Answer:
In the centuries preceding the Enlightenment, Renaissance-era culture and trade had spread all throughout Europe, giving people (especially the wealthy) a broader view of humanity and knowledge. Competing governments vied for prestige and power by leveraging and patronizing artisans and a growing field of what we’d call scientists.
Furthermore, Europe had been embroiled in massive religious conflicts, and many theologians wanted to espouse a more moderate form of religion. The aristocracy supported these efforts, realizing the damaging effects of conflicts like the Thirty Years War, and to curb the power of the Church, thus increasing their own influence. In this social and political environment, thinkers were allowed greater intellectual freedom than at any point since the rise of the feudal system, which in turn ignited the explosion of discovery and invention known as the Enlightenment.
Explanation:
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