Search Results: Voltaire

Voltaire (1694-1778) was a French author, historian, and philosopher whose thoughts on religious toleration and moderation of authoritarian power were influential during the Enlightenment. His most famous work today is the satirical Candide...

A portrait by the French sculptor Jean-Antoine Houdon of Francois-Marie Arouet or Voltaire (1694-1778), a French philosopher and historian. It was finished around the year 1778. White Marble has been used for the sculpture. It is currently...

The English historian Edward Gibbon (1737-1794) wrote and published his seminal work History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire between 1776 and 1788. The dominant theme of Gibbon's six-volume work is that the fall of the Roman Empire...

An oil on canvas portrait of the French author and philosopher Voltaire (1694-1778). Painted by Nicolas de Largillière between 1718 and 1724. (Musée Carnavalet, Paris)

A portrait by the French painter, Maurice Quentin de La Tour of François-Marie Arouet or Voltaire (1694-1778 CE), the French philosopher and historian. It was finished in 1735. The portrait was done in Rococo style using pastels. (Musée Antoine-Lécuyer...

Ferney, the home of the author Voltaire (1694-1778) from 1759 until his death. It is located near the French border with Switzerland.

The Enlightenment (Age of Reason) was a revolution in thought in Europe and North America from the late 17th century to the late 18th century. The Enlightenment involved new approaches in philosophy, science, and politics. Above all, the...

Catherine II of Russia (Catherine the Great) was the empress regent of Russia from 1762 to 1796. During the mid-18th century, Russia was still regarded as culturally behind compared to Western European countries. However, during her reign...

"The Holy Roman Empire was in no way holy, nor Roman, nor an empire," wrote Voltaire, and this interpretation still dominates the popular imagination, so the Holy Roman Empire is treated as a bad joke, a pale parody of the glory of Rome...

Denis Diderot (1713-1784) was a French author and philosopher known for his views which influenced the Enlightenment and his general editorship of the multi-volume Encyclopedia, often described as the 'Bible of the Enlightenment'. Diderot...