Charles Louis de Secondat, baron de La Brède et de Montesquieu, was born on 18 January 1689 at the Château de la Brède in southwest France. He was the son of Jacques de Secondat, a soldier of noble descent, and Marie Françoise de Pesnel, an heiress who died when he was seven. Following her death, he attended the Catholic College of Juilly, a school for the French nobility, from 1700 to 1711. After his father's death in 1713, he became a ward of his uncle, the Baron de Montesquieu. He became a counselor of the Bordeaux Parlement in 1714 and married Jeanne de Lartigue in 1715, with whom he had three children. Upon his uncle's death in 1716, he inherited his fortune, title, and the position of président à mortier in the Bordeaux Parlement, which he held for twelve years.Montesquieu's early life coincided with significant political changes in Europe, including the establishment of constitutional monarchy in England and the succession of Louis XV in France. These transformations influenced his later works. He eventually withdrew from law to focus on writing and published his first major work, Persian Letters, in 1721. This satirical piece critiqued French society through the eyes of two Persian visitors and gained immediate popularity. In 1722, he moved to Paris, mingling with influential figures and selling his office in 1726 to pursue literary interests.In April 1728, Montesquieu embarked on a grand tour of Europe, visiting various countries and keeping a journal. He returned to La Brède in 1731, where he continued to write and study, drawing from his extensive library. His major work, The Spirit of Law, was published in 1748 and quickly translated into English, significantly impacting political thought in Europe and America. The book was well-received in many circles but faced criticism from the Sorbonne and the Catholic Church, which placed it on the Index of Prohibited Books in 1751.Montesquieu's ideas on the separation of powers became foundational in political philosophy. He argued that government should be structured to prevent any one branch from overpowering the others, a concept that influenced the U.S. Constitution. His work was particularly valued in the American colonies, where he was frequently cited by the Founding Fathers, including James Madison. Montesquieu's philosophy emphasized that liberty could only be preserved through a system of checks and balances among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government.Montesquieu's health declined in late 1754, and he died on 10 February 1755 from a fever. He was buried in the Église Saint-Sulpice in Paris. His contributions to political philosophy, particularly regarding the separation of powers and the classification of governments, have had a lasting impact on modern political thought.