Baron De Montesquieu
By: Joshua Batista, Matthew Rau, David Cano,
Brenda Ocampo, and Caroline Egan
Early Life
● Baron de Montesquieu was born on January 19th, 1689 to a
wealthy noble family.
● He was schooled at the Oratorian College de Juilly and a law
degree at the college of Berdeaux. After that he went to Study law
in Paris.
● 1713 he inherited La Brede and Married Jeanne de Lartigue in
1715.
● In 1716, he became Baron de la Brede de Montesquieu and
President A Mortier in Bordeaux’s parliament.
Main Beliefs
● Montesquieu believed that everything was made up of laws that
never change
● Governments selected by the people were best form
● Thought most effective government was when three officials ruled
● Ex. England:King, Parliament, and Judges
● Montesquieu thought Britain had the best government.
● By dividing the power there was a “separation of power”
Main Beliefs Continued
● Montesquieu also believed that women had the ability to govern but
not run a home.
● Believed in Slavery.
● Women aren’t equal to men and people are not equal
Published Works
● Persian Letters: A fictional series of letters sent
from two fictional Persians: Usbek and Rica. It
mainly features the two traveling to Europe and
misinterpreting what they see. It is a generally
humourous account but, it has underlying themes
of despotism and how unattainable self-knowledge
and virtues are.
Published Works Continued
The Spirit of the Laws:
● Published in 1748
● Montesquieu wrote about how laws should be created
based on what the individual thinks is right or wrong.
Focusing on law, rights, and power. He also wrote about
how political theories and institutions helped shape
political structure and how checks and balances were
important within a government.
● His beliefs were explained which were that laws should
be more comprehensible and that the laws in other
countries could be more liberal and humane.
Influences and Legacies
● He brought up the idea of women being in government
● The Constitution
● United States Government
Famous Quotes
● “In a democracy the people are in some respects the sovereign, and
in others the subject.”
● “The principle of democracy is corrupted not only when the spirit of
equality is extinct, but likewise when they fall into a spirit of extreme
equality, and when each citizen would fain be upon a level with those
whom he has chosen to command him.”
● These two quotes are both from Baron de Montesquieu’s book The
Spirit of Laws.
Fun Facts
● Montesquieu had 3 children in total, one boy and two girls.
● Baron de Montesquieu was married to Jeanne de Lartigue.
● After his mother passed away, Montesquieu went to a Catholic
College in France to study.
● Baron de Montesquieu got his name from his uncle after, he went
to live with him.
● Montesquieu became a lawyer.
Works Cited
http://www.rjgeib.com/thoughts/montesquieu/montesquieu-bio.html
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/montesquieu/#1
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/montesquieu-spirit.asp
http://www.intellectualtakeout.org/content/quotes-charles-de-montesquieu
emy/lesson/baron-de-montesquieu-ideas-accomplishments-facts.html
http://jmcentarfer.tripod.com/ch22_2.pdf