ABSTRACT
In 1754, Voltaire, one of the most famous and provocative writers of the age of Enlightenment, decided to move to Geneva. In December 1754, Voltaire was permitted to settle and reside in the surrounding region of Geneva. One of the reasons that the philosophes ended up generating a number of difficulties for church and state authorities was that they attracted so much interest from Genevans and travelers alike, to the point that they became something of a curiosity to travelers throughout Europe. After Voltaire's establishment at Les Delices, little time passed before he began generating conflict for Geneva's clergy and magistrates. In order to write the article on Geneva, d'Alembert came to visit Voltaire at Les Delices in August 1756. According to Rousseau's Confessions, Denis Diderot revealed to him that the goal of the article on Geneva was to establish a theater. The philosophes shaped the political circumstances of the mid-century, whether they acted as instigators, supporters, or enablers.
