Explain the development of Enlightenment ideals in European history. Did they come into focus all at once, or were they the result of different events and ideas coming together over a long period of time?

The Enlightenment is a movement created by long-term processes.

Explanation:

The Enlightenment is not an "overnight" movement. Otherwise, all big events take time. Looking chronologically, the Enlightenment is a product of the Renaissance and the Reformation. The Renaissance was an event that involved introducing new ideas, the proclamation of art, literature, and science. It is a movement that implied a greater degree of freedom. The Reformation that took place after the Renaissance for the first time seriously shook the church's authority, which had been inviolable until then. The Enlightenment, therefore, emerges as a product of these two movements. The Enlightenment brings into question the issues of religious and political authority and emphasizes the freedom of thought and man who does not depend on authority.