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Period: 476 to 476
Fall of the Roman Empire
Sometime this year, the Germanic Odoacer deposed the last Roman emperor of rule to the western part of Rome. This can be considered as the fall of the Roman Empire. Over a 1000 years later, Montesquieu studied the decline and fall of Rome which then led him to write "Considerations on the Causes of the Greatness of the Romans and of their Decline." -
Period: Jan 1, 1559 to Dec 31, 1559
The Index Librorum Prohibitorum is promulgated
Pope Paul IV releases the first list of Forbidden Books sometime in the year 1559. It is list of publications which all loyal Roman Catholics are forbidden to read or even own. Most of MOntesquieu's works would be put on this Index. -
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Reign of Louis XIV of France
Though he was a ruler langer than any other in France and all of Europe, he because an archetype of an absolute monarch. Becuase of this, in Montesquiue's book "Parsian Letters," Louis XIV was mocked. His ways of rule went against Montesquieu's idea of separation of power. -
Birth of Montesquieu
Montesquieu was born near Bordeaux, France. Charles-Louis was the eldest child of Jacques de Secondat and Marie-Françoise de Pesnel. -
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Educated at Oratorian Collège de Juilly
Charles-Louis was sent here to recieve a classic, basic education, somewhere in the year of 1700. He was sent here to study along with his two orphan cusins. Sometime in 1705, he ended his education at this school. -
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Attends the University of Bordeaux
Upon returning from Oratorian Collège de Juilly, Montesquieu began attending the University of Bordeaux at the request of his uncle from whom he would gain a title and fortune. He began his studies of law somewhere in the year 1705 and ended sometime in 1708. -
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Montesquieu moves to Paris
Sometime in this year, Montesquieu moved to Paris to make himself a living and pursue a career with the knowledge he gained earning his law degree. -
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Death of Father
After the death of his father, Montesquieu retured to La Brède. He was the head of the fmaily and had to manage his inheritance. -
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Marriage
Sometime this year, Montesquieu married Jeanne de Lartigue. She was an active Protestant. With her, he had a son and two daughters. -
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Death of Uncle
Sometime this year, Montesquieu's uncle passed. Upon his death, Charles-Louis inherited the title, Baron de La Brède et de Montesquieu and he also gained the office of Président à Mortier in the Parlement of Bordeaux. -
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Presided over the Tournelle
For eleven years after his uncle's death, Montesquieu presided over the Tournelle, the Parliament's criminal division. Here he heard out legal accusations. supervised prisons, and carried out certain punishments, such as torture. -
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"Persian Letters" published
In this book Montesquieu poked fun at the French social classes and government. He portrayed his opinions through a series of 150 letters between Persian noblemen, Usbek and Rica. This work gave Montesquieu a name in the literary world. Though the book was published anonymously, his authorship was a secret known to everyone. -
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Dialogue de Sylla et d'Eucrate and Réflexions sur la Monarchie Universelle published
While Montesquieu was spending more and more time in Paris, where he acted on behalf of the Parlaiment and Academy of Bordeaux he published Dialogue de Sylla et d'Eucrate and Réflexions sur la Monarchie Universelle. These were minor works. -
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Moved to Paris and published Le Temple de Gnide
During 1725, Mntesquieu sold his office, resigned his position in the Parliamnet, and moved to Paris. He also published another minor work, Le Temple de Gnide. He took these steps in order to gain money and establish himself as a resident of Paris so he could apply to be admitted into the Académie Française. -
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Elected into Académie Française
Sometime this year, despite religous opposition of the Catholic Church, Montesquieu was elected into the Académie Française. -
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Travels Europe
Between the years of 1728 ad 1731, Montesquieu traveled throughout Europe, observing various government policies and their ways of rule. He visited the countries of Austria, Hungary, Italy, Germany, Holland, and England. -
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Resided in England
On his travels through Europe, Montesquieu settled in England from the end of 1729 untill the end of spring of 1731. He was very much captivated with the ways of the British government. While there, he also made quite a name for himself in society. Montesquieu was presented in court and joined the Freemasons. He attended Paliamentary debates and was elected a fellow of the Royal Society. There, he became friends with the dukes of Richmond and Montagu, and purchased books to enlarge his library. -
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"Considerations on the Causes of the Greatness of the Romans and of their Decline" published
Though still working on another mojor novel, Montesquieu published "Considerations on the Causes of the Greatness of the Romans and of their Decline." In this work he went into the ways of the Roman government, tried to explain why it failed, and discouraged modern European countries from modeling their government off of the ancient Roman one. -
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"The Spirit of the Laws" published
This was a very controversial and successful work. Becuase Montesquieu believed that abuse of power, slavery, and intolerance were evil, his book reflected idea such as seapration of government power and governing by upholding honor, not fear. He worked on this work since he came back from his journey around Europe in 1731. -
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"Defense of the Spirit of the Laws" published
Two year after the publication of "The Spirit of the Laws," Montesquieu published this work, "Defense of the Spirit of Laws" to answer the critics of his controversial masterpiece. -
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"The Spirit of Laws" placed on the Index Of Forbidden Books
Despite Montesquieu's effort, in 1751 the Catholic Church placed his latest work on the Index of the Forbidden Books</a>; a list of books which Roman Catholics were forbidden to read or even own. -
Death of Montesquieu
He died from a fever in Paris, France. He left an unfinished essay on taste for the Encyclopédie, to which he contributed to the last years of his life. -
US Constitution adopted
The Unites States Constitution included many ideas of Montesquieu's such as the isupported idea of separation of power and the system of checks and balances which was authored to Montesquieu himself. -
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French Revolution
This was a rise of the French citizens agaist the absolute monarchy of the "government" in France. Ideas of monarchy, aristocracy and religious authority were overthrown by new Enlightenment principles of equality, citizenship and inalienable rights. These came from the works and studies of such philosophers as Montesquieu.
