Born: 20 February 1694 · Died: 30 May 1778 · Age at death: 84
How old was Voltaire when he died?
Voltaire died aged 84. He was born on 20 February 1694 and died on 30 May 1778.
French Enlightenment writer and wit who championed free speech and religious tolerance and wrote the satire Candide
Did you know?He adopted his famous pen name while imprisoned in the Bastille for writing satirical verses about the government.
Quick facts
Date of birth20 February 1694
Date of death30 May 1778
Age at death84
NationalityFrench
BirthplaceParis, France
Occupationphilosopher, poet, historian
Editor's Take:
Voltaire turned wit into a weapon, using satire to attack intolerance, censorship and abuse of power in eighteenth-century France. His short novel Candide mocks blind optimism with such energy that it is still read and staged today. He spent years in exile, including a formative stay in England, where he admired its relative freedom of speech and religion. He campaigned publicly against miscarriages of justice, using his fame to defend people persecuted by the authorities. His fearless defence of free thought helped shape the ideas behind the French Revolution and modern human rights.
Key Milestones
1717: Imprisoned in the Bastille
1726: Exiled to England
1734: Publishes Letters on the English
1759: Publishes Candide
1763: Publishes the Treatise on Tolerance
1778: Returns to Paris in triumph
François-Marie Arouet (French:; 21 November 1694 – 30 May 1778), known by his pen name Voltaire (US also; French:), was a French Enlightenment writer, philosopher (philosophe), satirist, and historian.
