History Main / BenevolentMageRuler

* Lord Ainz from ''Literature/Overlord2012'' is somewhere between this and SorcerousOverlord- while he is an [[ObviouslyEvil Ob]]([[ObliviouslyEvil liv]])[[ObviouslyEvil viously Evil]] [[OurLichesAreDifferent undead lich king]] who plans to TakeOverTheWorld, he is actually quite benevolent as evil overlords go, and the kingdom under his rule actually seems to be better off than it was under the "rightful" king. He also took on the actual title of Sorcerer King, after rejecting other titles like the Wise King or the Handsome King. He has stated that his goal is to create a peaceful kingdom where all races can live together side by side. Unfortunately, all but three of his underlings are completely evil and are persuaded that Ainz is far craftier and eviller than any of them by far, and that any show of benevolence towards PunyHumans is just to better trap them. The fact that he's trying to run his company like an ideal Japanese corporation (Ainz was a lowly {{salaryman}} TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture in his previous life) in a MedievalEuropeanFantasy doesn't help either. It helps that he was born in a BadFuture where [[MegaCorp Mega-Corps]] controlled most of the entire world and there was an immense level of class disparity and oppression by the corporate elites and does not want to be the sort of leader who treats his own subordinates the way he was.

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* Lord Ainz from ''Literature/Overlord2012'' is somewhere between this and SorcerousOverlord- while he is an [[ObviouslyEvil Ob]]([[ObliviouslyEvil liv]])[[ObviouslyEvil viously Evil]] [[OurLichesAreDifferent undead lich king]] who plans to TakeOverTheWorld, he is actually quite benevolent as evil overlords go, and the kingdom under his rule actually seems to be better off than it was under the "rightful" king. He also took on the actual title of Sorcerer King, after rejecting other titles like the Wise King or the Handsome King. He has stated that his goal is to create a peaceful kingdom where all races can live together side by side. Unfortunately, all but three of his underlings are completely evil and are persuaded that Ainz is far craftier and eviller than any of them by far, and that any show of benevolence towards PunyHumans is just to better trap them. The fact that he's trying to run his company like an ideal Japanese corporation (Ainz was a lowly {{salaryman}} TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture in his previous life) in a MedievalEuropeanFantasy doesn't help either. It helps that he was born in a BadFuture where mega corporations controlled most of the entire world and there was an immense level of class disparity and oppression by the corporate elites and does not want to be the sort of leader who treats his own subordinates the way he was.

* [[https://1d4chan.org/wiki/Millennial_King The Millennial King]] was created by /tg/ when the board wondered why there seemed to be no good {{Necromancer}}s. The titular king [[BadPowersGoodPeople uses his undead minions to eliminate the need for menial labor]] and respects the right of his people to refuse undeath. This is usually not a problem, as there is [[UniversallyBelovedLeader no shortage of volunteers]].

* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'': Zuko became Fire Lord after beating his younger sister Azula in an Agni Kai (firebending duel) for the title, and proved to be a much better ruler than her, his [[AbusiveParents father]], and even his [[GruesomeGrandparent grandfather]]. He would [[AbdicateTheThrone retire]] a few years before the SequelSeries ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' started, totaling some 65 years. His daughter and successor Izumi hasn't been confirmed to be a bender but given her very powerful lineage, she can be assumed to be one of these as well.

* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'': The Alicorn Princesses have extreme magical powers. Celestia and Luna can move the sun and moon respectively, Cadence used ThePowerOfLove to [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E1TheCrystalEmpirePart1 repel King Sombra from]] [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E2TheCrystalEmpirePart2 the Crystal Empire]], [[spoiler:and now Twilight Sparkle becomes a princess at [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E13MagicalMysteryCure the end of the third season]], making her a mix of this and EmperorScientist]].

* In the Literature/{{Discworld}}, Magrat is a Witch who ends up as the Queen. She wasn't intending to be a Queen: she thought she was walking out with the Court Jester. But after machinations on the part of the Senior Witches, Verence the Jester turns out to be the heir to a suddenly vacant throne.

* Season 1 of the LetsPlay/EmpiresSMP has Gem, who's the ruler of the mountainside kingdom called The Crystal Cliffs. She's a sweet lady who does a lot to keep her more volatile allies in check.

This sometimes overlaps with EmperorScientist, especially where ClarkesThirdLaw, AlchemyIsMagic, and/or {{Magitek}} is in this setting. But this trope is different as while the EmperorScientist focuses on the sciences (and is usually evil or {{Mad|Scientist}}), this character type is more in tune with the art of magic (and is usually good). This also overlaps with ThePhilosopherKing, TheGoodKing, TheHighQueen, PrincessesRule and SheIsTheKing.

* Lord Ainz from ''Literature/Overlord2012'' is somewhere between this and SorcerousOverlord- while he is an [[ObviouslyEvil Ob]]([[ObliviouslyEvil liv]])[[ObviouslyEvil viously Evil]] [[OurLichesAreDifferent undead lich king]] who plans to TakeOverTheWorld, he is actually quite benevolent as evil overlords go, and the kingdom under his rule actually seems to be better off than it was under the "rightful" king. He also took on the actual title of Sorcerer King, after rejecting other titles like the Wise King or the Handsome King. He has stated that his goal is to create a peaceful kingdom where all races can live together side by side. Unfortunately, all but three of his underlings are completely evil, and are persuaded that Ainz is far craftier and eviller than any of them by far, and that any show of benevolence towards PunyHumans is just to better trap them. The fact that he's trying to run his company like an ideal Japanese corporation (Ainz was a lowly {{salaryman}} TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture in his previous life) in a MedievalEuropeanFantasy doesn't help either. It helps that he was born in a BadFuture where mega corporations controlled most of the entire world and there was an immense level of class disparity and oppression by the corporate elites and does not want to be the sort of leader who treats his own subordinates the way he was.

** Meanwhile, Oscar is not the genuine article, but a con-artist who previously worked as a magician for a traveling circus. But he uses his technical knowledge and stage magic to create the impression that he truly is a wizard.

* ''Literature/TheDragonKnight'': The titular Dragonknight a baron who's also a magician (albeit a low-level one, since being a feudal lord means he can't dedicate his life to magecraft).

* The Raven King of ''Literature/JonathanStrangeAndMrNorrell'', a.k.a. John Uskglass, the Black King of the North, who ruled Northern England along with a large Faerie Kingdom and a land on the far side of Hell for several centuries and had magical power on par with Lucifer. Even three centuries after his departure, he is still well loved in Northern England, with Childermass declaring loyalty to the King at the end of the novel [[spoiler: for which, it is hinted, the Raven King heals his cheek]], and he is suggested to have left in order to protect England from threats to her magical borders.

* Jonathan IV of Conte becomes king of {{Literature/Tortall|Universe}} in the fourth book of ''Literature/SongOfTheLioness'', ''Lioness Rampant''. Jon was born with magic and uses it throughout the series, most notable when Duke Roger threatens the kingdom, Jonathan uses the Dominion Jewel, brought to him by Alanna, to counteract Roger's spells.

** Several Supreme Chancellors of the Galactic Republic were also Jedi Knights. In fact, there was a 400 year period when the Republic was ruled by ''only'' Jedi chancellors. All of them were this trope, and the Republic lived another thousand years because of their leadership.
** After the defeat of the Empire at Endor, the Hapes Consortium was ruled by the force sensitive Teneniel Djo, who ruled as Queen Mother from 11 to 27 ABY. After her death she was followed by her daughter Tenel Ka, who was a fully trained Jedi Knight. She later resigned from the Order so that she could focus her full attention on the Hapan throne, knowing that the Consortium would tear itself apart if she stepped down as Queen Mother.

* ''Literature/TheBible'': King Solomon of Judah is frequently depicted as TheArchmage, oftentimes to the point of it being said that he either ''invented'' magic or was the person to make it accessible to mortals. Numerous mystical texts, particularly on the subject of demonology, are attributed to Solomon and between the three monotheistic religions he's been told to perform such feats as the binding of hundreds of thousands of demons, journeying the breadth of heaven and hell, commanding the winds and the flames, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking and speaking to animals.]] In fact, the famous "Seal of Solomon" (two intertwined triangles) has become one of the symbols most strongly associated with [[HermeticMagic Western mysticism]] - it being said that Solomon's command of spirits was so vast that even millennia after his death the mere invocation of his ''signature'' strikes fear in their hearts. Interestingly, he's never explicitly mentioned to be a magician in the bible (although he ''is'' in the Koran, and his magical abilities are readily acknowledged by Jews, Christians and Muslims). More interesting yet is the fact that in all three religions, [[MagicIsEvil magic is largely thought to be evil and forbidden]] (with the exception of mystical Judaism, which permits "White Magic"). Solomon gets a special exception from the rule as he was acknowledged by God Himself as the wisest and most benevolent of all mortals and his most beloved, meaning whatever Solomon did could not, practically by definition, be bad.

** Also, three of the Seven Sisters, all of whom are Chosen of Mystra and powerful sorceresses, ruled realms as these. Alustriel Silverhand (ChaoticGood) spent 134 years as the High Lady of Silverymoon before stepping down, then was chosen as ruler of the Confederation of the Silver Marches two years later, and in both cases her rule proved a boon to the whole region. Meanwhile her sister Alassra is ChaoticNeutral but ruled as the Witch-Queen of Aglarond for decades, fighting hard to keep the country from being conquered by neighboring Thay. Meanwhile Laeral Silverhand is the wife of Khelben "Blackstaff" Arunsun of Waterdeep and though she doesn't actually rule the town (it has a council of lords rather than a single ruler), she is heavily involved in its running.

* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'': The GodEmperor of Mankind, among other things, was considered the greatest psyker (the franchise's term for psychics and sorcerers) of all time, capable of bending the fabric of reality and destroying much. His power was considered godlike, [[AGodIAmNot despite his insistence otherwise]]. As usual we have to note here that in any other setting he'd be a SorcerousOverlord, as billions lie dead from his direct actions, never mind those of his followers. [[RunningGag Did we mention that 40k is GRIMDARK yet?]]

** Likewisem the Wood Elves of the Loren Forest have Queen Ariel, who is a great wizard.

** Tellius has Empress Sanaki of Begnion. She's seen in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemPathOfRadiance'' but in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemRadiantDawn'' she is a mage type class capable of using all classes of magic, and quite the wise ruler despite her age.

* ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'': Princess Peach has powerful WhiteMagic as well as a large variety of other magic powers. She doesn't get to show this off in the main games because of her status as the DamselInDistress ( except in the first game where she was kidnapped by Bowser specifically because her magic could reverse the transmutation spell he cast upon her kingdom) but in the various RPG games , Super Princess Peach, Super Smash Bros and the various sports spinoffs she gets to show off the full extent of her magical abilities.

* In ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'', the King of Vale was said to possess fantastical powers and brought about 80 years of peace and prosperity following the conclusion of the Great War. Though offered the opportunity to TakeOverTheWorld, the King instead established democratic ruling Councils in each kingdom and ended the monarchy. Historians question the accuracy of the stories about his powers, because there's no evidence to suggest magic actually exists. The truth is more complicated: [[spoiler:The King was a previous incarnation of BigGood Ozpin, an ancient Wizard cursed with ResurrectiveImmortality. In his first reincarnation, he had attempted to rule mankind as this trope but failed because his wife, [[BigBad Salem]], favored the role of the SorcerousOverlord. Their opposing ideals eventually lead to tragedy, and they became enemies that have secretly fought over the fate of humanity for thousands of years]].

* ''Webcomic/KillSixBillionDemons'' has a complicated relationship to this trope. Zoss, The Conquering King, is widely held as an object of reverence and his conquest of Throne after the gods had abandoned it ushered in a GoldenAge, where the first Demiurges (people capable of jumping from their home universes onto Throne) stayed in throne and ruled as [[ThePhilosopherKing wise philosopher kings]]. That said, Zoss only ''got'' to the point of being the GodEmperor of TheMultiverse through copious amounts of violence, and his successors amongst the younger Demiurges began ''conquering'' the worlds they'd originated from with Zoss doing nothing, and ultimately he left as The Universal War tore his entire creation to shreds and left the scraps to the current BigBadEnsemble.

* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'': Zuko became Fire Lord after beating his younger sister Azula in an Agni Kai (firebending duel) for the title, and proved to be a much better ruler than her, his [[AbusiveParents father]], and even his [[GruesomeGrandparent grandfather]]. He would [[AbdicateTheThrone retire]] a few years before before the SequelSeries ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' started, totaling at some 65 years. His daughter and successor, Izumi, hasn't been confirmed to be a bender but given her very powerful lineage, she can be assumed to be one of these as well.

* Lord Ainz from ''LightNovel/Overlord2012'' is somewhere between this and SorcerousOverlord- while he is an [[ObviouslyEvil Ob]]([[ObliviouslyEvil liv]])[[ObviouslyEvil viously Evil]] [[OurLichesAreDifferent undead lich king]] who plans to TakeOverTheWorld, he is actually quite benevolent as evil overlords go, and the kingdom under his rule actually seems to be better off than it was under the "rightful" king. He also took on the actual title of Sorcerer King, after rejecting other titles like the Wise King or the Handsome King. He has stated that his goal is to create a peaceful kingdom where all races can live together side by side. Unfortunately, all but three of his underlings are completely evil, and are persuaded that Ainz is far craftier and eviller than any of them by far, and that any show of benevolence towards PunyHumans is just to better trap them. The fact that he's trying to run his company like an ideal Japanese corporation (Ainz was a lowly {{salaryman}} TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture in his previous life) in a MedievalEuropeanFantasy doesn't help either. It helps that he was born in a BadFuture where mega corporations controlled most of the entire world and there was an immense level of class disparity and oppression by the corporate elites and does not want to be the sort of leader who treats his own subordinates the way he was.
* ''LightNovel/ThatTimeIGotReincarnatedAsASlime'': Rimuru Tempest is both the King of Tempest and renowned as the Great Demon Lord, who possesses all manner of magical abilities that let him destroy nations on his own, nevermind having dozens of subordinates [[UndyingLoyalty who could and would do the same at but his word]]. He is shown to be very benevolent to his citizens and uses his abilities to increase the prosperity of his nation, [[UniversallyBelovedLeader which further endears him to them]]. One of the nation's first advantages is that Rimuru can provide them with the most advanced healing potion in the world, which they can either use themselves or sell, giving them an economic advantage over neighboring nations right off the bat. Humorously, Rimuru had no intentions of becoming a ruler, originally just wanting to save a small goblin village from being destroyed, but his growing influence thanks to his power and the number and quality of his subordinates (many of whom grow to become as strong as Demon Lords who rule their ''own'' nations), eventually results in the birth of a grand nation with himself at its head.

* Lord Ainz from ''LightNovel/Overlord2012'' is somewhere between this and SorcerousOverlord- while he is an [[ObviouslyEvil Ob]]([[ObliviouslyEvil liv]])[[ObviouslyEvil viously Evil]] [[OurLichesAreDifferent undead lich king]] who plans to TakeOverTheWorld, he is actually quite benevolent as evil overlords go, and the kingdom under his rule actually seems to be better off than it was under the "rightful" king. He also took on the actual title of Sorcerer King, after rejecting other titles like the Wise King or the Handsome King. He has stated that his goal is to create a peaceful kingdom where all races can live together side by side. Unfortunately, all but three of his underlings are completely evil, and are persuaded that Ainz is far craftier and eviller than any of them by far, and that any show of benevolence towards PunyHumans is just to better trap them. The fact that he's trying to run his company like an ideal Japanese corporation (Ainz was a lowly {{salaryman}} TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture in his previous life) in a MedievalEuropeanFantasy doesn't help either.

This sometimes overlaps with EmperorScientist, especially where ClarkesThirdLaw, AlchemyIsMagic, and/or {{Magitek}} is in this setting. But this trope is different as while the EmperorScientist focuses on the sciences (and is usually evil or {{Mad|Scientist}}), this character type is more in tune with the art of magic (and is usually good). This also overlaps with ThePhilosopherKing, TheGoodKing, TheHighQueen, TheWomanWearingTheQueenlyMask, PrincessesRule and SheIsTheKing.

* In ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'', several Supreme Chancellors of the Galactic Republic were also Jedi Knights. In fact, there was a 400 year period when the Republic was ruled by ''only'' Jedi chancellors. All of them were this trope, and the Republic lived another thousand years because of their leadership.

Compare EmperorScientist and {{Magocracy}}, the sci-fi and VastBureaucracy counterparts, and AuthorityGrantsAsskicking or AsskickingLeadsToLeadership depending on how he became King or Queen in the first place. For a smaller-scale version, when he is the master of only one or a few ordinary humans, see MuggleInMageCustody. Contrast SorcerousOverlord.

* ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'': Princess Peach has powerful WhiteMagic as well as a large variety of other magic powers. She doesn't get to show this off in the main games because of her status as the DamselInDistress ( except in the first game where she was kidnapped by Bowser specifically because her magic could reverse the transmutation spell he cast upon her kingdom) but in the various RPGs, Super Princess Peach, Super Smash Bros and various sports spinoffs she gets to really show just how powerful her magic is.

* ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'': Princess Peach also has some magical powers, as shown in ''VideoGame/SuperPrincessPeach'' and the ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' series. In the [[VideoGame/SuperMarioBros original storyline]] this is the reason Bowser kidnaps her in the first place, since her magic was powerful enough to frustrate his attempts to invade her kingdom, but this aspect of her character has been downplayed greatly over the years.

* Believe it or not, ComicBook/DoctorDoom is actually a benevolent ruler towards his own people, and he is an extremely powerful mage as well.