Although Expanding Commercialism and Laissez-Faire Capitalism Increased Wealth in Eighteenth-Century

Essay

Although expanding commercialism and laissez-faire capitalism increased wealth in eighteenth-century Europe, the traditional noble landowners on the continent were often hurt rather than helped by these developments. Why were the nobles unable to increase their incomes during a period of economic expansion? What did they do in an effort to alleviate their problems, and how did some monarchs attempt to assist them? How did the spread of the Enlightenment affect the European nobility?