Napoleon I is sometimes called the greatest enlightened despot. Evaluate this assessment in terms of Napoleon I’s policies and accomplishments. Be sure to include a definition of enlightened despotism in your answer.
Napoleon I (Napoleon Bonaparte), sometimes considered the greatest enlightened despot, was the first modern political figure to use the rhetoric of revolution and nationalism. He supported this rhetoric with military force, and combined those elements into a mighty weapon of imperial expansion in the service of his own power. An enlightened despot is a ruler with absolute, unlimited power, but following ideas of the enlightenment, such as rationality, religious toleration, and freedoms, and Napoleon Bonaparte can certainly be considered an enlightened despot. Napoleon made several changes to the government of France. Through the changes he made and reforms based on the enlightenment, he ruled as an enlightened despot, becoming the greatest in history. Coming to power on the wings of the Revolution, he established himself as the First Consul, his policies including the Constitution of the Year VIII, making peace domestically and in foreign affairs, agreeing to a concordat with the Roman Catholic Church, establishing a dynasty, accomplished abolishment of the Old Regime, nationalism and loyalty of the nation to him, and unification of the lands he gained and controlled under the Napoleonic code.
First, Napoleon I Bonaparte established his rule with the title of First Consul. Under the Consulate, the French Revolution came to an end. This action marked the beginning of his rule as despot, and his destruction of old feudal priviledges marked the start of his enlightened policies being put into action. When it came to foreign affairs, Bonaparte knew how to make peace, whether it be through flattery and bribery, or through warfare. In 1802, the Treaty of Amiens brought peace to Europe. Peace was an enlightened ideal, and it brought Napoleon...