Mediocre world history textbooks frequently make reference to an “age of enlightened despotism” in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. As the story goes, it was a time in which rulers were shaking off the shackles of religion and dragging their subjects, mostly kicking and screaming, into the modern secular world. This typically involved the use of force. Peter the Great and Frederick the Great are viewed as outstanding examples of enlightened despotism.
The fact is that most would-be “enlightened despots” fail. If you’re going to succeed, you had better be clever enough to be called “The Great” when your reign is over. Does MBS meet that standard? Based on his record to date, it seems doubtful.