What Makes A Good King

Photograph Courtesy: John Shackleton/Wikipedia

Some of the qualities of a good rex include being calm and centered, being decisive and having personal integrity. Being hardworking and energetic, speaking well, protecting people, maintaining order, blessing others and acknowledging the efforts of other people are a few more platonic characteristics of a male monarch.

While about people would probable find these qualities virtuous, history has proven that they don't e'er translate into the kind of actions yous might look. Let's take a closer expect at the characteristics of some of the about successful rulers in history.

A Benevolent King

For a moment, try to imagine the blazon of king yous'd similar to live nether. What is this ruler like? Some of the first qualities that come to mind might include things similar kindness and generosity. While these are admirable qualities in a normal person, some people may argue that they have their limits when it comes to rulership.

Photo Courtesy: Lazzaro Bastiana/Wikipedia

In his controversial-all the same-archetype volume The Prince, Renaissance-era philosopher and political scientist Niccolo Machiavelli argues that it's more of import for a ruler to be feared than loved. A stable ruler, Machiavelli claims, cannot e'er afford to be the "overnice guy" and must be ruthless when the situation calls for it.

Arguments for this theory be when you take into consideration some of the most famous leaders in history. Alexander the Great, Napoleon Bonaparte, Julius Caesar, William the Conqueror and Genghis Khan weren't exactly known for their clemency piece of work. Instead, they largely used their qualities to further their kingdoms through military might. Cartoon from their examples, some mutual qualities of a good rex could include:

Armed services strength: This involves some personality traits that might initially seem tame, such as the ability to stay calm during chaos, decisiveness and singleness of purpose.
Tactful all the same motivating spoken language: A king was frequently counted on to rally his people or soldiers and explain why his choices were a proficient idea, whether they turned out to be or not.
Personal integrity: This doesn't always indicate a traditional adherence to morality. Rather, a male monarch had to know exactly who he was and be certain of himself and his actions at all times.
Wisdom: Aside from a sense of cleverness in military strategy, the best rulers tended to exist open to listening to and implementing ideas from their advisors.

Equally you lot can see, however, none of these kings mentioned above became famous for just existence nice all the time.

It'south a bit harder to describe the actual role of a monarch these days, equally it'south changed a corking bargain over the course of history. In medieval times, for example, a king essentially had the final say when it came to the laws and decisions in his country.

In many ancient civilizations, such every bit Egypt, Japan, Cathay and even Rome, rulers were believed to be divine entities and were more than or less treated as gods on earth — or the closest things to deities, at least. Every bit you tin can imagine, these expectations weren't always and then easy to live up to. In looking back at The Prince, you'll observe that Machiavelli poses an interesting solution: "Information technology is not essential, so, that a Prince should have all the good qualities [of leadership], but it is most essential that he should seem to have them; I volition fifty-fifty venture to assert that if he has and invariably practices them all, they are hurtful, whereas the appearance of having them is useful."

What Machiavelli is suggesting is that it's not necessarily important (or even wise) for a male monarch to live co-ordinate to a strict gear up of moral standards. What is of import is that he appears to practice so. While this may sound hypocritical, it's not far off from modern-day expectations.

In the United States, when someone runs for president, we want to hear that they have spotless personal and professional backgrounds. It doesn't take much more than one long-agone affair or unflattering life choice to create a full-on scandal in the media. On the other hand, a 2019 study establish that simply 17% of Americans really trusted the government to "do what is right" either "just about always" or "well-nigh of the time."

This brings upwards an interesting betoken, especially considering that many actual kings today largely serve symbolic roles and possess footling to no bodily political power. While we may not always expect our leaders to be perfect, most people at least want their rulers to embody the qualities they'd like to recall their country stands for. Perhaps a common role of modern and ancient kings is serving as the faces of their nations to the world.

What Makes a Skillful King?

And so how is a king expected to be both a ruthless military leader yet also be (or at least appear to be) an upstanding human being? It's a fine line, but there have been a few rulers throughout history who have pulled it off.

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A skilful instance tin be found in a Æthelstan, who was the get-go human being ever recognized every bit the king of England. Æthelstan ruled between 925 and 939 and was depicted on the popular Television set prove Vikings. Known for his devotion to the Christian organized religion, Æthelstan was a kind and generous king who encouraged learning, established a fair justice system and showed compassion as oft as he could.

That said, he wasn't afraid to engage in necessary disharmonize with the Vikings, Scots, Norse or anyone else who posed a threat to his kingdom. Overall, he was one of the few kings in history who was able to combine integrity with armed services and political strength in a way that historians believe served the overall good of his people.

Some other notable example is Charlemagne, or Charles the Groovy, who ruled over much of Western Europe from 768 to 814. Despite his legacy for uniting all Germanic people into a single kingdom, he had to spend nigh of his reign at war in order to do information technology.

Charlemagne was a fierce and skilled military strategist just was ultimately crowned emperor of the Romans in 800 by Pope Leo III. As a ruler, he inspired a cultural and intellectual revival that came to exist known as the Carolingian Renaissance. By combining his skills for military strategy and his ability to promote learning and cultural growth, Charlemagne was able to ensure that his legacy would live on long after his decease. Some nevertheless refer to him as the "Begetter of Europe" to this day.