where do you see Enlightenment influence in her new law code?

8. What type of government do you think she favors and why?

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