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by lucidcafe.com
Francois Marie Arouet (pen name
Voltaire) was born on November 21, 1694 in Paris. Voltaire's intelligence,
wit and style made him one of France's greatest writers and philosophers.
Young Francois Marie received his
education at "Louis-le-Grand," a Jesuit college in Paris. He left school
at 16 and soon made friends among the Parisian aristocrats. His humorous
verses made him a favorite in society circles. In 1717, his sharp 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 Francois Marie wrote "Oedipe" which was to
become his first theatrical success and adopted his pen name "Voltaire."
In 1726, Voltaire insulted the
powerful young nobleman, "Chevalier De Rohan," and was given two options:
imprisonment or exile. He chose exile and from 1726 to 1729 lived in
England. While in England Voltaire was attracted to the philosophy of John
Locke and ideas of mathematician and scientist, Sir Isaac Newton. He
studied England's Constitutional Monarchy and its religious tolerance.
Voltaire was particularly interested in the philosophical rationalism of
the time, and in the study of the natural sciences. After returning to
Paris he wrote a book praising English customs and institutions. It was
interpreted as criticism of the French government and in 1734, Voltaire
was forced to leave Paris again.
At the invitation of his
highly-intelligent woman friend, "Marquise du Chatelet," Voltaire moved
into her "Chateau de Cirey" near Luneville in eastern France. They studied
the natural sciences together for several years. In 1746, Voltaire was
voted into the "Academie Francaise." In 1749, after the death of "Marquise
du Chatelet" and at the invitation of the King of Prussia, "Frederick the
Great," he moved to Potsdam (near Berlin in Germany). In 1753, Voltaire
left Potsdam to return to France.
In 1759, Voltaire purchased an
estate called "Ferney" near the French-Swiss border where he lived until
just before his death. Ferney soon became the intellectual capital of
Europe. Voltaire worked continuously throughout the years, producing a
constant flow of books, plays and other publications. He wrote hundreds of
letters to his circle of friends. He was always a voice of reason.
Voltaire was often an outspoken critic of religious intolerance and
persecution.
Voltaire returned to a hero's
welcome in Paris at age 83. The excitement of the trip was too much for
him and he died in Paris. Because of his criticism of the church Voltaire
was denied burial in church ground. He was finally buried at an abbey in
Champagne. In 1791 his remains were moved to a resting place at the
Pantheon in Paris.
In 1814 a group of "ultras"
(right-wing religious) stole Voltaire's remains and dumped them in a
garbage heap. No one was the wiser for some 50 years. His enormous
sarcophagus (opposite Rousseau's) was checked and the remains were gone.
(see Orieux, Voltaire, vol. 2 pp. 382-4.) His heart, however, had been
removed from his body, and now lays in the Bibliotheque nationale in
Paris. His brain was also removed, but after a series of passings-on over
100 years, disappeared after an auction.
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