Voltaire
Born 1694 · Age 331
French Enlightenment writer, philosopher, satirist and historian; prolific author and advocate of civil liberties, religious tolerance, and freedom of speech.
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Life & Career Timeline
Birth of François‑Marie Arouet (Voltaire)
Born in Paris to François Arouet (a lawyer and minor treasury official) and Marie Marguerite Daumard.
Baptism in Paris
Baptized in Paris; godparents recorded as François de Castagnère and Marie Daumard.
Enrolled at Collège Louis‑le‑Grand
Education by Jesuits (1704–1711); learned Latin, theology and rhetoric—foundation for his literary career.
Leaves Jesuit college, decides to be a writer
After schooling, Voltaire resolved to be a writer despite his father's wishes that he study law.
Appointed secretary to French ambassador in The Hague
Served as secretary to the marquis de Châteauneuf (ambassador to the Netherlands); early diplomatic posting.
Imprisoned in the Bastille (first recorded long imprisonment)
Arrested and imprisoned in the Bastille (16 May 1717 – 15 April 1718) after satirical verse attacking the Régent; held in a windowless cell.
First major theatrical success: Œdipe staged
Œdipe opened at the Comédie‑Française (mid‑November 1718); immediate critical and financial success; raised his public profile.
Adopts pen name 'Voltaire'
After Bastille incarceration, he adopted the name 'Voltaire' (anagrammatic and evocative pseudonym).
Play Artémire premieres (flop)
Artémire (set in ancient Macedonia) opened 15 February 1720 but failed; only fragments survive.
Travels north seeking publisher for La Henriade
Denied a licence in France, Voltaire went to find a publisher outside France; traveled with mistress Marie‑Marguerite de Rupelmonde and secured publisher in The Hague.
Recovery from smallpox; La Henriade smuggled into Paris
After a month‑long smallpox infection (recovered Nov 1723), the first copies of La Henriade were smuggled into Paris and distributed; poem was an instant success.
Play Mariamne fails on first opening
Mariamne premiered in March 1724 and was initially a failure; later heavily reworked.
Reworked Mariamne succeeds at Comédie‑Française
Mariamne reopened April 1725 to much improved reception; performed among entertainments at the wedding of Louis XV (Sept 1725).
Residence in London and English literary circle
Lived in Wandsworth and central London (Durham Court late 1726); met figures such as Pope, Swift, Gay, and was exposed to British constitutional ideas.
Imprisoned and exiled after duel dispute with Rohan
Following a quarrel and beating by servants of the duc de Rohan, Voltaire was arrested (17 Apr 1726); fearing indefinite imprisonment he asked for exile to England and left France.
Departs France for England
Escorted from the Bastille to Calais and embarked for England on 2 May 1726; begins influential English exile.
Publishes essays in English and engages with Newtonian circle
Published two essays in English (Upon the Civil Wars of France; Upon Epic Poetry) and a letter about Quakers; networked with scientific circles and possibly present at Newton's funeral (low confidence).
Returns to France after ~2.5 years in England
After English exile and study of British institutions, Voltaire returned to France and soon joined a lottery consortium that improved his finances.
Lottery consortium yields major windfall (approx.)
Joined a consortium to buy up a government lottery organized to pay off debts; reportedly earned 'perhaps a million livres' and invested cleverly, leading to substantial wealth.
Publishes History of Charles XII
One of Voltaire's influential historical works, marking the beginning of his engagement in historiography.
Zaïre (play) success
Play Zaïre (1732) was a theatrical success; 1733 edition dedicated to Everard Fawkener praising English liberty.
Meets Émilie du Châtelet (beginning of long relationship)
Met mathematician Madame du Châtelet in 1733; they began a 16‑year intellectual and romantic partnership and retreated to Cirey.
Publishes Letters Concerning the English Nation (London)
Letters on the English (Letters Concerning the English Nation) published in London (1733), praising British institutions; later published in France and caused scandal.
Lettres philosophiques published in Rouen; banned and burned
French edition (Lettres philosophiques) published 1734, praising British constitutionalism and tolerance; book publicly burned and Voltaire forced to flee Paris.
Takes refuge at Château de Cirey with Mme du Châtelet
Settled at Cirey (husband present at times); renovated the château, assembled a major library and pursued scientific experiments.
Begins correspondence with Frederick the Great
Frederick (then Crown Prince) initiated correspondence in August 1736, a relationship that lasted decades and led to later court appointment.
Publishes Éléments de la philosophie de Newton
Voltaire published Elements of the Philosophy of Newton (1738), popularizing Newtonian physics in France; major intellectual influence.
Residence in Brussels (mid‑1739 to mid‑1740)
Voltaire lived largely in Brussels during this period, often with Mme du Châtelet engaged in legal and literary matters.
Meets Frederick the Great in person (Sept 1740)
Traveled on Frederick's behalf and met the new King near Cleves and visited Berlin in November 1740 as his guest for two weeks.
Sent as envoy/spy to Frederick during War of the Austrian Succession
French government dispatched Voltaire to gauge Frederick's military intentions; engaged in diplomatic missions in 1743.
Develops relationship with niece Marie Louise Mignot
On a visit to Paris he became attracted to (and later lived with) his niece Marie Louise Mignot; relationship lasted until his death.
Appointed royal historiographer
Named royal historiographer (1745), an official recognition of his historical scholarship.
Elected to the Académie Française
Elected to France's premier literary institution in 1746, affirming his literary stature.
Death of Émilie du Châtelet
Madame du Châtelet died in childbirth in September 1749, ending a 16‑year intellectual partnership and love affair.
Moves to Potsdam at Frederick's invitation; made chamberlain
Accepted Frederick the Great's invitation (mid‑1750); made chamberlain, awarded Order of Merit and a salary of 20,000 livres/year; lodged in Sanssouci/Charlottenburg.
The Age of Louis XIV published
Published Histoire du Siècle de Louis XIV (The Age of Louis XIV), an influential work emphasizing cultural and intellectual history over political/military events.
Publishes Micromégas
Completed Micromégas (1751), an early philosophical science‑fiction conte commenting on human folly.
Offers resignation to Frederick
On 1 January 1752 Voltaire offered to resign as chamberlain and return his Order of Merit insignia amid quarrels at court.
Leaves Frederick's court after escalating disputes
After quarrels (with Maupertuis and over a satirical pamphlet and financial dispute), Frederick permitted Voltaire to depart (left by March; detained at Frankfurt later).
Banned from Paris by Louis XV
In January 1754 Louis XV banned Voltaire from Paris; he instead headed toward Geneva.
Acquires 'Les Délices' near Geneva
Early 1755 bought a large estate (Les Délices) near Geneva and settled there; began a more stable phase in his life.
Publishes Poème sur le désastre de Lisbonne
Responded in verse to the Lisbon earthquake (1 Nov 1755) with an immediate poem criticizing optimistic philosophy.
Publishes Essay on the Manners and Spirit of Nations
Publishes Essai sur les mœurs (1756), a major work of universal history emphasizing customs, arts and sciences.
Purchases the estate at Ferney (later Ferney‑Voltaire)
Bought a larger estate at Ferney late 1758 on the French side of the border; later the town named Ferney‑Voltaire (official 1878).
Publishes Candide (magnum opus)
Completed and published Candide early 1759; immediate and lasting success; concise satire of optimism and institutions.
Candide reaches broad commercial success (multiple editions)
Candide's first year saw multiple editions (8 editions in first year), marking Voltaire as one of the first internationally commercially successful authors.
Establishes Ferney as base of operations
Installed himself at Ferney (on French soil near Geneva) and made it a cultural center; began signing letters 'Écrasons l'Infâme'.
Publishes Traité sur la tolérance and champions Jean Calas
Published Treatise on Tolerance (1763 textually but campaigning began 1762); publicly defended Jean Calas and led campaign against religious injustice.
Publishes Traité sur la tolérance (Treatise on Tolerance)
Treatise furthered Voltaire's campaign for legal redress in the Calas affair and advocacy of religious toleration.
Publishes Dictionnaire philosophique
Dictionnaire philosophique (Philosophical Dictionary), a compendium of critical articles on religion, dogma, and history.
Overturns Jean Calas conviction
Through persistent campaigning and publications, Voltaire managed to overturn the conviction of Jean Calas in 1765.
Campaigns for other persecuted individuals (Sirven, La Barre)
Led campaigns for rehabilitation of the Sirven family and attempted (unsuccessfully) to save La Barre; enhanced public role as advocate for justice.
Continues prolific correspondence and influence
Maintained extensive correspondence (eventual corpus >20,000 letters) and continued to influence rulers and public opinion (e.g., exchanges with Catherine the Great).
Secret burial at Abbey of Scellières
Denied Christian burial in Paris; friends secretly buried his body at the Abbey of Scellières (Champagne); heart and brain embalmed separately.
Returns to Paris after 25+ years; sees Irene performed
Returned to Paris in Feb 1778 to oversee tragedy Irene; received as hero and attended performance in March; fearful of imminent death on 28 Feb.
Initiated into Freemasonry (Entered Apprentice)
On 4 April 1778 Voltaire was initiated at La Loge des Neuf Sœurs in Paris shortly before his death; partly encouraged by Benjamin Franklin.
Death in Paris
Voltaire died on 30 May 1778 in Paris after a short final illness; accounts of his deathbed vary widely.
Remains moved to the Panthéon (posthumous honor)
On 11 July 1791 the National Assembly reinterred Voltaire's remains in the Panthéon as a precursor/forerunner of the Revolution; procession attended by ~1 million people.
Collected edition of Voltaire's letters completed (Besterman)
The large scholarly edition of Voltaire's letters (Theodore Besterman's edition) was completed in 1964, filling 102 volumes—milestone for Voltaire scholarship (posthumous).
Lifetime literary output: letters and books
Across his life Voltaire wrote more than 20,000 letters and roughly 2,000 books and pamphlets—an extraordinary volume of work.
Complete critical edition of Voltaire's works finished (major scholarly project)
The critical edition of Voltaire's complete works begun in 1968 was finished in 2022 (205 volumes), reflecting his vast output and legacy.
Key Achievement Ages
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