An Essay on Universal History, the Manners and Spirit of Nations from the Reign of Charlemaign to the Age of Lewis XIV

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An Essay on Universal History, the Manners and Spirit of Nations from the Reign of Charlemaign to the Age of Lewis XIV

work by Voltaire

Also known as: “Essai sur les moeurs et l’esprit des nations”(Show More)

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June 26, 2026

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Voltaire's An Essay on Universal History, the Manners and Spirit of Nations from Charlemagne to Louis XIV is a significant work that aimed to provide a comprehensive view of history beyond just political and military events. Unlike previous historical accounts, Voltaire's essay sought to encompass customs, commerce, finance, agriculture, and population, making it one of the first attempts at a truly "universal history".1

The work begins not with ancient figures like Adam or Homer, but with civilizations such as ancient China, and also includes Indian, Persian, and Arab cultures, reflecting a global perspective. Voltaire, a key figure of the Enlightenment, believed that history could teach valuable lessons, particularly about what not to do, aiming to cure readers of the "folly of war". He was critical of the Middle Ages, viewing them as an era of superstition and barbarism, and even the age of Louis XIV was seen by him as a "history of human stupidity". Voltaire's approach laid the groundwork for later "total histories" and "histories of everyday life".1

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Voltaire
Life with Mme du Châtelet
…and manners that became the Essai sur les moeurs, and plunged into biblical exegesis. Mme du Châtelet herself wrote an Examen, highly critical of the two Testaments. It was at Cirey that Voltaire, rounding out his scientific knowledge, acquired the encyclopaedic culture that was one of the outstanding facets of…
Read More
…and manners that became the Essai sur les moeurs, and plunged into biblical exegesis. Mme du Châtelet herself wrote an Examen, highly critical of the two Testaments. It was at Cirey that Voltaire, rounding out his scientific knowledge, acquired the encyclopaedic culture that was one of the outstanding facets of…
Read More

historiography
Montesquieu and Voltaire
…Century of Louis XIV”), and Essai sur les moeurs (1756; “Essay on Morals”). In an article on history for the Encyclopédie, edited by the philosopher Denis Diderot, Voltaire noted that the modern historian requires not only precise facts and dates but also attention to customs, commerce, finance, agriculture, and population.…
Read More
…Century of Louis XIV”), and Essai sur les moeurs (1756; “Essay on Morals”). In an article on history for the Encyclopédie, edited by the philosopher Denis Diderot, Voltaire noted that the modern historian requires not only precise facts and dates but also attention to customs, commerce, finance, agriculture, and population.…
Read More

French literature
The Enlightenment
…Essai sur les moeurs (1756; An Essay on Universal History, the Manners and Spirit of Nations from the Reign of Charlemaign to the Age of Lewis XIV), the latter a world history of a half-million words. Above all, it was the growth of civilizations and cultures that particularly commanded his…
Read More
…Essai sur les moeurs (1756; An Essay on Universal History, the Manners and Spirit of Nations from the Reign of Charlemaign to the Age of Lewis XIV), the latter a world history of a half-million words. Above all, it was the growth of civilizations and cultures that particularly commanded his…
Read More

history of Europe
Enlightenment scorn and Romantic admiration
Voltaire, in his An Essay on Universal History, the Manners and Spirit of Nations from the Reign of Charlemaign to the Age of Lewis XIV (1756), savaged the Latin Christian and the reformed churches for their clerical obscurantism and earlier rulers for their ruthless and arbitrary use of…
Read More
Voltaire, in his An Essay on Universal History, the Manners and Spirit of Nations from the Reign of Charlemaign to the Age of Lewis XIV (1756), savaged the Latin Christian and the reformed churches for their clerical obscurantism and earlier rulers for their ruthless and arbitrary use of…
Read More