View Of Voltaire's Influence On History

Famous French Enlightenment writer and historian Voltaire was born Francois Marie Arouet into a Parisian middle class family in 1694. Voltaire was the youngest of five children to parents, François Arouet and Marie Marguerite d'Aumart. After his mother’s death at the age of seven; Voltaire’s father, a high-profile lawyer sent him to the infamous Paris boarding school Louis-le-grand. The school was run by Jesuit priests that lent him a background in early Greek and Latin, while also providing him with wit in several different disciplines. In 1717, Arouet was arrested for his bold political writing, which included verses that damned the regime of Phillippe II. Arouet was sent to the Bastille, the notorious prison for which political prisoners were imprisoned without being criminally charged. After eleven months in prison, Arouet became immensely fascinated in studying historical pieces, whereby composing historical verses. By the time of his release, he had become a serious historical writer, so much so that “Voltaire” became his signature name.
Voltaire’s newfound interest in history focused around the works of Petrarch some four centuries earlier. Like Petrarch, Voltaire’s view towards history was seen by observers as embodying his time period, while also fostering that impression towards his later readers as well. Both historians believed
As a historiographer, Voltaire produced another 14 that illustrated what history was, how it should be performed, and how it might be used by future researchers. A bulk of his work embodied a revolutionary view, that history can be seen as both absorbing and noteworthy as a natural science. Also, Voltaire’s work noted that the history should not only incorporate precise facts and dates, but also aspects of everyday life including customs, commerce, finance, agriculture, and