Montesquieu

Charles-Louis de Secondat, Baron de La Brède et de Montesquieu was commonly known as Montesquieu. He was a political philosopher from France who lived in the Age of Enlightenment. His theory of the government's division of powers has made him well-known. He contributed to the popularisation of the terms "Byzantine Empire" and "Feudalism."

He is the primary author of the separation of powers theory, which is included in numerous constitutions across the globe. His anonymous publication "The Spirit of Law (1748)", which was appreciated in the American colonies as well as Great Britain, had an impact on the American Founding Fathers when they were writing the U.S. Constitution.

He was one of the most important French Enlightenment thinkers. He criticized French society in general and absolutism in particular for its excesses.

Personal Information

• Born: January 18, 1689
• Died February 10, 1755 (aged 66) in Paris, France
• Full name: Charles-Louis de Secondat
• Spouse Jeanne de Lartigue (m. 1715)
• Children:
  
  • Jean-Baptiste de Secondat
  • Marie-Josèphe-Denise de Secondat
  • Marie-Catherine de Secondat
• Era: 18th-century philosophy
• Region: Western philosophy
• School:
  
  • Enlightenment
  • Classical liberalism
• Main interests: Political philosophy
• Influenced by: Thomas Hobbes, René Descartes, Aristotle, Cicero

Political Views

The traditional feudal system was known as "the three estates" prior to Montesquieu:

• The entire clergy
• the aristocracy (because the monarch was not a part of the "estates")
• the common people, or the "third estate."

French people were categorized into three classes by Montesquieu's work. Three classes he invented are:

• The monarchy
• The aristocracy
• The commons

Even now, some of Montesquieu's theories are controversial. He thought that women had the potential to lead in politics. However, he believed that women were incapable of being family leaders. He was in favor of primogeniture and an inherited nobility. Hereditary refers to a title that is passed down from parents to their offspring.

In his articles "The Spirit of the Laws and Persian Letters" Montesquieu presents an uncommon concept. This idea is the climate theory. It claims that a place's climate, or weather, has an impact on the nature of people and civilization. According to Montesquieu, certain climates are better than others. He thought that France's temperate climate was the best. He thought that individuals from warm climates are "too hot-tempered." Those who live in cold northern climates are "icy" or "stiff." Thus, middle Europe's climate breeds the best human beings.

Personal Life

He was born on January 19, 1689, in La Brède, close to Bordeaux. Montesquieu came from a wealthy and noble family. The father of Montesquieu was Jacques de Secondat. His father was from a modestly wealthy military family. The mother of Montesquieu was Marie-Françoise de Pesnel. After attending the Oratorian Collège de Juilly, he graduated from the University of Bordeaux in 1708 with a degree in law and then moved to Paris to pursue his legal education.

He had returned to La Brède after his father's death in 1713 to oversee the estate he inherited. In 1715, he wed Jeanne de Lartigue, a practicing Protestant, and the two had a son and two daughters.

Philosophy of Montesquieu

1. The Spirit of the Laws
   The Spirit of the Laws, written by Montesquieu, explains social structures and human rules. He thought that social systems and regulations needed to be understood fully.
2. Forms of Government
   Three categories of government were distinguished by Montesquieu: despotisms, monarchies, and republican governments. Every type of government has a principle, a collection of "human passions which set it in motion" , and each can become corrupted if its principle is disproved or destroyed.
3. Liberty
   In Montesquieu's words, Political liberty is "a tranquility of mind arising from the opinion each person has of his safety." It entails living under laws that protect us from harm while allowing us the maximum amount of freedom.

These laws also give us the greatest possible assurance that should we obey them, the state's power will not be used against us.

The legislative, judicial branches and executive of government must be kept independent from one another in order to prevent abuse of authority and to allow its population the highest level of freedom.

Death of Montesquieu

A cataract was troubling Montesquieu, and he was afraid of losing his vision. He traveled to Paris at the end of 1754, where he became ill. On February 10, 1755, he passed away due to fever. He was buried in Église Saint-Sulpice, Paris.

Conclusion

Montesquieu was a political philosopher from France. He was born on January 19, 1689, in La Brède, Aquitaine, France. Montesquieu made substantial contributions to contemporary political sociology and the philosophy of history during his Enlightenment years. He contributed to the popularisation of the phrases "Byzantine Empire" and "feudalism." He died on February 10, 1755 in Paris, France.