Enlightened Absolutism
Today’s Objective
- To understand the motivations behind enlightened absolutism
-To understand how the enlightened absolutists movement came to an end
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• During the Age of Enlightenment, some absolute monarchs embraced the
Newtonian worldview and ideas of the enlightenment
→ The enlightened despots remained absolute in their power
…allegedly using their power for the good of their people
- Frederick II the Great of Prussia (1740-1786)
- Catherine II the Great of Russia (1762-1796)
- Joseph II (HRE) of Austria (1780-1790)
• Most philosophes welcomed the enthusiasm of the enlightened despots
→ As they were not seeking to overthrow or even limit royal authority,
instead they hoped to convince monarchies
…to redirect their efforts towards political, social, religious and
economic reforms
→ Frederick the Great even stated that monarchy exists solely to serve
the state and its citizens
…”I am the first servant of the state”
• Minor reforms did result from these enlightened despots, but there was little
concern for popular liberty and justice for the masses
→ Reforms were often based on the monarch’s hidden agenda to
strengthen their individual power
- Catherine II’s pledge to give Russia a constitution
- Joseph II’s Patent of Toleration
→ Ultimately these failures in reform will bring about revolutionary
efforts for political, social, religious and economic changes
→ The onset of the French Revolution in 1789 will bring the era of
enlightened absolutism to an end
• Partition of Poland
→ Three separate partitions (1772-1795) divided the territory of Poland
between Prussia, Russia and Austria
…removing Poland from the map until 1919
→ Poland pays the price for maintaining internal liberties at the expense
of developing a strong central government
…demonstrates that any nation without a strong central gov’t,
bureaucracy and army could no longer compete with the
European powers
Guided Reading Question
What was the motivations behind the enlightened
monarchs? Why did this era come to an end?
Target Questions
• What was an enlightened despot?
• How did the philosophes view these enlightened
despots?
• How did the Patent of Toleration reflect the
enlightenment?
• Summarize the Partition of Poland