Module 5: The Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment

During the 1500s and 1600s, advances in the field of science transformed society. This Scientific Revolution laid the foundation for modern-day science and medicine. The emphasis on science and reason employed by scientists during the Scientific Revolution directly influenced Enlightenment philosophers. New theories about the role of man and government were developed during the Enlightenment, which impacted how some monarchs, like the enlightened despot Catherine the Great, ruled their nations. The Enlightenment influenced revolutions around the world, like the American and French Revolutions. The Enlightenment influenced artists, writers, and led to new technologies.

Painting of an example French Salon

Example of a French Salon - Anicet Charles Gabriel Lemonnier
The picture shows a gathering of distinguished guests in the drawing-room of French hostess Marie-Thérèse
Rodet Geoffrin (1699-1777) who is seated on the right. There is a bust of Voltaire in the background.

Pre-Assessment

In this activity, see how many of the artists, scientists, and philosophers of the Scientific Revolution and Enlightenment you already know. Drag the name of each of these important people into the correct column according to their profession. Click the player to get started.


Key Vocabulary

To view the definitions for these key vocabulary terms, visit the course glossary.

Age of Reason Jean-Jacques Rousseau natural rights
Agricultural Revolution Johann Sebastian Bach Nicolaus Copernicus
Bastille Johannes Kepler Reign of Terror
Catherine the Great John Locke scientific method
Declaration of the Rights of Man Louis XVI Second Estate
deficit spending Marie Antoinette The Social Contract
enlightened despot Maximilian Robespierre Third Estate
Enlightenment Miguel de Cervantes Thomas Hobbes
Estates General Montesquieu Thomas Jefferson
Eugene Delacroix Napoleon U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights
First Estate National Assembly Voltaire
Galileo Galilei nationalism William Harvey
heliocentric theory natural laws Wolfgang Mozart
Isaac Newton