Enlightened Monarch

An honorific given to monarchs in the 18th century who governed according to the "enlightened" principles of John Lock, Voltaire, or the other enlightenment political thinkers.  As a general rule, the Enlightened Monarchs were [absolutist] monarchs who liked to sound progressive.  There were exceptions, for example, Franz Josef and Empress Maria of Austria seem to have been legitimate enlightened monarchs.