51 moments

1. Born in Paris

   1694-11-21 · Paris, France

   

   François-Marie Arouet, later known as Voltaire, was born in Paris. Settlement-level coordinates; the cited evidence does not specify the birth building.

2. Studies at Louis-le-Grand

   1704-01-01 · Collège Louis-le-Grand, Paris, France

   

   Voltaire began his Jesuit education at the Collège Louis-le-Grand, where he studied Latin, theology, and rhetoric until 1711. Date marks the beginning of the supported 1704–1711 attendance period.

3. Studies law in Caen

   1711-01-01 · Caen, Normandy, France

   

   After his father discovered that he was writing rather than working as a notary’s assistant, Voltaire was sent to Caen to study law. The source places this after his schooling ended in 1711 but gives no more precise date or institution.

4. Serves at The Hague

   1713-01-01 · The Hague, Dutch Republic

   

   Voltaire went to the Dutch Republic as secretary to the French ambassador and began a relationship with Catherine Olympe Dunoyer.

5. First Bastille imprisonment

   1717-05-16 · Bastille, Paris, France

   

   Voltaire began an eleven-month imprisonment for satirical verses attacking the Regent, an episode central to his early conflict with authority. Coordinates mark the former fortress site.

6. Arranges clandestine publication in Rouen

   1722-01-01 · Rouen, Normandy, France

   

   On returning toward Paris, Voltaire obtained a Rouen publisher willing to issue La Henriade clandestinely. The stop occurred after the journey begun in August 1722 and before November 1723; the source gives no exact date.

7. Finds a publisher at The Hague

   1722-01-01 · The Hague, Dutch Republic

   

   Continuing through the Netherlands, Voltaire secured a publisher at The Hague for the poem that became La Henriade. The year is supported by the surrounding account of the journey begun in August 1722; no month is stated for The Hague.

8. Meets Rousseau in Brussels

   1722-08-01 · Brussels, Austrian Netherlands

   

   While traveling north to find a publisher for his epic poem, Voltaire stopped in Brussels and met the poet Jean-Baptiste Rousseau. Month applies to the northward journey; the source does not provide the exact days of the Brussels stay.

9. Lives with Fawkener in Wandsworth

   1726-01-01 · Wandsworth, London, England

   

   During his English exile, Voltaire lived largely in Wandsworth and formed an important friendship with merchant Everard Fawkener. The cited article places this within the exile beginning in May 1726; Fawkener’s exact house site is not identified.

10. Takes rooms at Durham Court

    1726-01-01 · Durham Court, near John Adam Street, London, England

    

    Voltaire established himself near the Strand, giving him a central London base during his study of English society and letters. Representative point near present-day John Adam Street; Durham Court no longer survives.

11. Second Bastille imprisonment

    1726-04-17 · Bastille, Paris, France

    

    After challenging Guy Auguste de Rohan-Chabot to a duel, Voltaire was arrested and confined without trial in the Bastille. Coordinates mark the former fortress site.

12. Embarks from Calais for England

    1726-05-02 · Calais, France

    

    Voltaire exchanged possible indefinite detention for exile and was escorted to Calais to embark for England. Settlement-level coordinates; the embarkation quay is not specified.

13. Lodges above the White Peruke

    1727-12-01 · 10 Maiden Lane, Covent Garden, London, England

    

    Voltaire moved to Maiden Lane to be near his British publisher Peter Vaillant and the area’s Huguenot community. Date marks the beginning of the supported December 1727–June 1728 lodging period.

14. Waits in Dieppe after exile

    1728-01-01 · Dieppe, Normandy, France

    

    After returning from two and a half years in England, Voltaire spent several months in Dieppe before receiving permission to return to Paris. The return is generally placed in late 1728; the cited sentence gives no month.

15. Takes refuge at Cirey

    1734-01-01 · Château de Cirey, Cirey-sur-Blaise, Champagne, France

    

    Threatened with arrest after publication of the Lettres philosophiques, Voltaire withdrew to Émilie du Châtelet’s château, which became a major center of his scientific and historical work.

16. Lives largely in Brussels

    1739-01-01 · Brussels, Austrian Netherlands

    

    Voltaire accompanied Émilie du Châtelet during her attempt to pursue a longstanding family property case in Limburg. Date marks the beginning of the supported mid-1739 to mid-1740 residence period.

17. Negotiates with a Hague publisher

    1740-07-01 · The Hague, Dutch Republic

    

    Voltaire traveled to The Hague for Frederick of Prussia to try to stop an unauthorized edition of Anti-Machiavel.

18. First meets Frederick at Moyland

    1740-09-01 · Moyland Castle, Bedburg-Hau, Germany

    

    Voltaire and the newly crowned Frederick the Great met in person for the first time at Moyland Castle. The year 1740 is established by the immediately preceding dated journey in the same sentence.

19. Visits Frederick in Berlin

    1740-11-01 · Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia

    

    Voltaire spent two weeks as Frederick the Great’s guest in Berlin, deepening a relationship that later brought him to the Prussian court. The year 1740 follows from the sentence’s chronology.

20. Meets Frederick at Aachen

    1742-09-01 · Aachen, Germany

    

    Voltaire met Frederick the Great again at Aachen during the War of the Austrian Succession. Aix-la-Chapelle is the French name for Aachen.

21. Visits Paris and begins relationship with Denis

    1744-01-01 · Paris, France

    

    During a visit to Paris, Voltaire formed a new intimate attachment to his niece Marie Louise Mignot, later Madame Denis. “That year” refers to 1744 in the cited paragraph; no venue or month is given.

22. Returns briefly to Paris after du Châtelet’s death

    1749-09-01 · Paris, France

    

    Following Émilie du Châtelet’s death in childbirth, Voltaire briefly returned to Paris before accepting Frederick’s invitation to Prussia. The return occurred after the September death; the exact arrival date is not stated.

23. Moves to Potsdam

    1750-01-01 · Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia

    

    Voltaire joined Frederick the Great’s court, receiving the positions and income of a royal chamberlain. The source gives only “mid-1750.”

24. Occupies rooms at Charlottenburg Palace

    1750-01-01 · Charlottenburg Palace, Berlin, Germany

    

    Voltaire also maintained court accommodation at Charlottenburg Palace in Berlin during his service to Frederick. The rooms are documented during his 1750–1753 Prussian period; the source does not give separate occupancy dates.

25. Occupies rooms at Sanssouci

    1750-01-01 · Sanssouci Palace, Potsdam, Germany

    

    As a member of Frederick’s household, Voltaire was given rooms at the king’s palace of Sanssouci. The rooms are documented during his 1750–1753 Prussian period; the source does not give separate occupancy dates.

26. Establishes a residence in Colmar

    1753-01-01 · 10 Rue Berthe-Molly, Colmar, France

    

    Voltaire settled in Colmar while composing historical works and navigating official opposition to his return to Paris. The broader source dates his Alsace residence to 1753–1754; this card uses its opening year.

27. Lives on Strasbourg’s Île Jars

    1753-01-01 · Île Jars, Strasbourg, France

    

    Voltaire established himself in Strasbourg during autumn 1753 and worked at the Lutzelbourg family château on Île Jars. The historical Île Jars site is not precisely identified in the source; coordinates represent central Strasbourg.

28. Passes through Mainz

    1753-01-01 · Mainz, Holy Roman Empire

    

    After the Frankfurt detention, Voltaire continued his slow westward progress through Mainz. The source lists the route between his July 1753 departure from Frankfurt and the January 1754 ban from Paris; it gives no city-specific date.

29. Passes through Mannheim

    1753-01-01 · Mannheim, Electoral Palatinate

    

    Voltaire traveled through Mannheim while seeking a route and residence farther west after leaving Prussia. The source gives no city-specific date.

30. Stays at Gotha

    1753-01-01 · Gotha, Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg

    

    Voltaire spent roughly a month at Gotha during his westward journey from Prussia. The exact month is not stated.

31. Stays at Schwetzingen

    1753-01-01 · Schwetzingen Palace, Schwetzingen, Germany

    

    Voltaire stayed at the Elector Palatine’s summer court at Schwetzingen during his journey away from Prussia. Voltaire’s 1758 letter states that “we stayed” at Schwetzingen in 1753; no precise 1753 dates are supplied.

32. Stays in Kassel

    1753-01-01 · Kassel, Hesse-Kassel

    

    Continuing toward France, Voltaire remained at Kassel for approximately two weeks. The exact dates of the two-week stay are not stated.

33. Stops in Leipzig after leaving Prussia

    1753-01-01 · Leipzig, Electorate of Saxony

    

    Voltaire stayed in Leipzig for about a month during his protracted departure from Frederick’s domains. The journey followed Frederick’s permission to leave in March 1753; the exact month in Leipzig is not stated.

34. Withdraws to Luttenbach

    1753-01-01 · Luttenbach-près-Munster, Alsace, France

    

    Finding insufficient quiet in Strasbourg, Voltaire temporarily withdrew to Luttenbach in the Munster valley. The source places this after his autumn 1753 Strasbourg residence but gives no exact dates.

35. Arrives and is detained in Frankfurt

    1753-05-31 · Frankfurt am Main, Holy Roman Empire

    

    Voltaire reached Frankfurt and was detained there the following morning by Frederick’s agents during a dispute over royal manuscripts. The year 1753 is established by the journey chronology.

36. Works at Senones Abbey

    1754-06-12 · Abbey of Senones, Senones, Lorraine, France

    

    Voltaire stayed with the Benedictines at Senones and used the abbey’s library while working on his universal history. The correspondence volume is for 1754; the letter itself was written at Senones on 12 June.

37. Takes the waters at Plombières

    1754-07-16 · Plombières-les-Bains, Lorraine, France

    

    Voltaire traveled to the spa at Plombières for his health after several weeks of research at Senones Abbey. The source reproduces a transcription of a Voltaire letter held at the Senones intercommunal media library.

38. Meets Richelieu in Lyon

    1754-11-15 · Lyon, France

    

    Voltaire met the Duke of Richelieu in Lyon while testing whether a return to Paris might be possible. Settlement-level coordinates; the meeting venue is not specified.

39. Arrives in Geneva

    1754-12-12 · Geneva, Republic of Geneva

    

    Leaving Lyon, Voltaire entered Geneva before moving almost immediately to the nearby Château de Prangins. The editorial note records an uncertainty of one day for the Lyon departure, but explicitly gives Geneva arrival as 12 December.

40. Establishes Les Délices

    1755-01-01 · Les Délices, Geneva, Switzerland

    

    Voltaire made Les Délices his principal Geneva residence, using its borderland location as protection from French authority. Date marks the beginning of the supported 1755–1760 residence period.

41. Winters at Château de Prangins

    1755-01-14 · Château de Prangins, Prangins, Switzerland

    

    Voltaire and Madame Denis stayed at Prangins while he searched the Lake Geneva region for a permanent refuge.

42. Stages plays at Mon-Repos

    1757-01-01 · Mon-Repos, Lausanne, Switzerland

    During his Lausanne period, Voltaire organized theatrical performances for local society at Mon-Repos. Coordinates represent the Mon-Repos estate and park in Lausanne.

43. Makes his first visit to Ferney

    1758-01-01 · Ferney-Voltaire, France

    

    Voltaire first inspected Ferney in autumn 1758 while seeking an estate outside Geneva’s jurisdiction but close to the border. Settlement-level coordinates; the exact day and route of the first inspection are not stated.

44. Arrives at Schwetzingen court

    1758-07-16 · Schwetzingen Palace, Schwetzingen, Germany

    

    Voltaire returned to the Elector Palatine’s summer palace, where he stayed while reviewing his financial interests and working on Candide. The letter containing the quotation is headed “A Schwetzingen, 16 Juillet 1758.”

45. Returns to Lausanne from Schwetzingen

    1758-08-24 · Lausanne, Switzerland

    

    Voltaire returned to Lausanne after his summer journey to the Palatine court. The correspondence index is for 1758 and places the letter at Lausanne on 24 August.

46. Divides his time among border residences

    1759-01-01 · Château de Tournay, Pregny-Chambésy, Republic of Geneva

    

    While Ferney’s château was being prepared, Voltaire moved among Les Délices, Tournay, and his new Ferney property. The statement appears in the description of the association’s 1759 chronology. Coordinates represent Château de Tournay; individual visit dates are not specified.

47. Settles at Château de Voltaire

    1761-01-01 · Château de Voltaire, Ferney-Voltaire, France

    

    After rebuilding the Ferney residence, Voltaire settled there permanently enough to create a celebrated intellectual, agricultural, and manufacturing center. Exact-site coordinates are approximate to the château complex.

48. Returns to Paris after twenty-five years

    1778-02-01 · Paris, France

    

    Voltaire undertook a five-day journey from Ferney to Paris to oversee and attend events surrounding his tragedy Irène. The source gives February but not his precise arrival date.

49. Attends a performance of Irène

    1778-03-01 · Paris, France

    

    Voltaire appeared before a Paris audience at a performance of Irène and was celebrated as a returning literary hero. The cited sentence establishes Paris through the immediately preceding return; it does not identify the theater building.

50. Initiated at Les Neuf Sœurs

    1778-04-04 · Rue de la Bûcherie, Paris, France

    

    Voltaire attended the Paris lodge Les Neuf Sœurs and was initiated as an Entered Apprentice Freemason. The lodge’s former location is thought to have been on Rue de la Bûcherie; the exact building is uncertain.

51. Dies in Paris

    1778-05-30 · Paris, France

    

    Voltaire died in Paris after becoming ill during his celebrated final return to the capital. Settlement-level coordinates; the quoted evidence does not specify the death house.