French Enlightenment Humanists (1715–1789)

1. Death of Louis XIV begins a new era

   Sep 1, 1715Labels: Louis XIV, French court

   • Britannica
   • Oxford

2. Montesquieu publishes "Persian Letters"

   Jan 1, 1721Labels: Montesquieu, Persian Letters

   • Montesquieu
   • WorldHistory

3. Voltaire’s English letters provoke French censors

   Jan 1, 1734Labels: Voltaire, English Letters

   • Britannica
   • Letters

4. Montesquieu publishes "The Spirit of the Laws"

   Nov 1, 1748Labels: Montesquieu, The Spirit

   • Britannica
   • LoC

5. Rousseau’s First Discourse challenges "progress"

   Jan 1, 1750Labels: Rousseau, First Discourse

   • Britannica
   • Oxford

6. First volume of the Encyclopédie appears in Paris

   Jul 1, 1751Labels: Encyclop die, Diderot

   • PubMed
   • Met

7. Early official backlash restricts the Encyclopédie

   Feb 7, 1752Labels: Encyclop die, French authorities

   • FrenchWiki
   • Met

8. Rousseau’s Second Discourse links inequality to property

   Jan 1, 1755Labels: Rousseau, Second Discourse

   • Britannica
   • Inequality

9. The crown revokes the Encyclopédie’s privilege

   Mar 8, 1759Labels: Encyclop die, French crown

   • HET
   • Encyclop die

10. Rousseau publishes "The Social Contract"

    Apr 1, 1762Labels: Rousseau, The Social

    • Britannica
    • SocialContract

11. Voltaire’s Calas campaign advances religious toleration

    Jan 1, 1765Labels: Voltaire, Calas case

    • Tolerance
    • Britannica

12. d’Holbach publishes the materialist "System of Nature"

    Jan 1, 1770Labels: d'Holbach, System of

    • SystemNature
    • Monticello

13. Encyclopédie project reaches its main completion

    Jan 1, 1772Labels: Encyclop die, Diderot

    • Encyclop die
    • PubMed

14. Deaths of Voltaire and Rousseau mark an era’s end

    Jul 2, 1778Labels: Voltaire, Rousseau

    • Britannica
    • Rousseau

15. Estates-General meets as the crisis becomes political

    May 5, 1789Labels: Estates-General, Louis XVI

    • Versailles
    • Britannica

16. Declaration of the Rights of Man adopted

    Aug 26, 1789Labels: Declaration of, National Assembly

    • Britannica
    • LoC