Greatest monarchs of all time

[944]

Who do you think are the greatest monarchs of all time, and why?

[Smart]

I think it's rather impossible to limit that number to a few.

but I shall rest in a safe choice: Cyrus the Great, Messiah.

[cmbruno]

To be even safer: Salomon

[pgm1952]

A good monarch leaves a memorable legacy, is remembered fondly by those who study and remember them, both in their country and abroad, and it has to be said, had one or two memorable quirks or traits. George III had poriphyra and it caused his infamous madness; Christian IX was the father- in- law of Europe. These are small examples, but both in their own right were decent men.

[roseroyal]

The 3 greatest monarchs have been:
Victoria- lifetime of service
Elizabeth the 2nd- lifetime of service, selfless, definition of royal majesty
George the 6th- leader of nation through world crisis, Queen Elizabeth- unified a nation
Elizabeth the 1st.- groundbreaking reign unified the nation.
Period.
And I foresee adding William the 5th and Queen Catherine to that list.... Why? He will be a King of the people, for the people,with the people. He posses warmth, empathy, humor, compassion, leadership, bravery. determination, loyalty, honesty, gentleness, and the human touch. Catherine shares many of these qualities. They are both grounded, and comfortable in their own skin.

[IloveCP]

Elizabeth i:Just too many reasons why!

[auntie]

I think the way you can define a great monarch is by measuring his capabilities as a king, combined with him being a decent human being on the persaonal level with his family and close ones. Elizabeth II comes to mind

[miamifla]

Tough question, since there are many ways of being great. You can be infamous great like so many "bad" monarchs, men (and some women) who enslaved their populations, but yet still added territory & populations to their kingdoms, and then there are those that are great like Elizabeth II & her father George VI who were selfless and flawless in their intent to make the monarchy respectable, adaptable & for the people.

My favorite would be George VI. He was man who never wanted to be king - he loathed public speaking (as we all know why) and yet, went on to a short & happy reign, able to overcome peoples doubts after the abdication crisis, and then fearlessly led his peoples around the world during the 2nd WW. When he died in 1952, his peoples around the world were truly moved and saddened. I believe he died the most admired and loved monarch in British history, moreso than even his daughter is today.

[Fürstin Taxis]

Queen Victoria
Queen Elizabeth I.
Empress Catherine II. of Russia

That´s why I support equal rights in the succession

[Grandduchess24]

Queen Victoria - overcame her difficult childhood to be a great monarch
Queen Elizabeth I - didn't need a man to be a good monarch
Queen Marie Antoinette - famous and life at Versailles and innocently taken to the guillotine and all that pomp and glamour

[XeniaCasaraghi]

Peter
Alexander II(?)
Elizabeth I
Henry V(?)
I could put George VI in the category but most of the good during WWII was a result of Winston Churchill

[Sit]

Originally Posted by 944

Who do you think are the greatest monarchs of all time, and why?

Nimrod ! The first King - The man who invented the alphabet and Father of Army .
Conqueror without sacrifice - the hunter!
Unattainable military and intellectual genius.
Construction of the first city ...


He was a mighty hunter before the LORD. Therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the LORD.”
Genesis 10:9

[janb]

For Northern Europe at least I would say Margaret, who unified Scandinavia without much blod and led it to one of the regions longest time of peace (well, until modern time that is). More than any man in three kingdoms and one millenium managed.
She was never Queen of Denmark just "All-powerful Lady and Mistress (Regent) of the Kingdom of Denmark" and in theory only Dowager Queen for Norway and Sweden. Still she ruled all of Scandinavia for and is the reason the first Queen Regent of Denmark named Margaret use the regent name Margaret II, and I doubt there are anyone in Scandinavia that don't know why.

[Meraude]

Alexander the Great - conquered much of the then known world
Peter the Great of Russia - modernizied Russia and made it into a major European power (and great in height too, 6 ft 8 in, 2 meters)
Catherine the Great of Russia - made herself empress of Russia and a patron of arts and culture
Elizabeth I of England - the Elizabethan age

[An Ard Ri]

Brian Boru,High King of Ireland
Henri IV of France
Louis XIV of France
Henry II of England
Isabella I of Castile & León
Richard The Lionheart
Louis IX of France (Saint Louis)

[Daria_S]

Originally Posted by roseroyal

The 3 greatest monarchs have been:
Victoria- lifetime of service
Elizabeth the 2nd- lifetime of service, selfless, definition of royal majesty
George the 6th- leader of nation through world crisis, Queen Elizabeth- unified a nation
Elizabeth the 1st.- groundbreaking reign unified the nation.
Period.
And I foresee adding William the 5th and Queen Catherine to that list.... Why? He will be a King of the people, for the people,with the people. He posses warmth, empathy, humor, compassion, leadership, bravery. determination, loyalty, honesty, gentleness, and the human touch. Catherine shares many of these qualities. They are both grounded, and comfortable in their own skin.

I really like your choices and reasons for them. You're right about Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth II. Victoria was dedicated to her role and knew what she had to do. However, she was the one who brought the monarchy out to the people with the family photographs. She was a strong-willed and intelligent woman and her legacy lives on in pretty much every Royal House of Europe (she was dubbed 'Grandmother of all Europe' after all).

Queen Elizabeth II is dedicated to her job, just like her great-great-grandmother. She does her job well, and is also very intelligent. She is what a monarch should be, and is respected and loved by her subjects and those who live outside of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth (there are so many posts on this forum that express admiration for this woman, and a great deal of the posters are not British subjects).

Future William V along with his consort Catherine will do great things for their nation and Commonwealth (if such will exist). They're both kind, compassionate, intelligent, and in touch with reality and their people. If we were to go by the response they've received while on tour of Canada and US, then it's clear that people gravitate to these two, and have nothing but good things to say when asked about their impressions. It will be an honor to watch that coronation and reign (hopefully I'll be alive to see it).

George VI showed the world that one didn't have to be perfect to be a monarch. He had a speech impediment, but he was able to overcome it and by doing so, gained confidence and helped his nation (in whatever ways he could) get through World War II. Admirable indeed.

I'd like to add to this list Yekaterina II of Russia, and Aleksandr II of Russia. The former brought art and culture into the nation, and was overall, an Enlightened monarch. She received some thinkers of the Enlightment at her Court. The fact that she was able to take the throne from her husband is no small feat, since Russia was (and still is) a male-dominated society.

Aleksandr II really didn't get his chance to do all the good that he planned to do (that's what happens when people want change right away and refuse to wait just a little bit). However, the abolition of serfdom was a great achievement and earned him a place in history books around the world

[Daria_S]

Originally Posted by roseroyal

The 3 greatest monarchs have been:
Victoria- lifetime of service
Elizabeth the 2nd- lifetime of service, selfless, definition of royal majesty
George the 6th- leader of nation through world crisis, Queen Elizabeth- unified a nation
Elizabeth the 1st.- groundbreaking reign unified the nation.
Period.
And I foresee adding William the 5th and Queen Catherine to that list.... Why? He will be a King of the people, for the people,with the people. He posses warmth, empathy, humor, compassion, leadership, bravery. determination, loyalty, honesty, gentleness, and the human touch. Catherine shares many of these qualities. They are both grounded, and comfortable in their own skin.

I really like your choices and reasons for them. You're right about Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth II. Victoria was dedicated to her role and knew what she had to do. However, she was the one who brought the monarchy out to the people with the family photographs. She was a strong-willed and intelligent woman and her legacy lives on in pretty much every Royal House of Europe (she was dubbed 'Grandmother of all Europe' after all).

Queen Elizabeth II is dedicated to her job, just like her great-great-grandmother. She does her job well, and is also very intelligent. She is what a monarch should be, and is respected and loved by her subjects and those who live outside of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth (there are so many posts on this forum that express admiration for this woman, and a great deal of the posters are not British subjects).

Future William V along with his consort Catherine will do great things for their nation and Commonwealth (if such will exist). They're both kind, compassionate, intelligent, and in touch with reality and their people. If we were to go by the response they've received while on tour of Canada and US, then it's clear that people gravitate to these two, and have nothing but good things to say when asked about their impressions. It will be an honor to watch that coronation and reign (hopefully I'll be alive to see it).

George VI showed the world that one didn't have to be perfect to be a monarch. He had a speech impediment, but he was able to overcome it and by doing so, gained confidence and helped his nation (in whatever ways he could) get through World War II. Admirable indeed.

I'd like to add to this list Yekaterina II of Russia, and Aleksandr II of Russia. The former brought art and culture into the nation, and was overall, an Enlightened monarch. She received some thinkers of the Enlightment at her Court. The fact that she was able to take the throne from her husband is no small feat, since Russia was (and still is) a male-dominated society.

Aleksandr II really didn't get his chance to do all the good that he planned to do (that's what happens when people want change right away and refuse to wait just a little bit). However, the abolition of serfdom was a great achievement and earned him a place in history books around the world.

[Grandduchess24]

For me they have been women

HM Queen Elizabeth II

HM Queen Victoria

HM Queen Elizabeth I

[LovelyKate]

It's a very difficult question... According to me, the greatest monarchs of all the time must be very powerful monarchs, and must behave in a very humanly way. This idea in my head, I have always wondered which king of France had been the better king. Louis IX was, for sure, a very good king, and so did Henri IV: they were powerful and very closed to french people. I only have a problem with Louis XIV: he was a great king, during his reign France was very influent. But he victimised Protestants, he opressed people with crippling taxes... So I wouldn't put Louis XIV on my list.
I'm not a specialist of monarchy, I couldn't say who would be one the greatest monarchs of all time... But I think that in the future, Victoria of Sweden will be a very good queen, and so will Prince William.
Oh, I have an idea now: one the greatest monarch of all the time could be, according to me, King Juan Carlos of Spain, because he refused to be dictator Franco's heir. Thanks to Juan Carlos, spanish people are free.

[An Ard Ri]

Originally Posted by LovelyKate

It's a very difficult question... According to me, the greatest monarchs of all the time must be very powerful monarchs, and must behave in a very humanly way. This idea in my head, I have always wondered which king of France had been the better king. Louis IX was, for sure, a very good king, and so did Henri IV: they were powerful and very closed to french people. I only have a problem with Louis XIV: he was a great king, during his reign France was very influent. But he victimised Protestants, he opressed people with crippling taxes... So I wouldn't put Louis XIV on my list.
I'm not a specialist of monarchy, I couldn't say who would be one the greatest monarchs of all time... But I think that in the future, Victoria of Sweden will be a very good queen, and so will Prince William.
Oh, I have an idea now: one the greatest monarch of all the time could be, according to me, King Juan Carlos of Spain, because he refused to be dictator Franco's heir. Thanks to Juan Carlos, spanish people are free.

Louis XII was known as 'father of his people',his daughter Claude would have made a good monarch had it not been for the Salic Law,instead she went onto become a much loved Queen Consort.