The Age of Enlightenment promoted a confidence in reason or intellectual enquiry to bring greater happiness and progress to humanity; a belief that all aspects of the human and natural worlds are susceptible of rational explanation; and the desire to battle against ignorance, dogma, superstition, injustice and oppression.
<span>As the renaissance movement continued to evolve, individual achievement eventually emerged as one of the period's most common and famous themes. This subject matter played a prominent role in the book, The Prince, which was written by philosopher, historian, humanist and author Niccolo Machiavelli.</span>
