Montesquieu

Lore & Background

Montesquieu was born at the Château de la Brède in southwest France. His father was a soldier with a long noble ancestry, and his mother, who died when he was seven, was an heiress. The title of Barony of La Brède was already held by his father. He eventually withdrew from the practice of law to devote himself to study and writing.

Reader's Guide

Constitution. The theory of the separation of powers largely derives from this work, in which he divided French society into three classes—the monarchy, the aristocracy, and the commons—and argued that the executive, legislative, and judicial powers should be separate from and dependent upon each other. His political anthropology gave rise to his view that forms of government are supported by governing principles: virtue for republics, honor for monarchies, and fear for despotisms. Montesquieu is credited as among the progenitors of anthropology, being among the first to extend comparative methods of classification to political forms in human societies.

Did You Know?

• Montesquieu's family was Catholic, and though his wife was Protestant, he remained a practicing Catholic who criticized religious intolerance.
• He was initiated into Freemasonry at the Horn Tavern Lodge in Westminster during his stay in England.