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Michel de Montaigne was born in Chateau de Montaigne, near Bordeaux, France, on February 28, 1533. He received his early education at the College de Guyenne in Bordeaux and studied law at Bordeaux and Toulouse, becoming a counselor of the Court des Aides of Perigueaux, the Bordeaux Parliament and, in 1561, at the court of Charles IX. In 1565, Montaigne married Francoise de la Chassaigne. They raised one daughter, with four other children dying in infancy. He lived the life as a country gentleman and traveled extensively through Switzerland, Germany, and Italy. Montaigne was a moderate Roman Catholic and an advocate of toleration, acting as an intermediary between Henry of Navarre and the court party. As a result, in 1588, he was arrested by members of the Protestant League and thrown into the Bastille for several hours. His work Essais established the essay as a new literary form and influenced both French and English writers; it was quoted by William Shakespeare and imitated by Francis Bacon. Michel de Montaigne died on September 13, 1592 at his chateau in France. (Bowker Author Biography) — biography from The Complete Essays… (more)
Montaigne was one of the great humanists of the French Renaissance era and one of its most influential writers. He's best known for his essays, which not only made this literary genre more popular but also more interesting to the reader.
Montaigne grew up speaking Latin and reading Vergil, Ovid, and Horace on his own. At age 6, he was sent to boarding school, the Collège de Guyenne in Bordeaux. He may have studied law, but the school is unknown; his father purchased a law office for him in the Court of Périgueux. He met Etienne de La Boétie, with whom he formed a lifelong friendship. Montaigne retired at age 37 to his father's castle to write. He later received numerous honors from the court of King Charles IX, including the Order of Saint-Michel, and was named a Gentleman of the Ordinary Chamber. He was elected mayor of Bordeaux and served two terms in office.
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Legacy Library: Michel de Montaigne
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