Voltaire

During his second exile from Paris he lived with Marquise Florent-Claude du Châtelet. While living with him he had a 15 year affair with his wife, Marquise Émilie du Châtelet. Unfortunately she passed away during childbirth and it is unclear whether the child was her husbands or Voltaire’s.

He lived in Ferney for the last 20 years of his life. The town has since renamed itself “Ferney-Voltaire” and has changed his residency into a museum.

The National Library of Russia, Saint Petersburg is home to the vast and precious collection of this avid reader.

Voltaire was born as Francois Marie Arouet in Paris on November 21, 1694. His father was a notary providing him with a comfortable middle-class upbringing. The family benefited from political favor during Louis XIV’s reign as King.

His mother unfortunately passed away when he was only seven years old. This event caused him to rebel against his father and older siblings. The rebellious kid found refuge with his godfather Abbe Chateauneuf, who was a freethinker.

He received a first-class education at ‘Louis-le-Grand’, a Jesuit college in Paris and found a passion for literature. He aspired to become a playwright but his father strongly opposed the notion and instead pushed him to become a public authority figure.

His early career was dictated by his father’s wishes. After completing his education, his father first sent him to work as a notary assistant in Paris but he actually spent most of his time writing satirical poetry.

Voltaire’s father realized he was not devoting himself to working as a legal assistant and instead found him employment as the secretary of the French ambassador who was stationed in the Netherlands. He fell in love with Catherine Dunoyer, a French refugee, and fearing scandal both the French ambassador and Voltaire’s own father forced him to return to Paris.

In 1717 he published a satire of the French government which mocked the Duke of Orleans. As a result he was not only banished from Parish but also imprisoned in the Bastille for eleven months. While in prison he wrote his debut play ‘Oedipe’.

In 1726 after again clashing with nobility he was exiled without trial to England. During his three year exile he studied John Locke, Newton, and the British government.

Upon his return to Paris, he gained financial independence when he gained access to inheritance from his father. This money freed him from needing to please political patrons to make a living.

In 1717 he wrote his famous ‘Oedipe’ while in prison. This amazing work established his reputation and established his pen name Voltaire. The work was published upon his release from jail a year later and was a rewrite of an ancient tragedy. This play became famous so quickly that it was first performed at the home of the ‘Duchesse du Maine’ at Sceaux.