Compare and contrast the nature of the power of two rulers.

The question requires that candidates give an account of the similarities and differences between two rulers in terms of the nature of their power, referring to both throughout. The two rulers may or may not be from the same region and they may or may not have been contemporaneous with each other. Candidates may refer to where power was derived from as integral to the nature of power and so hereditary claims, as in the case of Harun al-Rashid may be mentioned. Hereditary privileges may also be linked to religious reasons, for example the Inca rulers who claimed divine descent from the sun. There may be reference to the support of the religious elite through manipulation of religious symbols, as in the case of coronation ceremonies that publicly confirmed rulers, or via the indoctrination of the population. Candidates may also refer to right by conquest, where power may have stemmed from control over resources as well as military strength, as in the case of Timur-i-Lang (Tamerlane). Both similarities and differences must be clearly indicated but there does not need to be an equal number of each.

The question required candidates to give an account of the similarities and differences between two rulers in terms of the nature of their power.