Voltaire

French Enlightenment philosopher, satirist, and historian — author of Candide, Philosophical Dictionary, and Letters on the English — who championed reason, religious tolerance, and civil liberties — the defining figure of the French Enlightenment.

Creates French Enlightenment satire and advocacy — Voltaire's combination of philosophical argument, satirical fiction, and relentless advocacy (he spent 12 years rehabilitating Jean Calas, a Protestant wrongly executed for murder) made him the most effective Enlightenment advocate for religious tolerance and civil liberties.