Short answers, pulled from the story.
Enlightened absolutism emerged as a political philosophy during the 18th and early 19th centuries. European absolute monarchs adopted Enlightenment ideas to strengthen their own power while claiming to rule for the public good.
Frederick the Great ruled Prussia from 1740 until 1786. He served as the primary historical example of enlightened absolutism in action.
Empress Catherine II of Russia sponsored the Russian Enlightenment while incorporating ideas from Montesquieu into her Nakaz legal code. She invited Denis Diderot to her court but the collaboration ultimately worked out poorly.
Reza Shah Pahlavi enacted enlightened absolutism in Iran by combining absolute monarchism with liberal ideas. His son continued these policies until their overthrow in 1979.
Wilhelm Roscher formally described the concept of enlightened absolutism in 1847. Charles Ingrao wrote about problems surrounding this term in German states during the late 18th century.