How Did The Enlightenment Change From The Middle Ages

One significant change from the Middle Ages to the Enlightenment were the rise of philosophers and their ideas. During the Middle Ages, studies, science, and philosophy had dissipated in Western Europe ― due to reasons such as the fall of the Roman Empire, the Dark Ages, etc.―, leaving only the Byzantines to continue their studies in philosophy. Having more philosophers in the West during the Enlightenment demonstrates an important change from the Middle Ages, because, these philosophers were able to bring back philosophy to the West and influence many there with their ideas on how to improve or rationalize their society.

Unlike in the Middle Ages, the Enlightenment had a government containing three main branches that were able to control each other through checks and balances. By doing this, the government was able to stabilize itself by preventing each branch from gaining too much power. This system represents a major change from the Middle Ages because, during the Middle Ages, Western Europe was ruled by small kingdoms while the Byzantine Empire was ruled by emperors. This usually resulted in disputes over power, showing a major difference from the system of checks
This signified a major change because, in the Middle Ages, the economy was based on manorialism, a system where peasants did farm labor for the nobles. There was also no social mobility during this time, showing the lack of freedom that existed. However, in the Enlightenment, because people were now free to “pursue their own economic self-interest,” peasants would not have to perform labor for the nobles anymore and would be free to pursue another job or start something on their own ― therefore causing the change of systems while giving everyone a sense of freedom. People are no longer stuck to the jobs that hierarchy had forced them to do, therefore helping the society to