Enlightened Despots

1. Frederick the Great

1.1. Exerted extremely tight control over his subjects during his reign as king of Prussia

1.2. 1740- 1786

1.3. "First servant of the state"

1.4. thought it was his duty to work for the common good

1.5. praised Voltaires work

1.6. reforms were to make the Prussian government more efficient

2. Catherine the Great

2.1. read the works of the philosophes and exchanged letters with Voltaire and Diderot

2.2. became empress in 1762

2.3. abolished torture and established reloigious tolerance

3. Joseph II

3.1. radical enlightened despots

3.2. continued the work of maria theresa