Voltaire was born on November 21, 1694 to François Arouet and Marie Marguerite d'Aumart. Voltaire was the fifth child of his bourgeois parents. His father was a lawyer and notary then became treasurer of the Chambers of Accounts. Voltaire was a sick child and was not expected to live. His mother died when he was only seven years old. After his death, Voltaire became closer to his godfather, the Abbot of Châteauneuf. The abbot was known for his skepticism and wit, he introduced Voltaire to deism and also taught him to recite verses from the satirical poem Moisade. François Arouet, Voltaire's father, decided that his son would study law and enrolled him in 1704 at the Jesuit college of Louis-le-Grande. Voltaire attended until the age of seventeen and he prospered enormously, winning many academic prizes. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get the original essay The gifted Ninon de Leelos, one of her father's clients, was so impressed by Voltaire that he gave her 2000 francs for the specific purpose of buying books. At college, Voltaire received a solid liberal education, while developing his critical sense. He also received considerable theatrical training, as the Jesuits continued the Renaissance tradition of performances in Latin and the vernacular by their protégés. Voltaire had already shown his ability to write verse and was determined to become a great poet. But his father, who did not think that writing was an effective way to make a good living, insisted that his son continue to study law. Voltaire obeys but not really. Voltaire was able to demonstrate his ability to make friends among the influential (many enemies too which we will discuss later) and knew that the right circle in pre-revolutionary France was that of the aristocracy. He was therefore delighted when his godfather, the abbot, introduced him to the boldly liberal society of the Temple. He was greeted by free-thinking aristocrats, such as the Duke of Sully, the Dulce of Vendôme, the Prince of Canti and other high-ranking people, as well as men from Letheri. Determined to distinguish himself among the Temple, he wrote satirical verse and since the surest path to fame was to become a tragic poet, he began planning a tragedy in verse. At that time, his father was alarmed because he was neglecting his law studies, but also because the society he now maintained was notoriously libertine. He therefore forces him to leave Paris. It was only the first of many exiles he would experience. He was sent to Holland as a page for the French ambassador. There was, however, an unhappy love story, of which there were many, with a respectable young woman whose Protestantism was not acceptable to Voltaire's father. He was back in Paris in 1713. Voltaire had now acquired a strong reputation for his satirical verse and prose. But his gift was to get him into trouble from time to time throughout his life. When he was publicly accused of having written defamatory poems, his father sent him to the countryside, far from Paris. For almost a year, he was the guest of the Marquis de Saint Ange. He spent his time writing essays and working on his first tragedy, but certainly not studying law. Voltaire's ability to make friends has been mentioned, but he was something of a past master at making enemies, mainly because of his sensitivity and the fact that he took an almost malicious pleasure in use a sardonic wit to attack those. He didn't agree. with. When he was allowed to return to Paris, he was presented at the Cour de Seaux, a famous literary and political salon, chairedby the pretty Duchess of Maine. It was the Duchess of Maine who made Voltaire write pamphlets against his enemy; The Regent of Orléans. In 1716, he was exiled to Tulle then to Sully for having made fun of the Duke of Orléans. He did not return to Paris long after. When two particularly offensive libels appeared, Puerto Regnant and J'aivu, of which he was suspected of being the author and was arrested and sent to the Bastille (famous prison) on May 6, 1717. He remained there for eleven months then was exiled. in Chatenay and elsewhere. While occupying the room that became known by his name in the famous prison, he revised his tragedy, called Oedipus, and began work on his epic poem The Henriad, which celebrated the exploits of Henry IV of France. These first two works reveal Voltaire as a man dedicated to freedom and justice, as he understood these concepts. A dominant theme of Oedipus is the tyranny of the priesthood, the poem is memorable for its plea for tolerance. It was in fact upon his release from prison that Voltaire adopted the name by which he is now universally known, Aurot de Voltaire. The tragedy of Oedipus was first performed in November 1718 and was an immediate success for 45 days. Voltaire was now welcomed in Paris as a gifted tragic poet. But his reputation as a writer of pamphlets and other satirical verses directed at public figures was too great for him to avoid further difficulties. He was falsely accused of being the author of the libels of La Grange-Chancel, in the Philippines, which were virulent satires directed against the Duke of Orléans. He was exiled again and this time he was the guest of the Duke of Villars, Marshal of France and famous war hero. While living with the Marshal and maintaining a harmless romantic relationship with the Duchess, he begins to gather material for his historical works. At the end of 1725, Voltaire flourished while benefiting from the patronage and friendship of the Duke of Richelieu. The arrogant Chevalier du Rohan, visibly jealous of Voltaire's popularity, taunted him about his adopted name. A harsh exchange ensued between the two men, and the Knight then had his enemy attacked by his lackeys. When Voltaire challenged him to a duel, the Knight had him sent to the Bastille a second time, in 1726. Voltaire was only imprisoned for fifteen days. , but once released, he was again faced with exile. Voltaire met Henry St. John, Viscount Bolingbroke in the early 1720s, while the Englishman himself was in exile. The two men became firm friends and Voltaire, always a good letter writer, corresponded regularly with him. It was perhaps this relationship that led the Frenchman to spend most of the next three years in England. It is said that this period of Voltaire's life was of the greatest importance to him. In the 11th edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica, Saintsbury says: "Before the English visit, Voltaire was an elegant brawler, a follower of the forms of literature popular in French society, a sort of superior Dorat or Boufflers of an earlier growth . He returned from this visit as one of the greatest men of letters in Europe. “The cultural and intellectual climate of England at this time (1726 to 1729) delighted the young Voltaire. It was well received in Tory and Whig circles. Among his friends and acquaintances were the leading literary figures of the day, including Pope, Swift, Gay, Yahg and Thomson. He particularly revered Alexander Pope, with whom he had so much in common: the satirical gift, the wit, the great facility for versification, the critical temperature and, yes, the vindictive character and the inability to suffer a fool gladly. In England, Voltaire learned to read and write the language fluently. He was readingavidly the works of Bacon, Shakespeare, Milton, whose allegory of death and sin he found unacceptable, of Newton and Locke, whose opinions on tolerance were particularly acceptable to him. His new interest in Shakespeare led him to begin writing his own Roman play, Brutus. Later he was to establish himself as a devoted Newtonian and write a treatise on Newton's systems. Voltaire also gathered materials for his Philosophical Letters on the English, in which he most favorably interpreted English culture for his compatriots and contrasted it with that of France. It is clear that Voltaire had nothing but admiration for England and the English. Unlike the France he knew, he found freedom and tolerance in his temporary home. This was the man who declared that he could disapprove of what an individual said, but that he would defend until his own death the individual's right to say it. During his exile in England, he published an English edition of L'Henriad dedicating it to the Queen of England. It was a great success and he earned some 1,000 pounds from subscriptions alone. Voltaire remained French and Parisian. Although he enjoyed his time in England, he longed to return home. In the spring of 1729 he sealed permission to do so. In 1733, the publication of the English letters and the satirical poem Temple du Gout angered many influential people. The letters, while praising the English, attacked the French government and Church. The poem satirized contemporary writers, particularly JB Rosseau, the man who once predicted that Voltaire would make a great name for himself. The government issued an arrest warrant for Voltaire and his house was searched. But at that time the author of the two offensive works was in Liray in Lorraine and spent the next 15 years with Emile du Chatelet, with whom he had had intimate relations last year, at her husband's home in Grey-sur- Blaise. . The relationship between her and Voltaire would last approximately sixteen years and mark the next important step in her long career. Madame du Châtelet was twelve years younger than Voltaire and, in many ways, a remarkable woman. Angry, often difficult, persona non grata in the worldly world, she nevertheless had her attractions. A woman of keen intelligence, she spent a large part of her time writing a presentation of the German's conclusions. She also shared Voltaire's enthusiasm for Newton, and while her companion worked on an exposition of the Newtonian system, she translated the Principia into French, adding a commentary. These were very productive years for Voltaire. Among other works, he completed two poems: Le Mondain, a satire against the Jansenists, and the Philosophical Discourse Jur l'home. He also worked on the Century of Louis XIV and his universal history, Essai sur mœurs. Once the Regent died, Paris beckoned him again. After 1743 he found himself in favor at court, largely thanks to Richelieu and Madame de Pompadour, who admired him. Poème de Fontenay (1745) was a success, he was rewarded by being appointed royal historiographer and received a substantial pension. At this time, he turned to another type of writing, philosophical tales, among which Candide (1759) would become the best known. He continued to write plays and now found himself in competition with Crébellion, with whom he had a bitter feud. In 1746, Voltaire was elected to the French Academy, he had reached maturity as a literary artist and philosopher. But Voltaire took risks and nothing could stop the daring of his pen. In its biting and satirical content is Trajan? there were referencesobvious to Louis XV. In 1748, he found it appropriate to find refuge with the Duchess of Sceaux and a little later joined Mme. de Châtelet in Lunéville. In September 1749, Madame de Châtelet died giving birth to a child, whose father was neither her husband nor Voltaire. Now he had nowhere to go and could not return to Paris, not least because of the ongoing feud with Crébellion. Fortunately, Voltaire was a communicator, and Frederick the Great, whom Voltaire had once met and with whom he had corresponded regularly for some time, had induced him to come to Potsdam, where the King of Prussia had established his academy and desired to add a another star to his galaxy of philosophers, the intellectuals of Europe. Voltaire therefore settled in Potsdam in 1750 as a member of the court of Frederick the Great. Beneficiary of a generous pension, he produced his most ambitious historical work there, the Century of Louis XIV (1751), he wrote a new philosophical tale, Micromegas (1752), which illustrates the influence of Swift's Gulliver's Travels on his own fiction and works on its universal history. Unfortunately, Frederic and Voltaire's friendship did not flourish, both could be difficult individuals in their respective ways. Voltaire was offended by elements of the king's personal life and found him particularly arrogant. What ultimately led to the breakdown of their relationship was Voltaire's attack on the president of Frédéric's beloved Academy of Sciences. Entitled Diatribe du Docteur Akakia, it was published without authorization and despite his assurance that all copies would be destroyed, Voltaire took great pleasure in circulating the work. As a result, he suffered the indignity of being arrested at Frankton and had his luggage searched. He could no longer remain in Germany under the patronage of one whom he had once praised as a Horace, a Catalius, a Maecenas, a Socrates, an Augustus and a Solomon from the North. Aware that he would not be welcome in Paris, because his stay in Germany was considered an insult to his compatriots. Voltaire then moved to Geneva, where the air of freedom was purer. Voltaire was now a very rich man. He had inherited sums of money from his father and brother, he had received pensions from the kings of France and Prussia, and he had earned more money through his works, notably his plays. He bought a castle near Geneva and called it Les Délices, his “summer palace”. He bought another residence in Monrion, Lausanne, which he called his “winter palace”. Still as busy as a writer, he nevertheless finds time to encourage local manufacturers, particularly watchmakers. It was in Lausanne that he wrote Candide (1759), as well as a tragedy and numerous verses. Polemic works also come from his pen, he continues the attack against religion with a war cry “Crush I'Infame”. Voltaire found greater tolerance in Switzerland, his relations with the Calvinists were not harmonious. In particular, they were shocked to learn that he had built a private theater at Les Délices and frequently put on plays there. Thus retaining possession of this castle and demense of Ferneg, in France very close to the Swiss border. He moved there in 1760 and lived with his niece Mme. Denis. Here he prospered as a lordly lord, served by up to sixty people. He was extremely hospitable and welcomed the many distinguished visitors who came from all parts of Europe to see and talk with the now famous man. He remained in Ferney for twenty years. Although he continued to write on literary subjects, these received less attention. His works demonstrate his sustained interest in religious, political, social and philosophical issues..”