New
New
Year 8

The background to the Enlightenment

I can explain how the Enlightenment challenged the authority of the Church and monarchy.

New
New
Year 8

The background to the Enlightenment

I can explain how the Enlightenment challenged the authority of the Church and monarchy.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. The 16th century Scientific Revolution caused people to question the authority of the establishment.
  2. Immanuel Kant tried explaining the concept of 'enlightenment' in 1784 which gave a name to the movement.
  3. Kant argued people should use reason and logic to reach conclusions about right and wrong, not follow rules blindly.
  4. The Enlightenment challenged the established authority of monarchy and the Church.
  5. The Enlightenment's calls for equality often did not extend beyond white Europeans.

Common misconception

All Enlightenment philosophers were atheists and rejected religion entirely.

Enlightenment philosophers wanted to reshape and redefine the role religion and the Church played in society.

Keywords

  • Establishment - the groups in positions of authority, such as the Church or monarchy, are known collectively as the establishment

  • Philosopher - a philosopher is someone who studies deep questions about the universe and human existence

  • Enlightenment - the Enlightenment was a movement in the 1600s and 1700s that promoted the use of reason and questioned authority

  • Atheism - atheism is the belief that God or gods do not exist

  • Legitimacy - the belief that someone has the right to rule and make laws is known as legitimacy

Have students explore the role of the monarchy and the Church in modern life, analyse the extent to which it has changed since the Enlightenment and make a judgement as to whether this is as a result of the Enlightenment itself.
Teacher tip

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

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6 Questions

Q1.
The period in which classical ideas were rediscovered and spread throughout Europe is known as the ...
Correct Answer: Renaissance, renaissance
Q2.
The classical knowledge rediscovered during the Renaissance came from which ancient civilisations?
Mesopotamia
Egypt
Correct answer: Greece
Correct answer: Rome
Q3.
Scholars who wanted to use classical knowledge to realise human potential and make the world a better place were known as ...
Correct Answer: Humanists, humanists
Q4.
Copernicus challenged the ideas of __________ during the Renaissance.
Galileo
Correct answer: Ptolemy
Aristarchus
Lucretius
Q5.
Which of these was a painter of the Northern Renaissance?
Leonardo da Vinci
Andreas Vesalius
Correct answer: Pieter Bruegel
Michelangelo
Q6.
is the study of the human body and how it functions.
Correct Answer: Anatomy, anatomy

6 Questions

Q1.
During which century did the Scientific Revolution begin?
15th century
Correct answer: 16th century
17th century
18th century
Q2.
'What is Enlightenment?' was written by Immanuel ...
Correct Answer: Kant, kant
Q3.
Why did the Church ban many books written by Enlightenment philosophers?
These books attacked religion and argued God did not exist.
These books encouraged ordinary people to disobey the Church.
Correct answer: These books encouraged people to use reasoning to work out right from wrong.
Q4.
Philosophers such as John in England, Voltaire in France and David Hume in Scotland demanded the separation of Church and government.
Correct Answer: Locke, locke
Q5.
Ultimately, the Enlightenment caused people to question the legitimacy of not just the Church, but also __________ who had power thanks to the support of the Church.
popes
Correct answer: monarchs
bishops
philosophers
Q6.
Which of these best describes the way early Enlightenment philosophers thought about race?
Correct answer: Some Enlightenment thinkers believed all races were equal, but many did not.
All Enlightenment thinkers believed that all races were equal.
All Enlightenment thinkers believed that different races were unequal.

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