Voltaire

1694–1778 · French (Paris/Ferney) · The Enlightenment

Known for: Supreme wit of the Enlightenment—author of Candide, champion of free speech and reason

François-Marie Arouet, known as Voltaire, was the most famous man in Europe for much of his life—and the most feared. His wit was lethal, his energy inexhaustible, and his courage in attacking religious intolerance and political injustice remarkable. He was imprisoned in the Bastille twice, exiled to England, and spent years at the Prussian court of Frederick the Great before they quarreled bitterly.

He made a fortune through shrewd investments and lived lavishly at his estate in Ferney, near the Swiss border (for quick escape). He championed free speech, religious tolerance, and reason against superstition. Candide, his satirical masterpiece, mocks the philosophical optimism that 'all is for the best in the best of all possible worlds.'

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