A Helpful Guide While Reading Candide
Deism: philosophical belief that a supreme being created the universe, and that this (and religious truth in general) can be determined using reason and observation of the natural world alone, without the need for either faith or organized religion. Deists often reject the notion that God intervenes in human affairs, for example through miracles and revelations. Deists typically reject most supernatural events (prophecy, miracles) and tend to assert that God (or "The Supreme Architect") has a plan for the universe that is not altered either by God intervening in the affairs of human life or by suspending the natural laws of the universe.
Age of Reason (Age of Enlightenment): An eighteenth-century movement that followed the mysticism, religion, and superstition of the Middle Ages and Renaissance as scientific theory and invention advanced technology significantly. People's previously held beliefs were challenged often in written form; fears of being labeled a heretic or being burned at the stake were done away with. This was the beginning of an open society where individuals were free to pursue individual happiness and liberty (Thomas Paine, for example). Politically and socially, the imperial concepts of the medieval world were abandoned. During this time great changes occurred in scientific thought and exploration.
Westphalia: A region in Germany, centered on the cities of Arnsberg, Bielefeld, Bochum, Detmold, Dortmund, Gelsenkirchen, Hagen, Minden and Münster (where the cheese comes from) and included in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Westphalia is roughly the region between the Rhine and Weser rivers.
The Seven Year War: War in Europe began in 1756 (and lasted 7 years until 1763) with the French siege of British Minorca in the Mediterranean Sea, and Frederick the Great of Prussia's invasion of Saxony on the continent which also upset the firmly established Pragmatic Sanction put in place by Charles VI of Austria. Thus a conflict between Austria and Prussia.
Bulgars: A Turkish group of people who migrated into Europe from Central Asia and Mongolia. In the book this refers to the Prussians.
Avars: A Turkish group of people ruled by a khagan, who was surrounded by a tight-knit retinue of nomad warriors, an organization characteristic of Turko-Mongol groups. They represent the French influence in the Turkish area in this book.
The Gauntlet: Running the gauntlet is a form of physical punishment wherein a man is compelled to run between two rows—a gauntlet—of soldiers who strike him as he passes.
Anabaptist: Anabaptists are Christians of the Radical Reformation. They rejected conventional Christian practices such as wearing wedding rings, taking oaths, and participating in civil government. Anabaptists required that people be able to make their own confessions of faith and so refused baptism to infants. They were heavily persecuted during the 16th century and into the 17th by both Roman Catholics and Protestants for this belief.
Lisbon Earthquake: The 1755 Lisbon earthquake took place on 1 November 1755, at around 10:24 in the morning. The earthquake was followed by a tsunami and fires, which caused near-total destruction of Lisbon in the Kingdom of Portugal, and adjoining areas. Estimates place the death toll in Lisbon alone between 10,000 and 100,000 people, making it one of the deadliest earthquakes in history.
Biscayan: A dialect of the Basque language spoken mainly in Biscay, one of the provinces of Spain.
Auto-de-fe: The ritual of public penance of condemned heretics that took place when the Spanish Inquisition or the Portuguese Inquisition had decided their punishment (that is, after the trial). Auto de fé in medieval Spanish means "act of faith".
The Inquisition: The Spanish Inquisition was a tribunal established in 1478 by Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile. It was intended to maintain Catholic orthodoxy in their kingdoms, and to replace the medieval inquisition which was under papal control. The Inquisition worked in large part to ensure the orthodoxy of recent converts, especially Jews, Muslims and others. Various motives have been proposed for the monarchs' decision to found the Inquisition, such as increasing political authority, weakening opposition, and profiting from confiscation of the property of convicted heretics.
Jesuits: The Society of Jesus founded by St. Ignatius of Loyola whose members are called Jesuits. Jesuit priests and brothers—known colloquially as "God's marines". They are best known in the fields of education (schools, colleges, universities, seminaries, theological faculties), intellectual research, and cultural pursuits in addition to missionary work, giving retreats, hospital and parish ministry, promoting justice and ecumenical dialogue. Voltaire was educated by Jesuit priests, hence his dislike for them.
"O che sciagura d'essere senza coglioni": "Oh, what a misfortune to be without testicles."
Janisary (Janizaries): The Ottoman empire used Janissaries (a military unit) in all its major campaigns, including the 1453 capture of Constantinople and wars against Hungary and Austria. Janissary troops were always led to the battle by the Sultan himself, and always had a share of the spoils (like the Vikings). They usually used pistols and muskets, along with swords when fighting.
Oreillons: Savages (cannibals). Voltaire is poking fun at Rousseau's theory that man in his natural state (savage state) was more advanced and "pure" than civilized man. Our concept of the "Noble Savage" comes from Rousseau.
Eldorado: A paradise or Utopia thought to be in South America.
Manichean: a combination of Gnostic Christianity, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, and various other religious ideas, with the basic doctrine that the world is filled with dualism, i.e. a conflict between light and dark, matter being regarded as dark and evil, and spirit regarded as light.
Abbe: Literally meaning father, it is the title for lower-ranking Catholic clergymen in France.
Monsieur Gauchat: Gabriel Gauchat (1709-1779), French ecclesiastical writer, was author of a number of works on religious subjects.
Constantinople: The imperial capital of the Roman Empire, the Byzantine/Eastern Roman Empire, the Latin Empire and the Ottoman Empire. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.
Knights of Malta: A religious order of knights that policed the Mediterranean against piracy. They were later hired as mercenaries to fight for foreign navies, thus breaking Christian vows.
Mufti: A Sunni Islamic scholar who is an interpreter of Islamic law. In religious administrative terms, a mufti is roughly equivalent to a deacon.
Musselman: An old term for Muslim, a follower of Muhammad and Islam.
Age of Reason (Age of Enlightenment): An eighteenth-century movement that followed the mysticism, religion, and superstition of the Middle Ages and Renaissance as scientific theory and invention advanced technology significantly. People's previously held beliefs were challenged often in written form; fears of being labeled a heretic or being burned at the stake were done away with. This was the beginning of an open society where individuals were free to pursue individual happiness and liberty (Thomas Paine, for example). Politically and socially, the imperial concepts of the medieval world were abandoned. During this time great changes occurred in scientific thought and exploration.
Westphalia: A region in Germany, centered on the cities of Arnsberg, Bielefeld, Bochum, Detmold, Dortmund, Gelsenkirchen, Hagen, Minden and Münster (where the cheese comes from) and included in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Westphalia is roughly the region between the Rhine and Weser rivers.
The Seven Year War: War in Europe began in 1756 (and lasted 7 years until 1763) with the French siege of British Minorca in the Mediterranean Sea, and Frederick the Great of Prussia's invasion of Saxony on the continent which also upset the firmly established Pragmatic Sanction put in place by Charles VI of Austria. Thus a conflict between Austria and Prussia.
Bulgars: A Turkish group of people who migrated into Europe from Central Asia and Mongolia. In the book this refers to the Prussians.
Avars: A Turkish group of people ruled by a khagan, who was surrounded by a tight-knit retinue of nomad warriors, an organization characteristic of Turko-Mongol groups. They represent the French influence in the Turkish area in this book.
The Gauntlet: Running the gauntlet is a form of physical punishment wherein a man is compelled to run between two rows—a gauntlet—of soldiers who strike him as he passes.
Anabaptist: Anabaptists are Christians of the Radical Reformation. They rejected conventional Christian practices such as wearing wedding rings, taking oaths, and participating in civil government. Anabaptists required that people be able to make their own confessions of faith and so refused baptism to infants. They were heavily persecuted during the 16th century and into the 17th by both Roman Catholics and Protestants for this belief.
Lisbon Earthquake: The 1755 Lisbon earthquake took place on 1 November 1755, at around 10:24 in the morning. The earthquake was followed by a tsunami and fires, which caused near-total destruction of Lisbon in the Kingdom of Portugal, and adjoining areas. Estimates place the death toll in Lisbon alone between 10,000 and 100,000 people, making it one of the deadliest earthquakes in history.
Biscayan: A dialect of the Basque language spoken mainly in Biscay, one of the provinces of Spain.
Auto-de-fe: The ritual of public penance of condemned heretics that took place when the Spanish Inquisition or the Portuguese Inquisition had decided their punishment (that is, after the trial). Auto de fé in medieval Spanish means "act of faith".
The Inquisition: The Spanish Inquisition was a tribunal established in 1478 by Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile. It was intended to maintain Catholic orthodoxy in their kingdoms, and to replace the medieval inquisition which was under papal control. The Inquisition worked in large part to ensure the orthodoxy of recent converts, especially Jews, Muslims and others. Various motives have been proposed for the monarchs' decision to found the Inquisition, such as increasing political authority, weakening opposition, and profiting from confiscation of the property of convicted heretics.
Jesuits: The Society of Jesus founded by St. Ignatius of Loyola whose members are called Jesuits. Jesuit priests and brothers—known colloquially as "God's marines". They are best known in the fields of education (schools, colleges, universities, seminaries, theological faculties), intellectual research, and cultural pursuits in addition to missionary work, giving retreats, hospital and parish ministry, promoting justice and ecumenical dialogue. Voltaire was educated by Jesuit priests, hence his dislike for them.
"O che sciagura d'essere senza coglioni": "Oh, what a misfortune to be without testicles."
Janisary (Janizaries): The Ottoman empire used Janissaries (a military unit) in all its major campaigns, including the 1453 capture of Constantinople and wars against Hungary and Austria. Janissary troops were always led to the battle by the Sultan himself, and always had a share of the spoils (like the Vikings). They usually used pistols and muskets, along with swords when fighting.
Oreillons: Savages (cannibals). Voltaire is poking fun at Rousseau's theory that man in his natural state (savage state) was more advanced and "pure" than civilized man. Our concept of the "Noble Savage" comes from Rousseau.
Eldorado: A paradise or Utopia thought to be in South America.
Manichean: a combination of Gnostic Christianity, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, and various other religious ideas, with the basic doctrine that the world is filled with dualism, i.e. a conflict between light and dark, matter being regarded as dark and evil, and spirit regarded as light.
Abbe: Literally meaning father, it is the title for lower-ranking Catholic clergymen in France.
Monsieur Gauchat: Gabriel Gauchat (1709-1779), French ecclesiastical writer, was author of a number of works on religious subjects.
Constantinople: The imperial capital of the Roman Empire, the Byzantine/Eastern Roman Empire, the Latin Empire and the Ottoman Empire. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.
Knights of Malta: A religious order of knights that policed the Mediterranean against piracy. They were later hired as mercenaries to fight for foreign navies, thus breaking Christian vows.
Mufti: A Sunni Islamic scholar who is an interpreter of Islamic law. In religious administrative terms, a mufti is roughly equivalent to a deacon.
Musselman: An old term for Muslim, a follower of Muhammad and Islam.
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