Montesquieu birth and death

He is the principal source of the theory of separation of powers , which is implemented in many constitutions throughout the world. He is also known for doing more than any other author to secure the place of the word despotism in the political lexicon.

Montesquieu quotes

His family was of Huguenot origin. He showed a preference for Protestantism. In he married the Protestant Jeanne de Lartigue, with whom he eventually had three children. Montesquieu's early life was a time of significant governmental change. England had declared itself a constitutional monarchy in the wake of its Glorious Revolution — , and joined with Scotland in the Union of to form the Kingdom of Great Britain.

These national transformations had a great impact on Montesquieu, and he referred to them repeatedly in his work. Montesquieu eventually withdrew from the practice of law to devote himself to study and writing. He achieved literary success with the publication of his Persian Letters French : Lettres persanes , a satire representing society as seen through the eyes of two Persian visitors to Paris , cleverly criticizing absurdities of contemporary French society.

The work was an instant classic and accordingly was immediately pirated. In , he went to Paris and entered social circles with the help of friends including the Duke of Berwick whom he had known when Berwick was military governor at Bordeaux. He also acquainted himself with the English politician Viscount Bolingbroke , some of whose political views were later reflected in Montesquieu's analysis of the English constitution.

Montesquieu impact

In he sold his office, bored with the parlement and turning more toward Paris. In April , with Berwick's nephew Lord Waldegrave as his traveling companion, Montesquieu embarked on a grand tour of Europe, during which he kept a journal. His travels included Austria and Hungary and a year in Italy.