Voltaire

Term Paper Title	Voltaire
# of Words	843
# of Pages (250 words per page double spaced)	3.37

Voltaire

     Francois Marie Arouet was born on November 21, 1694 in Paris.  He was the son of a notary. The name most people know Francois by is his pen name, Voltaire.  Voltaire was a French author, philosopher, and apostle of free thought.  Voltaire was the most influential figure during the French Enlightenment.
LIFE
Voltaire received an excellent education at a Jesuit school called Louis-le-Grand.  At age 16 he left school and became friends with Parisian aristocrats.  The aristocrats admired his cleverness, humor, and remarkable writing ability.  In 1717 Voltaire was arrested for writing a series of satirical verses ridiculing the French government.  He was imprisoned in the infamous French prison, the Bastille. During imprisonment he adopted the name Voltaire.  He used this pen name because he could not be blamed for writing subversive literature if the government could not identify the author.  During his eleven months in prison he wrote his first major play.  The play was named �Oedipe�, which achieved great success in 1718.  Ironically, only weeks out of prison Voltaire got in an argument with a nobleman and was arrested.  He was given two options, imprisonment or exile.  So, from 1726 to 1729 Voltaire was exiled to England. While in England he learned of the philosophies of John Locke and the ideas of Sir Isaac Newton.  He absorbed the British liberties, deism, and literature.  Still unwelcome in his homeland, Paris, Voltaire lived at Cirey in Lorraine from 1734 to 1744 with Madame du Chatelet.  After 1744 they moved to Versailles, Sceaux, and Luneville. Madame du Chatelet died during childbirth in 1749.  After the death of Madame du Chatelet Voltaire became the honored guest of Fredrick the Great at Potsdam.  However, increasing acrimony led to their abrupt separation in 1753. (Grolier, pg.1)  After three years of wandering around Europe Voltaire
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went to live on the French-Swiss border, in a town called Ferney.  Ferney soon became the intellectual capital of Europe.  During his years in Ferney, Voltaire produced many books, plays, pamphlets, and letters.  Many of these works spoke against religious intolerance and persecution.  Voltaire remained in Ferney until his triumphant return to Paris.  Voltaire was 83 at the time of his return.  The excitement of his trip was too much for him and he died in Paris. He died May 30, 1778.  Voltaire was denied burial in church ground because of his criticism of the church.  He was finally buried in an abbey in Champagne. In 1791 his remains were transferred to his final resting-place at the Pantheon in Paris.
WORKS
     Voltaire was preeminent in almost every ge...

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