To what extent did one ruler overcome the internal and external challenges to their power?

Candidates will consider the extent to which their chosen ruler overcame both internal and external challenges to their power. These challenges may be addressed chronologically or they may be addressed in terms of their perceived severity. Alternatively, the extent to which the challenges were surmounted may be the focus of the response. There may also be an attempt to address the challenges thematically (for example, internal versus external challenges and/or social, political and economic challenges). While candidates must refer to both internal and external challenges, depending on the ruler chosen, the coverage of these need not be equal. In some cases, it may be possible for candidates to draw parallels between internal and external challenges, for example external support for internal challenges and/or internal support for external challenges.