APAD: kings are the slaves of history

The phrase "kings are the slaves of history" means that even powerful rulers are not truly in control;  their actions are compelled by the larger forces and inevitable currents of history, much like a slave serves a master.

According to Leo Tolstoy, who coined the phrase in War and Peace, history uses individuals, even kings, as instruments to achieve its own "unconscious, general, hive life" purposes, regardless of the king's personal beliefs or intentions. A king may believe they are acting of their own free will, but they are actually being guided by the larger, impersonal laws of history.

(Tolstoy uses Napoleon as an example in the book, believing that at the time of the 1812 invasion of Russia, Napoleon was more convinced than ever that he was the master of his fate, yet he was deeply controlled by inevitable historical laws that forced him to act in a way that was necessary for the "hive life" of history.)

- From online with editing
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Have read the Chinese translation of "War and Peace" long ago when was a student in university, my memory of it is very vague now.  So it's probably about time to start the English version, which has been quietly sitting on our bookshelf (see pic below).
 
Warning: the book is thick and the story is long, with almost 1300 pages of small print!