The main idea of ​​Voltaire and his philosophical and political views. Biography

Voltaire(birth name François-Marie Arouet, French François Marie Arouet; Voltaire - anagram of “Arouet le j(eune)” - “Arouet the Younger” (Latin spelling - AROVETLI)) - one of the greatest French enlightenment philosophers of the 18th century: poet of the Enlightenment, prose writer, satirist, tragedian, historian, publicist, novelist, playwright and poet.

Known primarily under the name Voltaire.

Born in Paris, he lost his mother at the age of seven. His father, Francois Arouet, was a notary. The son spent six years at the Jesuit College of Louis the Great in Paris. When he left college in 1711, his practical-minded father got him into the office of lawyer Allen to study laws. However, young Arouet was much more interested in poetry and drama, moving in the circle of freethinking aristocrats (the so-called “Society of the Temple”), united around the Duke of Vendôme, head of the Order of the Knights of Malta.

After numerous everyday troubles, young Arouet, with his characteristic impetuosity and recklessness, began to compose satirical poems that were aimed at the Duke of Orleans. This venture, naturally, ended in imprisonment in the Bastille. There he had to spend eleven months, and it is said that, wanting to brighten up the long hours in a prison cell, he laid the foundation for his future famous epic poem Henriade. His tragedy Oedipus (Oedipe, 1718) was a resounding success on the stage of the Comédie Française, and its twenty-four-year-old author was hailed as a worthy rival to Sophocles, Corneille and Racine. The author, without false modesty, added the aristocratic “de Voltaire” to his signature. Under the name Voltaire he achieved fame.

At the end of 1725, at the Opera Theater, Voltaire was insulted by the scion of one of the most noble families in France - the Chevalier de Rohan-Chabot. Full of irony, Voltaire’s answer, as one might guess, was more caustic than tactful. Two days later there was another skirmish at the Comédie Française. Soon Voltaire, who was dining with the Duke de Sully, was called out into the street, attacked and beaten, with the Chevalier giving instructions while sitting in a carriage nearby. Voltaire’s high-born friends without hesitation took the aristocrat’s side in this conflict. The government decided to avoid further complications and hid not the Chevalier in the Bastille, but Voltaire. This happened in mid-April 1726. About two weeks later he was released, setting the condition that he would leave Paris and live in exile. Voltaire decided to leave for England, where he arrived in May and where he remained until the end of 1728 or early spring of 1729. He enthusiastically studied various aspects English life, literature and social thought. He was struck by the liveliness of the action he saw on the stage of Shakespeare's plays.

Returning to France, Voltaire spent most of the next twenty years living with his mistress Madame du Châtelet, the “divine Emilie,” at her castle of Ciret in the east of the country, near the Lorraine border. She diligently studied science, especially mathematics. Partly under her influence, Voltaire became interested, in addition to literature, in Newtonian physics. The years in Sira became a decisive period in Voltaire’s long career as a thinker and writer. In 1745 he became the royal historiographer, was elected to the French Academy, and in 1746 became “a gentleman admitted to the royal bedchamber.”

In September 1749, Madame du Chatelet died unexpectedly. For several years, driven by a feeling of jealousy, although, of course, prudence, she dissuaded Voltaire from accepting the invitation of Frederick the Great and settling at the Prussian court. Now there was no longer any reason to reject this offer. In July 1750 Voltaire arrived in Potsdam. At first, his close communication with the “philosopher king” inspired only enthusiasm. In Potsdam there was no elaborate ritual and formality typical of the French court, and there was no timidity in the face of non-trivial ideas - unless they went beyond the boundaries of private conversation. But Voltaire soon became burdened with the responsibility of editing the king's French writings in verse and prose. Frederick was a harsh and despotic man; Voltaire was vain, envied Maupertuis, who was placed at the head of the Royal Academy, and, despite the orders of the monarch, achieved his goals bypassing the established order. A clash with the king became inevitable. In the end, Voltaire felt happy when he managed to escape “from the lion’s claws” (1753).

Since he was believed to have fled to Germany three years earlier, Paris was now closed to him. After much hesitation, he settled in Geneva. At one time he spent the winter in neighboring Lausanne, which had its own legislation, then he bought the medieval castle of Torne and another, more modern one, Ferne; they were close to each other, on both sides of the French border. For about twenty years, from 1758 to 1778, Voltaire, in his words, “reigned” in his small kingdom. He set up watch workshops and pottery production there, carried out experiments with the breeding of new breeds of cattle and horses, tested various improvements in agriculture, and conducted extensive correspondence. People came to Ferne from all over the world. But the main thing was his work, denouncing wars and persecution, standing up for those unjustly persecuted - and all this with the goal of protecting religious and political freedom. Voltaire is one of the founders of the Enlightenment; he is the herald of penal reform carried out during the French Revolution.

In February 1778, Voltaire was persuaded to return to Paris. There, surrounded by universal worship, despite the open reluctance of Louis XVI and experiencing a surge of energy, he was carried away by one endeavor after another: he was present at the Comedie Française at the performance of his last tragedy, Irene, met with B. Franklin, and invited the Academy to prepare everything articles with "A" for the new edition of her Dictionary.

Voltaire's works amounted to fifty volumes of almost six hundred pages each in the famous edition of Maulant, supplemented by two large volumes of Indexes. Eighteen volumes of this edition are occupied by the epistolary heritage - more than ten thousand letters.

Voltaire's numerous tragedies, although they greatly contributed to his fame in the 18th century, are now little read and have hardly been staged in the modern era. Among them, the best remain Zaira (Zare, 1732), Alzira (Alzire, 1736), Mahomet (Mahomet, 1741) and Merope (Mrope, 1743).

Voltaire's light poems on secular topics have not lost their shine, his poetic satires are still capable of hurting, his philosophical poems demonstrate a rare ability to fully express the author's ideas, without deviating anywhere from the strict requirements of poetic form. Among the latter, the most important are the Epistle to Uranie (Eptre Uranie, 1722) - one of the first works denouncing religious orthodoxy; The man of the world (Mondain, 1736), a playful in tone, but quite serious in thought, justification of the advantages of a life of luxury over self-restraint and simplification; Discourse about man (Discours sur l "Homme, 1738–1739); Poem about natural law (Pome sur la Loi naturelle, 1756), which talks about “natural” religion - a popular topic at that time, but dangerous; the famous Poem about the destruction of Lisbon (Pome sur le Dsastre de Lisbonne, 1756) – about philosophical problem evil in the world and about the suffering of the victims of the terrible earthquake in Lisbon on November 1, 1755. Guided by prudence and heeding the advice of friends, Voltaire, however, gave the final lines of this poem a moderately optimistic sound.

One of Voltaire’s highest achievements is his works on history: History of Charles XII, King of Sweden (Histoire de Charles XII, roi de Sude, 1731), Century Louis XIV(Sicle de Louis XIV, 1751) and Experience on the Morals and Spirit of Nations (Essai sur les moeurs et l "esprit des nations, 1756), first called General History. He brought his wonderful gift of clear, fascinating narrative to historical writings.

One of the early works of Voltaire the philosopher that deserves special attention is the Philosophical Letters (Les Lettres philosophiques, 1734). It is often also called Letters about the English, since it directly reflected the impressions the author made from his stay in England in 1726–1728. With constant insight and irony, the author depicts Quakers, Anglicans and Presbyterians, the English system of government, and parliament. He promotes vaccinations against smallpox, introduces readers to the philosopher Locke, sets out the main provisions of Newton's theory of gravity, and in several sharply written paragraphs characterizes the tragedies of Shakespeare, as well as the comedies of W. Wycherley, D. Vanbrugh and W. Congreve. In general, the flattering picture of English life is fraught with criticism of Voltaire’s France, which loses against this background. For this reason, the book, published without the name of the author, was immediately condemned by the French government and was publicly burned, which only contributed to the popularity of the work and strengthened its impact on minds. Voltaire paid tribute to Shakespeare's ability to construct stage action and appreciated his plots, drawn from English history. However, as a consistent student of Racine, he could not help but be indignant at the fact that Shakespeare neglects the classicist “law of three unities” and in his plays elements of tragedy and comedy are mixed. The Treatise on Tolerance (Trait sur la tolrance, 1763), a reaction to the outbreak of religious intolerance in Toulouse, was an attempt to rehabilitate the memory of Jean Calas, a Protestant who had been a victim of torture. The Philosophical Dictionary (Dictionnaire philosophique, 1764) conveniently, in alphabetical order, sets out the author's views on the nature of power, religion, war and many other ideas characteristic of him.

Throughout his long life, Voltaire remained a convinced deist. He was sincerely sympathetic to religion moral behavior and brotherly love, which does not recognize the power of dogma and persecution for dissent. Therefore, he was attracted to the English Quakers, although much of their everyday life seemed to him amusing eccentricity. Of all that Voltaire wrote, the most famous is the philosophical story Candide (1759). The fast-paced story describes the vicissitudes of life of a naive and simple-minded young man named Candide. Candide studied with the philosopher Pangloss (lit. “just words,” “bad talk”), who inspired him, following Leibniz, that “everything is for the best in this best of possible worlds.” Little by little, after repeated blows of fate, Candide begins to doubt the correctness of this doctrine. He is reunited with his beloved Cunegonde, who has become ugly and quarrelsome due to the hardships she has endured; he is again next to the philosopher Pangloss, who, although not so confidently, professes the same view of the world; his small company consists of several other characters. Together they organize a small commune near Constantinople, in which a practical philosophy prevails, obliging everyone to “cultivate their garden” by doing necessary work without overly zealous clarification of the questions “why” and “for what purpose”, without trying to unravel insoluble speculative mysteries of a metaphysical nature. The whole story seems like a light-hearted joke, and its irony masks a damning refutation of fatalism.

If you follow short biography Francois Marie Arouet Voltaire (by the way, few people know that Voltaire is a pseudonym, and Francois Marie Arouet is the name given at baptism), he was born in 1694 in Paris, in the family of a poor but well-educated official. Father took care of good education for his son, but the future philosopher was not impressed by the Jesuit College, nor by the prospect of a legal career. He decided to take up literature.

Early creativity

Voltaire spent his first independent years at the courts of French aristocrats, whom he entertained with satirical verses.

From 1726 to 1729 Voltaire lived in England. It was in this country that he began to study politics, philosophy, European and world history, and literature in depth.

Philosophical works, persecution

Returning from England, Voltaire writes a book called “Philosophical Letters”: in form - memories and impressions of a trip abroad, in essence - a sharp satire on contemporary France. The book was published but banned in 1734. Voltaire was forced to flee to Lorraine, where he was received by the Marquise de Châtelet. A few years later, the philosopher wrote the poem “The Secular Man,” for which he was accused of “mocking” religion. He was again forced to flee and took refuge in the Netherlands. It was not until 1746 that he returned to Paris.

He was received well at the court of Louis XV. He was appointed to the post of historiographer and poet, but the king's favorite, the Marquise de Pompadour, disliked him, and the philosopher again chose to leave. This time - to Prussia at the invitation of Frederick II. He also did not live long at the court of the Prussian king, causing the anger of the monarch with trade speculation and falling out with all the “learned men” of the Berlin Academy of Sciences. From Prussia he moved to Switzerland, where he bought several estates. One of them, Ferne, became a place of real pilgrimage for representatives of the “new” intelligentsia, who condemned the patriarchal foundations of old Europe. At this time, Voltaire was no longer a wanderer, but a stern critic, whose authority was indisputable. Many “strong people of the world” were proud of their friendship with him, including Frederick II (who replaced “anger with mercy”), Catherine II (Russian Empress), Maria Theresa (Austrian Empress), Gustav III (Swedish king) and Louis XVI, the French the king, who persuaded Voltaire, already an old man, to return to Paris.

In 1778, the philosopher arrived in the capital of France, where he was given an enthusiastic reception. He was appointed director of the Academy of Sciences, continued to write plays, and even thought about revising the French academic dictionary.

Voltaire died in Paris in 1778 from cancer. He was buried in the Pantheon (the remains of the philosopher were moved there during the revolution).

Other biography options

• At the dawn of his creative career, Voltaire was sent to the Bastille for a short satirical poem about the regent and his daughter, then he was sent there again for a fight and an attempted duel (the future philosopher wanted to challenge his offender to a duel). He was released only after he swore to go abroad.
• Interestingly, several astrologers predicted Voltaire to live only 33 years. Perhaps the philosopher deceived Death, ending up in prison due to slander and avoiding a duel.
• Before his death, the philosopher's relatives wanted him to reconcile with the Church and God, but the philosopher refused to do this.
• Some researchers believed that Voltaire's remains were stolen from the Pantheon during the Restoration, but in the 20th century this judgment was proven to be incorrect.

The world-famous Enlightenment philosopher Voltaire surprised the world with his revolutionary and controversial views on society, the system of power and the relationship between the state and its citizens. His works have not lost their relevance in our time and cause controversy, and philosophical ideas about the state of society and the position of a person in society require a long study and understanding. And although Voltaire worked in the 18th century, his research is quite modern and in the light political events require a special approach and detailed study.

Brief biography of Voltaire

Marie Francois Arouet (the future Voltaire) was born on November 21, 1694 in one of the arrondissements of Paris in the family of a notary and tax collector Francois Arouet. His mother Marie Marguerite Demare was the daughter of a criminal court secretary. The Voltaire family led the life of respectable bourgeois. Much later, the future philosopher abandoned his father and declared himself the illegitimate son of the Chevalier de Rochebrune, a poor musketeer and poet, since the life of a rentier and bourgeois caused a protest in the young man that he could not put up with.

Since at that time it was customary for teenagers to follow in the footsteps of their parents, at the insistence of his father, young Voltaire went to study at the Jesuit Lyceum, where for seven years (1704-1711) he studied law. But the young man’s freedom-loving nature took its toll and he gave up studying boring laws and began writing daring, freedom-loving poems and threw himself into the whirlpool of social life.

Very soon, in May 1717, the young poet ended up in the Bastille, a fortress that terrifies everyone - an unshakable symbol of royal power, for writing an epigram on the Duke of Orleans, the regent of France, but one year of imprisonment did not force the young poet to reconsider his worldview.

First experiments in dramaturgy

In 1718, his first play, Oedipus, based on Greek myths, was staged in a Paris theater, but in fact it was his first injection existing system authorities and social laws. The play was favorably received by the public. At this time, the playwright performed for the first time under the pseudonym “du Voltaire”.

The next major play, “The League,” soon renamed “Henriad,” brought success to the young Voltaire as a fighter for ideas and civil liberties. The play depicted the time of religious wars in France (16th century) and was dedicated to King Henry VI; the idea of ​​the play was the conflict between the views of the king’s society - a despot who does not tolerate any objections, and a king who is tolerant of public opinion.

As Voltaire continued to move in the whirlwind of social life, clashes were inevitable between the witty poet and the high-born nobles, who did not tolerate superiority in anyone. In 1726, a similar skirmish occurred between Voltaire and Chevalier Rogan, who reproached the writer for hiding his low origins behind a pseudonym.

Departure for England

The young man answered the nobleman boldly, but he did not consider it necessary to challenge him to a duel, but simply ordered his lackeys to beat the playwright. This humiliation greatly affected the moral state of the philosopher; he understood that he was living in class society, but hoped that intelligence, education and brilliant abilities would help him rise in the eyes of the world.

Armed with dueling pistols, he tried to answer for the insult, but was again arrested and thrown into the Bastille. A few months later, the young man left inhospitable France and went to England. Staying in England for two years in conditions of religious tolerance and the struggle for political freedom greatly changed the young man and helped to complete the formation of his beliefs. New views were reflected in the collection of articles “Philosophical Letters”, which were published in 1733 on English language, and in 1734 - in French.

In this work, again using the technique of contrast, the English liberal order was compared and the political situation in France was described in a gloomy light.

Upon Voltaire’s return to his homeland, the book was declared heretical and burned by the verdict of the French Parliament, and the author himself was under investigation for a long time. The threat of imprisonment in the Bastille hung over him again.

Stay in Champagne

In the same year, in order not to tempt fate, Voltaire moved away from Paris to Champagne, to the Sirey castle, which belonged to his mistress, the Marquise de Châtelet. For her time, an extremely educated woman, she shared the risky views of Voltaire, was fond of metaphysics, natural sciences, and seriously studied the Bible. The ten years that Voltaire and his beloved spent in a secluded castle were extremely fruitful.

It was here that the dramas “Alzira”, “Mohammed”, the great “Treatise on Metaphysics” and “Fundamentals of Newton’s Philosophy” were written. Reports of laboratory experiments confirming his conclusions were constantly sent to the Royal Academy of Sciences. At the same time, the large historical work “The Life and Age of Louis XIV” was almost completed.

The scientific approach to the study of the world gradually changed the views of the scientist, who was so critical of the Christian explanation of the appearance of the Universe. An inquisitive mind tried to scientifically explain the reasons for the emergence of the state and social relations, laws and private property.

It was during this period that the drama “The Virgin of Orleans”, which created a lot of noise, was written, dedicated to one of the most difficult periods French history and her national heroine Jeanne D, Arc. The poem was completed back in 1735, but it was officially published only in 1762.

In this work, the playwright tried to debunk the duplicity and hypocrisy of the Jesuit clergy. To do this, he was not afraid to show the mysticism and religious visions of young Jeanne a little ironically; he laughed at the miracles allegedly created by the girl and clearly did not believe in her divine destiny.

Even speaking about Jeanne’s virginity, he ironized the words of the Jesuits that only an innocent girl could save France at that time.

But at the end of the work, Voltaire abandoned irony and skepticism; with pathos and delight he showed Jeanne’s dedication, her faith in the success of the cause, her ability to lead an entire army and instill confidence in her soldiers in victory.

He directly blames the king and the Jesuits for the terrible death of the girl at the stake; he angrily denounces her executioners and traitors to the national heroine.

Voltaire - the courtier

Voltaire's career as a courtier was rather short and very unsuccessful. In 1745 he was appointed historiographer of France, and in 1746 he was appointed a sitting member of the French Academy of Sciences.

And at this moment, the philosopher wanted to win the approval of the king and receive constant income from the treasury, but all his work, known to the government, never won the approval of the crown.

The death of his beloved Marquise du Châtelet, disappointment in high society, the indifference of the king - all this prompted the philosopher to seek refuge in Prussia, at the court of King Frederick II. Their relationship began back in 1736, when the young crown prince wrote an enthusiastic letter to Voltaire. Now (in 1750) Voltaire left France for Prussia, where he hoped to gain understanding and respect, and also counted on the generosity and benevolence of the philosopher king.

But Voltaire did not stay at the Prussian court for long, only three years. During this time, he discovered in his “friend” not only broad-mindedness and a sharp mind, but also despotism, arrogance and rejection of other people’s points of view. Therefore, in 1753 he left Prussia and almost whole year traveled around Europe until he settled in Switzerland in 1754.

Creation of the "Encyclopedia"

In Switzerland, not far from Geneva, Voltaire bought a small estate and named it “Otrada”. It was here that, together with Denis Diderot and Jean D'Alembert, the famous “Encyclopedia” was created, which glorified the names of these philosophers throughout the world.

Already in 1755, the fifth volume of the publication published the articles “Spirit and Soul”, “Eloquence”, “Grace”, written by Voltaire.

In his article “History” the philosopher doubted many historical events and their correct coverage, especially in the part where various miracles and visions were described.

In the essay “Idols and Idolatry,” he reproached Christians for worshiping idols no less than pagans, only Christians hide behind higher ideas and beautiful words, but sacrifices are not made directly, as was the case among the pagans, but secretly under the cover of darkness and ignorance.

In 1757, the article “Geneva” was published, which caused a lot of noise and was later considered unsuccessful. In this article, Voltaire took up arms against the theoreticians of the Reformed Church and, in particular, John Calvin.

On the one hand, he praised the freedom-loving Swiss and their political system, and this sounded like a criticism of French politics. But on the other hand, Voltaire showed Calvin and his followers as people intoxicated by one idea and for this reason capable of initiating another “Night of Bartholomew.”

This article had a negative impact not only on the attitude towards Voltaire himself, but also called into question the authority of his friends - philosophers.

Creativity in Ferney

Fearing reprisals from the Swiss clergy, Voltaire decided to protect himself and acquired two small estates on both sides of Lake Geneva, near the border with France.

The Ferney estate became his small state, where he carried out reprisals and justice, becoming like “enlightened monarchs.” By this time, Aviary's financial situation had improved significantly, and he was able to afford an almost luxurious lifestyle. He received several boarding houses from those in power from different countries of the world. Plus the inheritance received from parents, its reissue literary works, and the ability to correctly conduct financial transactions - all this by 1776 turned the once poor philosopher into one of richest people France.

It was the Ferney estate that became a place of pilgrimage for philosophers from all over the world. Here Voltaire spent almost twenty happy years. All enlightened travelers considered it their duty to visit the philosopher-hermit. It was from here that he conducted extensive correspondence, with many august persons: the Prussian King Frederick II, the Russian Empress Catherine the Great, the Polish monarch Stanislav Augustus, the King of Sweden Gustav III and the King of Denmark Christian VII.

Even at the age of 65, Voltaire wrote and sent hundreds of letters. Commissioned by the Russian government, he wrote “History Russian Empire under Peter the Great,” published in 1763. His work showed Peter Alekseevich as a great reformer who managed to break with barbarism and ignorance.

It was during the Ferney period that the most famous stories “Candide” and “The Simple-minded” were written, showing the lies and hypocrisy of modern society.

At the same time, Voltaire took up arms against the role of the Catholic Church in political persecution and defended its victims, such prominent figures as Serlin, Calas, Count de Lally, Chevalier Le La Bar. The philosopher’s appeal from a letter to Alembert (1760): “Crush the reptile!” was directed against Catholicism and the absolute power of the Jesuits.

However, another catchphrase of Voltaire is no less famous: “If God did not exist, he would have to be invented.” He, like a true son of his time, believed that only religion could restrain the people, and only the help of the church would help the government keep the third estate in check.

Death in Paris

In his declining years, in 1778, the philosopher decided to visit the city of his childhood and youth for the last time. In February he arrived in Paris, where he was greeted with great enthusiasm.

The visit to the capital of France was very eventful: Voltaire attended several meetings of the French Academy of Sciences, saw the premiere performance of his play “Irene”, joined the Masonic lodge “Nine Sisters”, and died three months later.

Realizing before his death that the Catholic Church would try to take revenge on him for all the attacks, he formally confessed and received communion. But the Archbishop of France, Christophe de Beaumont, considered that the heretic’s repentance was clearly insufficient, and refused the philosopher a Christian burial.

The philosopher's relatives took his body to Champagne, where he was buried. Such neglect of a world-famous person who glorified his homeland caused indignation among wide circles of the population. In 1791, the philosopher’s body was solemnly brought to Paris, where it was again buried in the Pantheon, which served as a tomb for all famous people of France.

Voltaire's main ideas (briefly)

The main ideas of the philosophers of the Enlightenment were the moral re-education of society, which must rise to revolution and win its freedom with arms in hand.

Voltaire was an opponent of the existing materialist school, and adhered to the empirical (experimental) direction in science.

The philosopher defended the natural rights and freedoms of every person: life, freedom, security, property rights and universal equality without classes and estates. At the same time, he understood that people are deceitful and evil by nature, therefore society must create reasonable laws to harmonize social relations.

It is interesting that while defending equality, Voltaire nevertheless divided society into two large groups: rich and educated people and uneducated and poor people who must work for the upper class. At the same time, the poor and working people do not need to be educated, since their unnecessary education and wrong reasoning can ruin the entire government system.

Voltaire's philosophy (briefly)

Any philosophical school must, first of all, answer a question that has interested all enlightened humanity since ancient times. These are questions: “Who am I? Why did you come into this world? What is the meaning of human existence?

In his philosophical works, Voltaire considered the cause of all evil in society Catholic Church and her absolute power over the world. Judging by church canons, a person lives and dies according to the will of God, and cannot resist divine providence.

It is the church that destroys freedom of conscience and freedom of speech. But Voltaire, as a true son of his time, could not deny the existence of God and the necessity of religion. At the same time, he believed that evidence of the existence of God should be obtained empirically, and not by blind faith.

For all his freedom-loving views, Voltaire was not a supporter of democracy; he advocated an “enlightened monarchy.” He was afraid of democracy and believed that the people needed to be kept in check. At the same time, the philosopher sharply criticized the foundations of feudal society, its laws and class prejudices. All his works are imbued with humanism and tolerance.

Voltaire, real name François-Marie Arouet, (1694-1778) is a great French philosopher and thinker, prose writer and poet, tragedian and satirist, historian, educator and publicist.

Childhood and youth

Father, Francois Arouet, was a civil servant, worked as a notary and collected taxes. Mom, Marie Marguerite Domar, was from the family of a criminal court secretary.

In total there were five children in the family, Voltaire was the youngest. When he was barely 7 years old, his mother died.

The boy studied at a Jesuit college (now the Paris Lyceum of Louis the Great), where, according to him, they taught “Latin and other nonsense.” The father dreamed of seeing his son become a lawyer, and after graduating from college in 1711, he enrolled him in the School of Law.

But the career of a lawyer did not at all captivate young Voltaire. On top of that, he didn't like his father. The older the young man became, the less he wanted to be the son of a successful bourgeois. Later, at the age of 50, Voltaire stated that his real father was a poor musketeer and poet, a certain Chevalier de Rochebrune. And then, as an 18-year-old guy, Voltaire finally abandoned his legal studies and took up literature.

Beginning of literary activity

It must be said that he began writing poetry while still studying in college. Voltaire was a free poet, lived in aristocratic houses, where he was introduced by his maternal relative Abbot Chateauneuf.

His works were full of satire, for which Voltaire more than once ended up in the Bastille. In 1717, he served in prison for almost a whole year, but did not waste time, working on the poem “Henriad” and the tragedy “Oedipus”.

After another prison sentence young man was asked to leave France, otherwise he faced a long stay in prison. Voltaire went to England, where he spent about three years, engaged mainly in the study of science, political system, philosophy and literature.

Returning to Paris, Voltaire shared his impressions of England in his book Philosophical Thoughts. The book was confiscated, the publisher ended up in the Bastille, and the writer himself managed to escape, this time to Lorraine.

Emilie du Chatelet

Voltaire met the Marquise du Chatelet in Rouen. He hid there under a false name and practically did not go out in fear that he would be caught and imprisoned again in the Bastille.

One evening, having decided to take a walk in the fresh air and already returning home, Voltaire saw a woman riding a horse. He noticed an expensive outfit and jewelry, which meant that the lady was a noble and wealthy person. She appeared at the very moment when Voltaire saw robbers with sticks near his house. When the woman appeared, the crowd threw down their sticks and ran away. The savior turned out to be Emilia du Chatelet. The woman said that she knew everything about him, and she came specifically to take Voltaire to her castle.

The writer began to live in Sirey Castle; later he called it “paradise on earth.” He was 39, the marquise was 27, it turned out to be a stunningly beautiful love story, they lived together for 15 years. Emilia became everything for Voltaire - best friend, mentor, assistant, lover, faithful companion and muse. It was in the castle of Cirey that he created his best masterpieces: the tragedies “Alzira” and “Mohammed”, the poem “The Virgin of Orleans”, as well as scientific works"Fundamentals of Newton's Philosophy" and "Treatise on Metaphysics".

The Marquise sincerely experienced every joy, sorrow, ups and downs with him, worried about him and helped him in his creativity. She herself was very educated, was fond of literature, physics, philosophy and mathematics, translated into French Newton's works.

When the Marquise died, it seemed to Voltaire that there was no point in living now without the woman he loved. But fate had destined that he would outlive his Emilia for 30 long years.

European activities

In 1745, Voltaire was appointed to the position of court poet, and the following year he was elected a member of the French Academy of Sciences, as well as an honorary member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences.

But strained relations with Louis XV, as well as the death of his beloved Emilia, were the reason for Voltaire to agree to the proposal of the Prussian king Frederick II and leave for Berlin.

Over the course of three years, the poet fell into discord with the Prussian king due to his sharp tongue and financial fraud. Voltaire left, this time to Switzerland. On the border of the Geneva canton, he acquired two estates - he rented one and bought the second. Here he began extensive correspondence and receiving guests from all over Europe. Among those with whom he corresponded, in addition to the Prussian King Frederick II, were:

• Russian Empress Catherine II;
• King Christian VII of Denmark;
• King of Poland Stanislaw August Poniatowski;
• King Gustav III of Sweden.

From 1750 to 1760, Voltaire worked very hard, and the result of his fruitful work was the following philosophical stories:

• "Candide";
• “History of the Russian Empire under Peter the Great”;
• “Questions about the encyclopedia”;
• "Treatise on Tolerance";
• "Simple";
• "Pocket philosophical dictionary»;
• "Experience general history about the morals and spirit of the people."

By this time, Voltaire's fortune had noticeably increased; he received his father's inheritance and royalties for his published philosophical works. It should be noted that the philosopher did not shy away from financial speculation. So by 1776 his fortune amounted to 200 thousand livres, and he became one of the richest people in France. Voltaire started several quite profitable enterprises for himself, aristocrats borrowed money from the philosopher, and he could now think and say whatever he wanted.

Death and legacy

Voltaire was already over eighty years old when he returned to Paris and was greeted with enthusiasm. He bought a house on Richelieu Street. It seemed that now in our homeland we could live out our lives in peace.

But he began to suffer severe pain. Modern doctors, having studied the documents and notes of the philosopher himself about how the disease progressed, agreed that Voltaire most likely had prostate cancer. To relieve the pain, he became addicted to opium. In March 1778, his reconciliation with the church and remission of sins took place. And in May the great philosopher passed away; he died in his sleep in Paris on May 30, 1778.

Voltaire's body was denied Christian burial. He was buried in Champagne, where his nephew served as abbot at Celliers Abbey. But in 1791, his remains were nevertheless transferred to the Paris National Tomb of Eminent People.

Immediately after his death, Empress Catherine II expressed a desire to buy Voltaire's library. The deal was negotiated with the philosopher’s heirs; his niece sold 6,814 books and 37 handwritten volumes for 30,000 rubles in gold. In 1779, a special ship delivered this heritage to St. Petersburg.

Initially, Voltaire's library was kept in the Hermitage, now in the Russian National Library in St. Petersburg.

There is no price for the legacy that Voltaire left for his descendants. Collection of it philosophical works is about 50 volumes of 600 pages each, plus two huge volumes of “Index”.

Voltaire (Marie Francois Arouet)