The Harbinger of the Enlightenment

Born on November 21st, 1694 as François-Marie Arouet, "Voltaire" was created in a prison in Bastille in 1718. Arouet was imprisoned at the time for his previous poem La Henriad aiming jokes to politics and religion, which threatened the government. The pen name was a play on words of his Latin surname "AROVET LI" and the initials of the Latin words "the young" (le jeun). Arouet was born into a middle-class Parisian family with his father being a lawyer. Voltaire's father wanted his youngest to go to study and become a lawyer, but his son wished to be a writer. Voltaire promised to fulfill his father's wishes, but while he was away studying, his father found out and sent him to law school. Nevertheless, Voltaire continued his writings which soon made him what we would call today a "celebrity," especially when he wrote his books in England.

After becoming a largely known scolar, Voltaire began expanding his works into historical works, novels, and more poems and plays. His only downfall would be that a few people didn't like him nor his thoughts because he revoked political standings and religion, and even created his own. A nobleman by the name of Chevalier de Rohan insulted him and his works and had his servants beat up Voltaire. Voltaire's reaction to this didn't please many, since he requested Chevalier to a duel. Since the man was a nobleman and Voltaire was a mere middle-class writer, he was thrown into the prison in Bastille for the third time by the signature of the French king Louis XV. The decree was used to rid troublemakers in the country. Fearing the indefinite sentence, he wasn't given a trial nor a chance to defend himself, he requested to be exiled to England after two weeks in the cell. The high authorities were more than happy to comply, and sent the man on his way.

While staying in England for three years, Voltaire became very intrigued with the constitutional monarchy the British established. He wrote his thoughts on them and praised the system and wished governments would take up a constitutional monarchy. After his time spent, he travelled back to France as well as other places in Europe and was sometimes run out of the city by the guards. Even so, Voltaire continued with his work and rallying groups of people, and became more famous. Since he was already well known, he already had a well established audience and is even considered the harbinger of the Enlightenment ideals placed in France since he protested against the Church, set religions, and politics.

Due to his interest in the British monarchy, Voltaire had a few of his works dedicated to the system and praised it greatly. As the Enlightenment passed with America becoming it's own country; the Declaration of Independance came to be. In need of inspiration, Jefferson looked into the famous works of François-Marie Arouet, the then 83-year-old. The American looked through the historic and political books of Arouet as well as his writings on the constitutional monarchy of England. Seeing how indepth Arouet was in a religious, political, and social sense, Jefferson based much of the Declaration with Voltaire's words in mind.

Twenty-three years prior, Voltaire wished to visit Paris, but King Louis XV had him banned from the city. As an alternative, Arouet bought a large estate in Geneva, Switzerland. However, Geneva had a strict set of rules that did not allow plays to be shown and banned one of Voltaire's own works (The Maid of Orleans; based around Joan of Arc). Later, the man was forced to move to the border of France - Ferney (now Ferney-Voltaire) - where he acquired a much larger estate and wrote Candide, or Optimism and later published on of his most famous philosophy books. Fast-forward to five months before the Declaration would be written, Arouet was given permission to visit Paris so he could attend the opening of his latest tragedy, Irene. This would be his first time in the city after twenty years. Unfortunately, the five day journey to the play was too much on the 83-year-old and he became ill. Believing he was about to die, the man wrote, "I die adoring God, loving my friends, not hating my enemies, and detesting superstition." Though after a while he regained health and was able to witness his play in March. Only a little while later did he become ill once more and died May 30th, 1778. None can truly say what happened to him in his last hours: his enemies say he accepted the last rites a Catholic priest gave to him, or he died in torment; his followers believed that he was defiant to his last breath. The latter is supported by a rumor that his last words were, "Now is not the time for making new enemies." after a priest asked him if he renounced Satan. Because of this and his renouncing of the Church, he was denied a burial there and was instead buried secretley in Abbey of Scellières in Champagne by some of his friends.

Years later when the French Revolution ended, Vaoltaire's grave moved. Many saw him as a forerunner to the Revolution, and in his honor, moved him to the Panthéon in Paris. It is believed that a million people attended the event and it was an extravagent ceremony with an orchestra and music pieces from famous artists.