Outside of France one can identify two tendencies—the English conducted their great experiment in limited, or constitutional, monarchy, while Prussia, the Hapsburgs, Sweden, and the Russia of Catherine the Great toyed with the notion of enlightened monarchy. Although Louis XIV ruled under the banner of social harmony, in reality he was the sovereign. In the case of limited monarchies, the practice was to produce social harmony by giving subjects something in return: public education, careers open to talent, the promise of military advancement, and some form of religious toleration. The record of these enlightened monarchs was far from satisfactory. Just the same, the more enterprising individuals—mostly from the ranks of the rising middle orders—were able to make some headway throughout the eighteenth century. Under Frederick the Great, Prussia was able to build up a state with a strong military whose discipline and style were