Voltaire

Voltaire

Francois Marie Arouet, who became better known by his pen name Voltaire, was born on November 21, 1694. Arouet received his education at Louis-le-Grand, a Jesuit college in Paris where he said he learned nothing but "Latin and the Stupidities." As a young man, Arouet made friends with many Parisian Aristocrats. His humorous verses made him a favorite in society circles. However, it was an unstable time in his homeland of France. The country was impoverished and many of its people were dissatisfied with it’s corrupt government.

In 1717, Arouet’s quick wit got him into trouble with the authorities. He was imprisoned in the Bastille for eleven months for writing a scathing satire of the French government. During his time in prison Arouet wrote "Oedipe" which eventually became his first theatrical success. He also adopted his pen name Voltaire. In 1726, HYPERLINK "http://www.lucidcafe.com/library/95nov/voltaire.html#"he insulted the powerful young nobleman, Chevalier De Rohan, and had to make a decision. He was faced with either imprisonment or exile for his clever insults. He chose exile, and from 1726 to 1729 lived in England.

While in England, Voltaire was attracted to the HYPERLINK "http://www.lucidcafe.com/library/95nov/voltaire.html#"philosophy of John Locke and the ideas of mathematician and scientist, HYPERLINK "http://www.lucidcafe.com/library/95dec/newton.html"Sir Isaac Newton. Voltaire was particularly interested in the philosophical rationalism of the time, and in the study of the natural sciences. He studied England's Constitutional Monarchy and its religious tolerance, and after returning to Paris he wrote a book praising English traditions and institutions. His book was interpreted as criticism of the French government, and in 1734 Voltaire was forced to leave Paris yet again.

At the invitation of his intellectual girlfriend, Marquise du Chatelet, Voltaire moved into her Chateau near Luneville in eastern France. They studied the natural sciences together for several years. In 1749, after the death of Marquise du Chatelet and after he was invited by the King of Prussia, Frederick the Great, Voltaire moved to Germany. He lived there until 1753 when he decided to return to France. In 1759, Voltaire purchased an estate called Ferney near the French-Swiss border where he lived until just before of his death. Ferney became the intellectual