Causes of the Enlightenment

All of the power

The Catholic Church took power as the central political, religious, and economic force in medieval Europe. Most people were illiterate while those who worked for the Church were literate.

Feudalism

​What was it?

The Feudal System was a social hierarchy in Medieval Europe that decided each person's social class.

The Renaissance

The Renaissance was a "Rebirth" of the arts and culture in Europe. Art projects and scholars were given more funding to pursue their interests and share them.

​Islamic connections

Italy turned to their trade with the Ottoman Empire to influence the Renaissance and the design of their cities.

The Protestant Reformation

The Protestant Reformation began when Martin Luther posted his critiques of the Catholic Church for all to see. People began to question the authority of the Catholic Church and this created Protestant Religions who still believed in God but did things differently than the Catholic Church.

Absolutism

During the 16th to 18th centuries some Monarchs began to take total control over their kingdoms with their wealth. When Monarchs have total power they are Absolute Monarchs. Some examples include Louis XIV of France and Peter the Great of Russia.

​Divine Right

Divine Right was the belief the Monarchs got their power through God so that no one could question their power.

​Scientific Revolution

The Scientific Revolution was when people began to use reason to answer questions they had. Instead of going to their church to get questions answered, people would test out their questions as experiments.