Born February 28, 1533, died September 13, 1592, both at le Château Montaigne, near
Bordeaux in southwestern
France. Alternatively listed in E2 under
montaigne. Popularly credited with the invention of the
essay as a literary form.
Montaigne's father, Pierre Eyquem, was a wealthy merchant whose father, Ramon Eyquem, Montaigne's grandfather, had purchased the Montaigne estate in 1470, thus effectively "purchasing" the family's nobility. His mother, Antoinette de Lopez (also, Antoinette de Louppes), was of a Spanish-Jewish family that had converted to Catholicism. His first six years were spent under the tutelage of a German with no knowledge of French, who taught him to speak fluently in Latin while Montaigne was in the care of a peasant family. This was according to the wishes of his father, Pierre, who held advanced views on education and believed his son should be raised in humble surroundings.
Montaigne's early education occurred at the Collège de Guyenne in Bordeaux, and he went on to study law in Bordeaux and Toulouse. In 1557, after three years of service as a counselor of the Court des Aides de Périgneaux, he became a magistrate at the Bordeaux Parliament. It was as a member of the Parliament that Montaigne made the acquaintance of Étienne de la Boétie, and the two would form a close friendship that would last until La Boétie's untimely death in 1563, at thirty-three years of age.
In 1565, Montaigne married Françoise de la Chassaigne, and the two would have one surviving daughter. In 1570, two years after his father's death, Montaigne resigned his magistracy at Bordeaux in order to retire to the family estate. It is here that he completed the work for which he is known today.
Montaigne had already published, in 1569, a translation of Theologia Naturalis by Raymond de Sebonde (d. 1437?), a professor of Toulouse. In the same year he began editing the writings of La Boétie, which he later published in 1571. In 1572 he began the work for which he is most famous, his Essais, the first two books of which were published in 1580. Meanwhile, the 1576 Apologie de Raymond Sebonde revealed some of Montaigne's characteristic skeptical philosophy. After the publication of this work, Montaigne embarked upon an eighteen-month tour of Europe, visiting Germany, Switzerland, and Italy (where he met Torquato Tasso at Ferrara). Upon returning to France, Montaigne served for two terms as mayor of Bordeaux (1581-1585). In 1588, while visiting Paris, possibly on behalf of Henry of Navarre, Montaigne was arrested and briefly held at La Bastille. The primary purpose of the trip, however, was to supervise the publication of the fifth edition of his Essais, which included a third book Montaigne had completed. In the same year, he met Marie de Gournay, who would become his fille d'alliance (adopted daughter), who would publish his final amendments to his Essais in 1595.
Montaigne is best credited with advocating for internal self-examination in the pursuit of truth. He asked, famously, "What do I know?" He was a strong proponent for cultural relativism, even in a time where new cultures were just becoming known. This advocacy led to his moderate Catholicism and ability to bridge barriers in late 16th century France. He plays a very early role in the eventual development of the enlightenment as a skeptic, and his work is known to have influenced Shakespeare and Francis Bacon.
Some representative quotations:
"He who fears he will suffer, already suffers from his fear."
"We can be knowledgable with other men's knowledge but we cannot be wise with other men's wisdom."
"I conceive that pleasures are to be avoided if greater pains be the consequence, and pains to be coveted that will terminate in greater pleasures."
"He who establishes his argument by noise and command shows that his reason is weak."