Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Jean-Jacques Rousseau was born to Isaac Rousseau, a watchmaker, and Suzanne Bernard, who died shortly after childbirth. He was raised by his father and an aunt in Geneva.

At the age of 10, Rousseau was apprenticed to an engraver in Geneva, where he learned the trade but eventually found the work and the master's treatment harsh and oppressive.

Rousseau leaves Geneva to escape his apprenticeship and the legal proceedings initiated by his master. He finds refuge in Annecy, France, under the protection of Madame de Warens.

Under the influence of Madame de Warens, Rousseau converts from Calvinism to Catholicism, a decision that would have significant personal and professional consequences.

Rousseau moves to Paris to pursue a career in music. He studies music theory and composition, and eventually becomes a music copyist and tutor.

Rousseau wins the Dijon Academy essay contest with his work 'Discourse on the Sciences and Arts,' arguing that the arts and sciences have corrupted human morality.

Rousseau publishes his seminal work 'Discourse on the Origin of Inequality,' which explores the nature of human society and the origins of social inequality.

Rousseau publishes two of his most influential works, 'The Social Contract' and 'Emile, or On Education,' which both spark intense controversy and lead to his exile from France and Geneva.

Fleeing persecution, Rousseau is invited by David Hume to seek refuge in England. However, his relationship with Hume becomes strained, and he returns to France the following year.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau dies in Ermenonville, France, while under the protection of the Marquis de Girardin. He is initially buried on the Ile des Peupliers, and later reinterred at the Panthéon in Paris.