Histoire du siècle d’Alexandre le Grand

work by Linguet

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June 29, 2026

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The Histoire du siècle d’Alexandre le Grand (1762) is a work by Simon-Nicolas-Henri Linguet, a French journalist and lawyer known for his contrarian views. In this book, Linguet controversially argued that Nero was responsible for fewer deaths than Alexander the Great. Linguet's writings often challenged prevailing Enlightenment ideas, suggesting that despotic systems could be more protective of the poor than European governments. His critiques influenced later thinkers, including Karl Marx.1

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Simon-Nicolas-Henri Linguet
His early writings include Histoire du siècle d’Alexandre le Grand (1762), in which he declared that Nero caused far fewer deaths than Alexander the Great, and Le Fanatisme des philosophes (1764; “The Fanaticism of the Philosophes”), a violent attack on the most widely held doctrines of the Enlightenment. In…
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His early writings include Histoire du siècle d’Alexandre le Grand (1762), in which he declared that Nero caused far fewer deaths than Alexander the Great, and Le Fanatisme des philosophes (1764; “The Fanaticism of the Philosophes”), a violent attack on the most widely held doctrines of the Enlightenment. In…
Read More