Renaissance to Enlightenment: Key Ideas in Political Thought

The period often referred to as a "Decline" during late antiquity marked a transition from the classical era, characterized by the weakening of centralized authority and socio-economic shifts in Europe. This was succeeded by the Renaissance, a fervent period of European cultural, artistic, political, and economic "rebirth" following the Middle Ages, often spanning from the 14th to the 17th century. Building upon this, the Enlightenment was an intellectual and philosophical movement that dominated the world of ideas in Europe during the 18th century, emphasizing reason, individualism, and skepticism.