Michel de Montaigne Biography

Quick Facts

NAME: Michel Eyquem de Montaigne
OCCUPATION: Philosopher, Scholar, Journalist
BIRTH DATE: February 28, 1533
DEATH DATE: September 23, 1592
PLACE OF BIRTH: Château de Montaigne, France

PLACE OF DEATH: Château de Montaigne, France

more about Michel

Best Known For

Michel de Montaigne is a 16th century French author whose essays are considered the best ever written and are a model for the form.

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Michel Eyquem de Montaigne

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Synopsis

Michel de Montaigne was born on February 28, 1533 at the Château de Montaigne, near Bordeaux, France. His family was minor nobility and Montaigne studied law and served as counselor at the Bordeaux Parliament. He retired in 1571 to work on his Essays, which are considered the best ever written and are a model for the form. Montaigne also served as mayor of Bordeaux in 1581–85. He died in 1592.

Profile

(born Feb. 28, 1533, Chteau de Montaigne, near Bordeaux, France—died Sept. 23, 1592, Chteau de Montaigne) French courtier and author. Born into the minor nobility, Montaigne received an excellent Classical education (speaking only Latin up to age 6) before studying law and serving as counselor at the Bordeaux Parliament. There he met the lawyer tienne de La Boétie, with whom he formed an extraordinary friendship; the void left by La Boétie's death in 1563 likely led Montaigne to begin his writing career. He retired to his chteau in 1571 to work on his Essais (1580, 1588), a series of short prose reflections on many subjects that form one of the most captivating and intimate self-portraits ever written. At once deeply critical of his time and deeply involved in its struggles, he sought understanding through self-examination, which he developed into a description of the human condition and an ethic of authenticity, self-acceptance, and tolerance. Though most of his later years were devoted to writing, he occasionally served as mediator in episodes of religious conflict in his region and beyond, and served as mayor of Bordeaux during the troubled period 1581–85. essay.