If you omit the adverb "ever" while using an adjective in superlative, is its meaning still the same as with "ever"?

I know the adverb "ever" has the role of an intensifier, but I was wondering whether the meaning of the sentence in itself changes if you use an adjective in superlative but do not use "ever".

For example, could the following pairs of sentences be regarded as synonymous (in terms of the very idea they convey)?

He was the wisest ruler to rule Great Britain.

He was the wisest ruler ever to rule Great Britain.

Flamingos are the most beautiful birds to grace the Earth

Flamingos are the most beautiful birds ever to grace the Earth.

The blue whale is the largest animal that has existed.

The blue whale is the largest animal that has ever existed.

He was the vilest man this country has seen.

He was the vilest man this country has ever seen.