Baron de Montesquieu – The Spirit of the Laws Unit 3 - Day 6

Baron de Montesquieu Charles de Secondant, Baron de Montesquieu (1689-1755) Born to a prominent noble family in Bordeaux Earns a degree in law at the University of Bordeaux and studies in Paris Inherits the title of Baron from his uncle in 1715 Active in the Parlement of Bordeaux as expert in criminal law and also in the scientific Academy of Bordeaux 1721 – publishes his Persian Letters which made him a celebrity – satirizes European society from the point of view of “Persian” travellers Due to his literary success he retires from public life and travels extensively throughout Europe 1731 begins The Spirit of the Laws, published in 1748 1751SotL placed on the Index of Banned Books 1755 Dies in Paris of a fever while writing an article for Diderot’s Encyclopedia

The Spirit of the Laws The Spirit of the Laws Heavily influenced by his travels in Europe Comparison of various forms of government illustrated by historical examples drawn from all over Europe Attempts to explain the diversity of laws and forms of government – i.e. why people do things differently in different places - and to arrive at the general principles which govern all societies – i.e. what determines why a certain form of government works in one place and not another