The only one I can think of is Quisling, and he’s a very borderline example since he was a short-lived puppet figure.
Cromwell is the first name to leap to my mind, though I know that there’s a lot of debate about his actions.
Depends how you define dictator. Henry VIII could qualify by some definitions, and some others after him.
Hmm… he was certainly nasty to both the Catholic Church and the monarchy and has a very complicated reputation, but I am not sure he qualifies as a dictator for the key fact that that he supported the Parliamentary system against those other powers.
Arguably and temporarily Abraham Lincoln.
How about someone we don’t have to preface with “arguably” or “by some definitions?”
Hitler was raised Catholic but became Protestant (Deutsche Christen)
François Bozizé, Pentecostal
Daniel arap Moi, Christian
Kārlis Ulmanis, Lutheran
Yeah, remember when he disbanded Congress and the Supreme Court and didn’t allow a vote for a second term?
:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:
Yeah… there aren’t many “Protestant countries” and the ones there are flirted with monarchy, a form of dictatorship, moreso than traditional coup/military dictatorships. So, basically, any Protestant King/Queen that wasn’t constrained by a significantly powerful Parliament or some other governing body would qualify for the OP.
Ok fine.
Henry VIII was the first Protestant dictator.
Until he didn’t support it any longer.
As far as Henry 8 goes, he was a monarch under a monarchical system.
Henry VIII wasn’t really a Protestant; he was a Catholic who fell out of communion with Rome (or in his view Rome fell out of communion with him).
Efraín Ríos Montt of Guatemala.
Yeah, basically Cromwell told the parliament to get lost.
I’m sure any number of dictators in Africa qualify, depending on what they claimed.
Chaing Kai-shek
Or when he suspended habeus corpus and ignored the Supreme Court. :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:
Samuel Doe of Liberia was a Baptist.
A hereditary monarch isn’t usually considered a dictator (even if absolute), and as has been said Henry VIII wasn’t really Protestant. So the best you can do is “by some definitions,” and not widely accepted ones at that.
Miklos Horthy of Hungary was Calvinist.
Desi Bouterse of Suriname is Pentecostal.
Valentine Strasser of Sierra Leone and Charles Taylorof Liberia are listed only as “Christian.”
That doesn’t make him a dictator. Lincoln was neither an absolute ruler, nor did he come to power through non-constitutional means. Your suggestion is an absurd stretch.
But he ruled through occasionally non constitutional means; to suggest he slipped into the role of dictator from time to time is anything but a stretch.