Voltaire was exiled because he was a philosopher and he wrote a lot of satire. He was sent to prison because he was critical of the government.
The reason why Voltaire was exiled from France is that he was an outspoken critic of the French government. He had written satirical plays and poems about the monarchy including one called “The King’s Mistake.” This play criticized King Louis XV for having an affair with his mistress, Madame de Pompadour. This made him a target for arrest and imprisonment by French authorities so they exiled him to England in 1726.
Philosopher spent much of his time in exile writing more works that would be critical of French government policies. For example, he wrote The Philosophical Dictionary which included many essays criticizing institutions such as religion, monarchy, aristocracy and even science itself! In fact, it was this book that got him into trouble again when it was banned by European governments because it questioned the existence of God!
During this time away from home, Voltaire learned English, Latin and Italian while traveling through Europe as a diplomat for France’s foreign ministry. He also spent time in England where he met with such famous writers as John Dryden and Alexander Pope — who became good friends with him — as well as King Charles II himself.
