Why did Voltaire support enlightened monarchs who introduced progressive reforms?

Voltaire supported enlightened monarchs because he believed they were the indispensable agents of progress. Living under a regime that denied political opportunity, many philosophes of his era, including Voltaire, placed their trust in "enlightened autocrats" to serve as a mandate for social engineering and the reform of archaic laws.12

While Voltaire often acted as an adviser to princes—most notably Frederick II—he eventually learned that it was easier to criticize institutions than to change them. His commitment to reason, liberty, justice, and toleration was deeply influenced by his own experiences with arbitrary injustice, such as his imprisonment in the Bastille, and his subsequent observation of the freer society in England. Ultimately, Voltaire viewed these monarchs as necessary figures to overcome the obstacles of privilege and superstition that hindered societal advancement.2