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I'm currently writing a story where a small, Illuminati-esque group of people are attempting to concentrate as much power as possible into the hands of one single person. They do this by covertly "arranging" marriages, assassinating people and so forth. Now, let's assume you're the chairman of this would-be Shadowy Council of People Who Sit in Poorly-Lit Rooms and Rule the World. What would you do? There's no single POD for you to work with, you can manipulate as much as you want throughout the centuries.

The parameters of your plan are as follows:
1: You start in the beginning of the 17th century. (1611 is the year I use, though that can be slightly fudged.)
2: You must create an empire run by a monarch with absolute power, no republic or constitutional monarchy here.
3: This empire must contain at least half the world's population and preferably at least half the world's land area.
4: This empire must be able to beat all other existing polities in a war, even if everyone else gangs up on it.
5: Personal unions are encouraged.
6: This empire must have been around for a long while when you reach the year 2012.
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