As something of a history buff I’ve read about a fair few Kings and Queens through history. There are many of them, most mediocre, a lot of them objectively bad, however, now and again one stands out from the masses as a good one.
So, what (according to you) makes a good monarch? Feel free to point to a particular person, or event as an example :)
No monarch is a good one IMO. The very idea of a monarchy is repulsive to me.
However, there are certainly some who are worse than others. The trouble is that by the time you find out, they’re already the monarch and you can’t get rid of them without a great deal of trouble.
A guillotine!
I submit King Haakon VII - the first modern King of Norway. Throughout his reign he worked to support the Norwegian people, acting as a unifying and stabilizing figure, particularly in times of crisis. Examples are during the first few years of the country, during WW1, the occupation of WW2 and also after the 1927 elections, where he decided to uphold parliamentary convention and allow the workers party (which at the time espoused a revolutionary socialist manifesto) to form a government (against the wishes of the liberal and conservative majority in parliament, which had failed to form a government).
The same thing that makes any other type of leader or ruler good. Simply seek to understand the people.
If titles are anything to go by, murderizing an absolute shitzillion of people makes monarchs pretty great.
Well, perhaps Marcus Aurelius? Kind of the original philosopher-king.
Having 20 years of relative peace to start off is no small feat given the size of Rome and the issues mounting at the time. Still, he failed to in securing a good heir to lead the empire after his death. His son, a mere 18 at his death would be rather unprepared to lead the empire. It might have been more prudent to adopt a more suitable heir.
