Voltaire was a French philosopher and writer during the Enlightenment. He was also known for his criticisms of the Catholic Church.
In fact, Voltaire was born on November 21, 1694, in Paris. His father was a lawyer and his mother was part of a family of wealthy aristocrats. Voltaire attended a Jesuit school when he was young but later switched to studying law at the University of Poitiers. Voltaire’s studies were interrupted by military service; he joined King Louis XIV’s army in 1712 and served in the War of Spanish Succession until 1715. During this time he began writing plays and poetry that would make him famous throughout Europe.
In 1714, Voltaire published his first book, The Poem on the Lisbon Disaster (Le Poème sur le désastre de Lisbonne), which discussed an earthquake that occurred in 1755. This poem criticized the Catholic Church for not providing relief from natural disasters like earthquakes or floods. This caused him problems with the church and he was forced into exile by King Louis XIV because of this work.
In 1718, Voltaire moved to London where he found success as an author. He wrote plays, poems, essays and philosophical works that were critical of religion and politics in France. However, Voltaire’s most famous work is Candide: Or Optimism (1759), which satirizes European society during the Age of Enlightenment.
