How To Kill Me By Kings
Some of the qualities of a expert male monarch include being calm and centered, being decisive and having personal integrity. Being hardworking and energetic, speaking well, protecting people, maintaining guild, blessing others and acknowledging the efforts of other people are a few more than platonic characteristics of a king.
While most people would likely find these qualities virtuous, history has proven that they don't always translate into the kind of deportment y'all might await. Allow's have a closer look at the characteristics of some of the most successful rulers in history.
A Benevolent King
For a moment, try to imagine the type of king you'd similar to live under. What is this ruler like? Some of the first qualities that come up to mind might include things like 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.
In his controversial-still-classic book The Prince, Renaissance-era philosopher and political scientist Niccolo Machiavelli argues that it's more important for a ruler to be feared than loved. A stable ruler, Machiavelli claims, cannot e'er afford to be the "nice guy" and must be ruthless when the state of affairs calls for it.
Arguments for this theory exist when y'all 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 charity work. Instead, they largely used their qualities to further their kingdoms through war machine might. Cartoon from their examples, some common qualities of a good king could include:
- Military forcefulness: This involves some personality traits that might initially seem tame, such every bit the ability to stay calm during chaos, decisiveness and singleness of purpose.
- Tactful all the same motivating speech: A king was oftentimes counted on to rally his people or soldiers and explain why his choices were a skillful thought, whether they turned out to be or not.
- Personal integrity: This doesn't always betoken a traditional adherence to morality. Rather, a king had to know exactly who he was and be sure of himself and his actions at all times.
- Wisdom: Bated from a sense of cleverness in military machine strategy, the best rulers tended to exist open up to listening to and implementing ideas from their advisors.
Every bit you tin can see, however, none of these kings mentioned above became famous for simply being nice all the time.
It'due south a bit harder to describe the actual role of a monarch these days, as information technology's changed a corking deal over the course of history. In medieval times, for instance, a king essentially had the final say when information technology came to the laws and decisions in his country.
In many ancient civilizations, such as Egypt, Japan, People's republic of china 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. As yous can imagine, these expectations weren't always so easy to live up to. In looking back at The Prince, you'll find that Machiavelli poses an interesting solution: "It is non essential, then, that a Prince should accept all the skilful qualities [of leadership], only it is almost essential that he should seem to have them; I will even 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 information technology'southward non necessarily important (or even wise) for a rex to live according to a strict set of moral standards. What is important is that he appears to do and so. While this may sound hypocritical, it'southward not far off from modern-day expectations.
In the United states, when someone runs for president, we want to hear that they take spotless personal and professional backgrounds. It doesn't have much more than ane long-ago thing or unflattering life choice to create a full-on scandal in the media. On the other manus, a 2019 study plant that only 17% of Americans really trusted the government to "do what is right" either "just about always" or "most of the fourth dimension."
This brings up an interesting point, especially considering that many actual kings today largely serve symbolic roles and possess piffling to no actual political power. While we may not always await our leaders to be perfect, nearly people at least want their rulers to embody the qualities they'd like to think their state stands for. Perhaps a mutual function of modern and ancient kings is serving every bit the faces of their nations to the world.
What Makes a Good King?
So how is a male monarch expected to be both a ruthless armed forces leader nonetheless also be (or at least announced to be) an upstanding human? Information technology'southward a fine line, merely there have been a few rulers throughout history who have pulled it off.
A adept instance tin exist constitute in a Æthelstan, who was the outset man e'er recognized as the rex of England. Æthelstan ruled between 925 and 939 and was depicted on the popular TV testify Vikings. Known for his devotion to the Christian faith, Æthelstan was a kind and generous king who encouraged learning, established a fair justice organisation and showed pity equally often as he could.
That said, he wasn't afraid to engage in necessary conflict 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 military and political strength in a way that historians believe served the overall skilful of his people.
Some other notable example is Charlemagne, or Charles the Great, who ruled over much of Western Europe from 768 to 814. Despite his legacy for uniting all Germanic people into a unmarried kingdom, he had to spend most of his reign at war in order to do it.
Charlemagne was a vehement and skilled military machine strategist but 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 be known equally the Carolingian Renaissance. Past 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 later his death. Some however refer to him as the "Father of Europe" to this day.
Source: https://www.reference.com/world-view/qualities-good-king-7146be2ec978da55?utm_content=params%3Ao%3D740005%26ad%3DdirN%26qo%3DserpIndex&ueid=017d2c09-f9f9-484a-849d-a613cdbb80b8
0 Response to "How To Kill Me By Kings"
Post a Comment