Protestantism and Protestants played a considerable role in both Voltaire’s writings and his life (1694-1778). His experiences in Protestant countries and his contacts with individual Protestants nuanced and refined his opinion of their religion, and this article investigates their complex interaction.
A natural rebel, but one who was well educated and well connected, Voltaire had a chequered career during the regency of Philippe d’Orléans (1715-23). Although imprisoned in the Bastille for allegedly composing a licentious poem about the Regent and his daughter, Voltaire remained popular with many aristocrats. His first tragedy, Œdipe (1718), contained famous lines attacking priests, inevitably foreshadowing his lifelong hostility to the Catholic Church. His epic poem, La Henriade
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Citation: Gargett, Graham. "Voltaire and Protestantism". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 12 October 2020 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=19551, accessed 23 April 2024.]
