Final answer:
Rulers like the Macedonian emperors, Ethiopian emperors, Russian Tsars, Chinese emperors, and early Zhou rulers implemented various policies to consolidate power, manage internal strife, and stabilize their empires economically and militarily.
Step-by-step explanation:
The policies of rulers such as Zoskales, Alexander, and others were diverse and tailored to the specific needs of their empires. The Macedonian emperors, including Basil II, attempted to curb the powers of the elite dynatoi by heavily taxing them and redistributing their lands among the peasants who served in the armies. However, subsequent emperors reversed these policies, leading to the weakening of the peasant army backbone and the empowerment of the elites. Similarly, the Ethiopian emperor Zar'a Ya'eqob was known for his diplomatic prowess and resolution of theological strife within his empire.
In Russia, Alexander's establishment of zemstvos allowed for local self-government, marking a significant move towards autonomy in governance of roads, agriculture, and schools. Zhu of China focused on a centralized family-rule system based on Confucian ideals to prevent rebellions, while maintaining a degree of local authority within his sons' domains. The early Zhou rulers of China used both military campaigns and a decentralized rule system to consolidate control. Their policy included cooperation with autonomous leaders and arranged royal marriages to strengthen ties with local nobility.
Other policies of ancient and medieval rulers included the Zhou rulers attributing chaos to the despotic character of the Shang, engagement in diplomatic strategies such as marriages and gift exchanges by the Byzantine Empire, and Solomon of Israel's implementation of heavy taxation and demands for labor from his subjects for royal projects, echoing the practices of neighboring Iron Age kingdoms.