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Born
François Marie Arouet was born on Nov. 21, 1694, in Paris, France. He was the youngest of the three children of François Arouet and Marie Marguerite Daumand that survived thier birth. though born François Marie Arouet, the renowned historian, dramatist, poet, and philosopher rechristened himself to Voltaire in 1718, and grows to be one of the most outstanding personages of the French Enlightenment. -
Malbrouk s'en va-t-en guerre
Malbrough is the French name for the Duke of Marlborough. The Duke of Marlborough was John Churchill, an English general who fought against France under King Louis XIV. The childrens' song Malbrouk s'en va-t-en guerre (Marlborough Is Going to War) was written in memorium of the Dukes rumored death. From this song is derived the song 'For He's A Jolly Good Fellow' -
Early life
Voltaire was drawn into the life of poetry by 72-year-old poet the Abbé de Chaulieu, who was one of the most complete hedonists of all times. Voltires father sent Voltire to Caen, so that he would not be a poet, but it did not work. While in away from his father, Voltaire wrote such works as the play, 'oedipe' which opened to phenomal sucess on opening night on 18 Nov. 1718. Aswell as the 'Henriade' a poem which he began while inprisoned in the bastille published in 1722. -
English Bank Notes
In the 16th century the goldsmith-bankers began to accept deposits, make loans and transfer funds. They also gave receipts for cash, that is to say gold coins, deposited with them. These receipts, known as “running cash notes”, were made out in the name of the depositor and promised to pay him on demand. This is the beginning of English Bank Notes -
A leave of Absence
after an altercation with Chevalier and Bastille imprisonment Voltair was allowed out of the Bastille if he left the country – and went to England. England readily accepted him as a victim of France's injustice and infamy and come and during his stay was praised by everyone. While he was there he studied English and the English thought of Sir Isaac Newton and John Locke and began to cultivate his business cunning. -
Philosophal Voltaire
Voltair return to France with new ideas and his work 'lettres anglais' called by some the first bomb dropped on the old regime. 'Lettres Anglais' was a set of 24 letters written to a friend in France, and work a call to political, religious, philosophic freedom for the betterment of earthly life. -
Afsharid–Ottoman War (1730–35)
In the spring of 1730, Nader attacked the Ottomans and regained most of the territory lost during the recent chaos. At the same time, the Abdali Afghans rebelled and besieged Mashhad, forcing Nader to suspend his campaign and save his brother, Ebrahim. It took Nader fourteen months to defeat the Abdali Afghans. The next years were both sides attacking to destroy the other, until, in the summer of 1735 the Afsharid forced the Ottomans to sign a treaty, removing their forces from Persia. -
Life at the Chateu
Voltair finds his first home until the 1750s at the Château of Madame de Chatalet. they shut the shuttle that, is a lover with whom he studied physics and metaphysics, and studied the old and New Testament of the Bible. He only studied the testaments of the Bible to produce anti-religious works in the 1750s and 60s though. But alone studied drama, poetry, history, and Polemics. -
Lettress Anglais
The year of the publication of 'Lettres Anglais'. Copies received from Voltairs' bookseller, and Voltaire himself was threatened with arrest. With that threat he fled to Lorraine, it was not permitted to return to Paris until 1735. The letters were circulated as 'Lettres Philosophiques' and what magnificent unintentional success. -
Diplomacy
oltaire went to Versailles, which he was unwelcome but from there it was sent on diplomatic missions tub Frederick the second of Prussia. During this time however, he was also in the early stages of an affair with his niece Madame Dennis. This is an affair that continued to run its course into the later years of his life. -
Lightning rod
A lightning rod (US, AUS) or lightning conductor (UK) is a metal rod or metallic object mounted on top of an elevated structure, such as a building, a ship, or even a tree,If lightning hits the structure, it will preferentially strike the rod and be conducted to ground through the wire, instead of passing through the structure, where it could start a fire or cause electrocution.The lightning rod was invented by Benjamin Franklin in North America in 1749. -
King Fredericks Court
Voltaire accepts King Fredericks repeated invitation to join his court. Initially, Frederiks hospitality was welcomed, and in 1772, Voltaire described Frederick the Great as a man who "gives battle as readily as he writes an opera. Over time, however, he became anxious and quarellsome. He later wrote that when a king says 'my friend' it means 'my slave'. He leaves Prussia in March of 1753. -
British Gregorian Calender
Britain and the British Empire (including the eastern part of what is now the United States) adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1752, by which time it was necessary to correct by 11 days. Wednesday, 2 September 1752, was followed by Thursday, 14 September 1752. After 1753, the British tax year in Britain continued to operate on the Julian calendar and began on 5 April, which was the "Old Style" new tax year of 25 March. -
Growing Older
Voltaire became a shrewd lender as he grew older. Generous loans to persons in high places paid off well in favors and influence. At Ferney, he mixed in local politics, cultivated his lands, became through his intelligent benevolence beloved of the townspeople, and in general practiced a self-appointed and satisfying kingship. He became known as the "innkeeper of Europe" and entertained widely and well in his rather small but elegant household. -
Justice & Death
Always the champion of liberty, Voltaire in his later years became actively involved in securing justice for victims of persecution. He became the "conscience of Europe". He worked unceasingly in their behalf. He employed "his friends, his purse, his pen, his credit" to move public opinion to the support of the unjustly tried. Voltaire's ingenuity and zeal against injustice were not exhausted until the day he died. -
Independence day
The movement for independence from Britain had grown, and delegates of the Continental Congress were faced with a vote on the issue. In mid-June 1776, a five-man committee including Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and Benjamin Franklin was tasked with drafting a formal statement of the colonies' intentions. The Congress formally adopted the Declaration of Independence--written largely by Jefferson--in Philadelphia on July 4, a date now celebrated as the birth of American independence.
