Question

How was France's Ancien Régime challenged by Enlightenment philosophies?

The monarchy and nobility increased their status and prestige.

King Louis XVI began challenging the power of the Catholic Church.

Lower- and middle-class citizens became more insistent on gaining equal rights.

Thinkers such as John Locke and Thomas Hobbes personally led French rebellions.

Answer 1

@Compassionate can you help please ?

Answer 2

It feels that in a way you answered your own question. First of all the Enlightenment was a intellectual movement that occurred in the late 1600s. It consisted of these ideas:

1. Ask questions and learn more about your surroundings. Answers must be reasonable and based on logic (beginnings of the scientific theory). If people ask questions than it meant that the Church needed to provide answers they didn't know. Thus, the Church no longer seemed as "powerful".
2. Society can improve. People are not destined to live short meaningless lives. Life is what you make it. If you want to go up the social ladder then go and do it. Not something the nobles were fond of when the lower class attempted to.
3. Everyone is created equal. We all deserve the same rights. Again, not something the upper-class approved of.

The monarchy and nobility increased their status and prestige.
The Second Estate of France (nobility) helped with the Enlightenment Movement by donating to certain causes and helping spread ideas through salons. Salons were meeting places where people could discuss anything from art to science. These Salons eventually spread throughout Europe.

King Louis XVI began challenging the power of the Catholic Church.
This basically goes with the first idea I pointed out. The Church no longer seems as powerful to the French people. Also, people begin to reason that if the king can challenge tradition then so can they.

Lower- and middle-class citizens became more insistent on gaining equal rights.
Explained by the last two points. If the Third Estate (non-clergy and non-nobles) gain equal rights then they have a chance of outranking the nobles.

Thinkers such as John Locke and Thomas Hobbes personally led French rebellions.
Both Locke and Hobbes were dead by the time King Louis XVI was in power. Also, Locke was an English philosopher. Even though they didn't actively help with the French rebellions their ideas greatly influenced the French people.

It was the Enlightenment that helped sparked the revolution and also where the French got many of their ideas for a new republic.

Answer 3

yep b