ENLIGHTENMENT - enlightened Despots examples and achievments

Enlightened despots

An enlightened despot is a monarch who respects the people's rights and rule fairly. Some monarchs liked the new ideas and made improvements that displayed the spread of Enlightenment. Although enlightened despots believed many of the Enlightenment ideals, they did not want to give up their power.

Frederick the Great

His many reforms included religious freedoms, reduced censorship, improved education, improved justice system and abolishing torture. Frederick's changes only went so far, for example he believed that serfdom was wrong but he did nothing to end it since he needed the support of wealthy landowners.

Catherine the Great

Most admired by the philosophes. Her reforms were based on the ideas of Montesquieu and Beccaria. She recommended religious toleration, abolishment of torture, and capital punishment.

Joseph II

Most radical reformer. His reforms included legal reforms, freedom of the press, and freedom of worship, abolishing serfdom, and ordering that peasants be paid for their labor. (This particular reform was undone after his death.)