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When did the Enlightenment take place in Europe?

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A vintage encyclopedia page shows small type and scientific illustrations. The question What was Enlightenment? is written in old-fashioned blue lettering. — Enlightenment The search for knowledge never ends—but it started somewhere.

The Enlightenment was a major European intellectual movement that took place primarily during the 17th and 18th centuries.1

While historians often associate the Age of Reason specifically with the 18th century, the movement did not have a sudden beginning or end. Its conceptual roots are traced to the humanism of the Renaissance, and its formative period is often identified as the two decades surrounding 1700. Comprehensively, the era is frequently framed between two major political events: the English Revolution of 1688 and the French Revolution of 1789.2

The movement was characterized by a shift toward reason and empirical methods, challenging traditional authority in religion, politics, and science. Although the influence of Enlightenment thought evolved and faced criticism from later movements like Romanticism, its core values—such as the commitment to human progress, toleration, and respect for law—remained deeply embedded in European society.21