- Voltaire's real name is François-Marie Arouet.
Voltaire wanted to break away from his father's expectations of him to become involved in a legal career. He adopted this pen name in 1718 when he completed his first play. There are theories as to why he chose this name; however, nothing has being confirmed.
- He was imprisoned in the Bastille (a French state prison)!
In May of 1716, Voltaire was exiled for composing poems mocking the French regent's family. That didn't stop him! Within the next year, Voltaire had written more poetry implying that the regent had an incestuous relationship with his daughter. This time, he landed himself in the Bastille. He was released from the prison after serving 11 months. However, he found himself back at Bastille in 1726 for a short period after he planned to duel an aristocrat that had insulted and beaten him. To escape further jail time, he exiled himself and spent the next 3 years in England.
- Several of Voltaire's works were banned.
Since his writing denigrated everything from organized religion to the justice system, Voltaire was frequently censored by the French government. A good portion of his work was ordered to be burned by the state executioner. Most of his works were printed abroad under various pseudonyms in order to avoid censorship. In fact, his famous novel Candide was originally attributed to a "Dr. Ralph." He lived his nearly most of his life in constant fear of arrest. After the publication of his "Letters Concerning the English Nation" in 1734, he was forced to flee France. He spent the majority of his later years in unofficial exile in Switzerland.
- Voltaire had a brief career as a spy for the French government.
After striking up a correspondence with Fredrick the Great in the late 1730s, he began to make several journeys to meet the Prussian monarch in person. In 1743, Voltaire made a plan to use his new position to repair his reputation with the French court. After making a deal to act as an informant, Voltaire wrote several letters to the French informing them of Fredrick's foreign policy and finances. Fredrick found out about Voltaire's secrets, but he chose to remain friends with him - some have even claimed their was a romantic relationship between the two. However, their relationship soured in 1752 before Voltaire left the court for good in 1753.
- Voltaire never married or fathered children.
Even though he died a bachelor, Voltaire's personal life was a revolving door of mistresses, paramours and long-term lovers. His and Emilie's relationship lasted 16 years. He even had a relationship with his niece, Marie-Louise Mignot, with whom he later lived and adopted a child (Marie- Françoise Corneille).
