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The period known as the Enlightenment began in 1685 with two major events in England and France. The first was the accession of James II, an avowed Catholic, to the throne of Protestant England. The second was Louis XIV’s revocation of his grandfather Henry IV’s Edict of Nantes, which had given official toleration to Protestants in France. Louis XIV’s action drove French Protestants out of the country, forcing them to find refuge in Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and even the British American colonies. In England, the birth of a male heir to James and his Catholic wife—and the announcement that the boy would be raised Catholic—provoked a political crisis.
Contents
- The Enlightenment
- Kant and the Redemption of Enlightenment
- Rousseau and Radicalization
- From Locke to Jefferson
- English Bill of Rights Year: 1689
- John Locke: Second Treatise on Civil Government Year: 1690
- John Locke: An Essay on Human Understanding Year: 1690
- Charles de Montesquieu: The Spirit of Laws Year: 1748
- Voltaire: Candide Year: 1759
- Jean-Jacques Rousseau: The Social Contract Year: 1762
- Voltaire: Philosophical Dictionary Year: 1764
- Catherine II of Russia: The Grand Instructions to the Commissioners Year: 1767
- Denis Diderot: Supplement to the Voyage of Bougainville Year: 1772
- American Declaration of Independence Year: 1776
- Immanuel Kant: “What Is Enlightenment?” Year: 1784
- Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen Year: 1789
- Jeremy Bentham: An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation Year: 1789
- Marquis de Condorcet: Outlines of an Historical View of the Progress of the Human Mind Year: 1795
- Thomas Malthus: An Essay on the Principle of Population Year: 1798
- David Ricardo: On the Principles of Political Economy and Taxation Year: 1817