Geography Post #3

The next country I visited was France, home of Voltaire. Voltaire was a very important enlightenment writer in the 18th century and encouraged an action that would go on to start a revolution spreading throughout the whole of Europe - the Reformation.

Francois-Marie Arouet, more commonly known as Voltaire was a French Enlightenment writer, born in Paris, France on the 21st November 1694. Voltaire began studying law, however much to his father's disgust; abandoned this to pursue his passion -writing. Although today, he is universally acclaimed for his writings in philosophy, religion & politics, Voltaire is also acknowledged for his tragedies and continued to write for the theatre all his life. In addition to this, Voltaire was a very much established poet, so much so in fact that every rising poet submitted their attempts to Voltaire, seeking advice.

Throughout the 18th century, Voltaire became a voice of reason amongst the heinous teachings and practices of the Church. By the time he was forty years old, he was a very well-known writer and a wealthy man. Using his wit, charm, intelligence and sound common sense, he set about to inspire the people of Europe and encourage them to rebel against the injustice in society - the overruling power of the Church. However, this courageous act did not come without consequence.

Voltaire lived most of his life in constant fear of being jailed for speaking out against and criticizing the way of the King and the Church - an action simply not tolerated in this period. He was imprisoned in the Bastille on two occasions for his "slanderous" teachings. It was when he was exiled to England in 1726, that his philosophical interests deepened.

After returning to France in 1728, Voltaire composed the poem "La Henriade" which became very popular. However, other tirades regarding religious prejudice and the political system, such as "Lettres philosophiques" in 1734, were not so well received; they were considered offensive and caused great havoc in the community.

In 1754, after spending time in both Berlin and Geneva; he settled in Switzerland and went on to write other tales such as "Zadig", "Micromégas" and "Candide."

Voltaire died on the 30th May 1778, aged 83.

Paris is the capital and largest city in France and is located on the River Seine in Northern France. With a population of about 2,193,031, today Paris is one of the worlds most influential and leading business & cultural centres, focusing in on politics, education, entertainment, fashion, media, science & the arts. In both 2009 and 2010, Paris was named one of the three most influential and important cities in Europe.

The city includes two islands; the Ile Saint-Louis and the Ile de la Cité. These island together form the oldest part of the city. Consisting of most flat land, Paris does contain several hills such as Montmarte - which means "mountain of the martyr."

Paris has an oceanic climate - mild and moderately wet; generally Paris does not suffer from extreme heat of extreme cold.

Paris is one of the most densely populated cities in the world, with around 24,448 inhabitants per square kilometre.

"Anyone who has the power to make you believe absurdities has the power to make you commit injustices." - Francois-Marie Arouet.

Picture Origin

Voltaire Quotes