France
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Voltaire (François-Marie Arouet)
Paris, France
Archival Overview
Incarnation of the French Enlightenment whose biting wit in Candide and passionate defense of civil liberties made him the universal symbol of religious tolerance and free speech.
Biographical Record
François-Marie Arouet (1694–1778), universally known by his nom de plume Voltaire, was the undisputed monarch of European letters in the eighteenth century. Imprisoned in the Bastille as a young satirist, he spent years in English exile, absorbing the empiricism of Locke and Newton before championing them across Europe.
From his estate at Ferney, Voltaire waged war against religious bigotry, superstition, and state judicial murder with his famous battle cry: 'Écrasez l'infâme!' (Crush the infamous thing!). His satirical novel Candide and his campaign for the exoneration of Jean Calas immortalized him as humanity's defender of free conscience.
Key Life Milestones
Publication of 'Candide, ou l'Optimisme'
Published his immortal satire demolishing naive philosophical optimism and concluding: 'we must cultivate our garden'.
Publication of the 'Treatise on Tolerance'
Spearheaded the public exoneration of the tortured Huguenot Jean Calas, creating modern human rights advocacy.
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Final Resting Place
Perpetual MemorialParis, France