Voltaire (1694-1778)

French writer and philosopher

The French writer and philosopher Voltaire (1694-1778) was born in Paris as François Marie Arouet and is regarded as the most important philosopher of the Enlightenment.
Voltaire did not write only philosophical books and essays but also dramas, novels, historical books, theater reviews and essays on criminal laws and politics.

Satires with criticism on politics

His early satires with criticism on politics and the court resulted in his imprisonment in the Bastille (1717).
After the successful performance of the tragedy "Oedipe" (1719), which was based on a Greek drama Voltaire became a famous Parisian, but soon he was imprisoned again.
In 1726 Voltaire left France and lived for several years in exile in London.
In his "Lettres anglaises" (1734) he criticized the old regimes and called for social progress. To avoid arrest Voltaire fled to Lorraine in 1733, where he would stay for ten years. Here he wrote his most important books and essays on humanity and tolerance in religion.

Frederick II of Prussia

A long-standing invitation from Frederick II of Prussia to become a permanent resident at the Prussian court in Berlin was accepted by Voltaire in 1750.
Three years later he settled in Ferney and spent the rest of his years there, but Voltaire could travel to Paris as often as he liked to discuss injustice and religious persecution, because he was appointed as member of the French Academy (Académie Française).
Some other important works: Zaïre (1732), Mahomet (1742), Candide (1759) and Dictionnaire philosophique (1764).