Discuss the reasons why two rulers, each from a different region, expanded their power.

The question requires that candidates offer a considered and balanced review of the reasons why two rulers expanded their power. While the two rulers must be from different regions, they may or may not have been contemporaries. A comparative approach may or may not be used. Candidates may refer to a ruler’s need for increased authority over the population, to implement a doctrine of legitimacy and to secure the succession of their heirs. Alternatively, candidates may discuss why rulers expanded their power through the acquisition of new territory: to secure trading routes, to spread religious beliefs and to secure strategic locations such as ports or seaways.