Enlightened Despots < The Enlightenment

The concept of an enlightened despot has proved attractive in many cultures.

Those rulers who were versed in the thought of the Enlightenment, may have realized that great social and economic changes were at hand, but some were more adept than others in their understanding of these changes and of how best to prepare their states for the future.

Of course, a bookish knowledge of Enlightenment thinkers was not always translated into enlightened actions.