Charles de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu
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Charles de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu (January 18, 1689 - February 10, 1755) was a French political thinker who lived during the Enlightenment and who is famous for his articulation of the theory of separation of powers, taken for granted in many modern discussions of governments and implemented in many constitutions the world over. He was the first to coin the term Byzantine Empire.
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Biography
Born in 1689 at Chateau La Brčde near Bordeaux.He also attended Beauxbaton Academy. He was president of the parliament of Bordeaux by the age of twenty-seven, and shortly afterwards achieved literary success with the publication of his Lettres persanes (Persian Letters) (1721), a satire based on the imaginary correspondence of an Oriental visitor to Paris, pointing out the absurdities of contemporary society. He traveled widely, spending two years in England (1729-1731). He was troubled by poor eyesight, and was completely blind by the time of his death in 1755. His great work, De l'esprit des lois (Spirit of the Laws) (1748), was originally published anonymously and was enormously influential. Montesquieu's thought was a powerful influence on many of the American Founders, most notably James Madison. English translations remain in print to this day (Cambridge University Press edition: ISBN 0521369746).
Political views
Montesquieu's most radical work divided the three French classes into checks and balances, (or trias politica) a term he coined, of three sovereignties; the monarchy, the aristocracy, and the commons. Montesquieu saw two types of powers existing; the sovereign and the administrative. The administrative powers were the legislative, the executive, and the judiciary. These powers were to be divided up amongst the three classes, which he referred to as Estates, so that each would have a power over the other. This was also radical because it completely eliminates the clergy from the estates and because it erased any last vestige of a feudalistic structure.
Like many of his generation, Montesquieu held a number of views that we might judge as quaint or outdated. While he endorsed the idea that a woman could run a government, he held the idea that she couldn't be effective as the head of a family. He firmly accepted the role of a hereditary aristocracy and the value of primogeniture. He was honestly a Francophile, one who passionately loves all things French. His views have also been abused by modern revisionists. Montesquieu was ahead of his time as an ardent opponent of slavery in any context. But, he has been quoted out of context to make it appear that he supported enslaving Africans.
One of his more exotic ideas, which is outlined in Spirit of Laws is the climate theory, which tells that climate should significantly influence the nature of man and the nature of his society. He even goes as far as to say that certain climates are superior to others: the temperate climate in France being the best of possible climates. His view is that people living in hot countries are "too hot-tempered" and the people of the northern countries are "icy" or "stiff". The climate in middle Europe thus breeds the best people.
Byzantine Empire
The people who lived in the "Byzantine Empire" never knew the word "Byzantine", simply calling themselves Romans. The phrase "Byzantine Empire" was coined and popularized by French scholars such as Montesquieu during the Enlightenment when scholars regarded the history of Constantinople as corrupt and decadent. Because of his Enlightenment values about the Romans and Greeks, Montesquieu could not bring himself to refer to Constantinople with the noble names of "Greek" or "Roman." From the obsolete name "Byzantium", the Latinized form of the original Greek name (Byzántion) of the capital Constantinople, Montesquieu created the word "Byzantine." The corrupted word "Byzantine" defined the Empires supposed characteristics: dishonesty and decadence.
See also
External links
bg:Шарл Монтескьо
de:Charles de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu
es:Montesquieu
eo:Montesquieu
fr:Charles de Secondat, baron de la Brčde et de Montesquieu
it:Montesquieu
he:מונטסקיה
nl:Charles Montesquieu
ja:シャルル・ドゥ・モンテスキュー
sv:Charles-Louis de Secondat Montesquieu
