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An '''enlightened despot''' was a [[monarch]] during the [[Enlightenment]] who ruled with some concern for the welfare of his people.  In other words, this type of [[king]] allowed some reforms for the good of the people.

An '''enlightened despot''' was a [[monarch]] during the [[Enlightenment]] who ruled with some concern for the welfare of his people.  In other words, this type of [[king]] allowed some reforms for the good of the people but still maintained absolute power. [[Voltaire]], a prominent French philosophe and Enlightenment thinker, was a proponent of such a government. Monarchs that are considered enlightened despots usually ruled over Eastern European countries, such as [[Emperor]] [[Joseph II]] of [[Austria]] or [[Catherine the Great]] of [[Russia]].

[[category:history]]

[[Category:History]]

[[category:Forms of Government]]

[[Category:Forms of Government]]