The most intriguing aspect in the biography of Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) is his decision, when he was in his late thirties, to abandon a promising career in law and retire to live in the countryside. I have an explanation for Montaigne’s unusual decision: His daily work at the Bordeaux Parliament had made him acutely aware of the social decay in France. He had witnessed cases of confiscation, discrimination, and the beginning of the religious war between Catholics and Protestants (Huguenots). At that point, he weighed his chances and took an audacious decision, which would prove enormously successful. I wonder how many individuals today would be willing to take a similar choice. In addition to the social decay, Montaigne had experienced two major personal losses, namely, the death of his father and that of his best friend La Boetie. He had other friends, but none that could compare to La Boetie in terms of intellectual powers and commonality of cultural interests. Thus, Montaigne’s decision to retire to the countryside was partly derived from his circumstances and partly from a desire to improve his life. I must point out an aspect that few historians mention: the life expectancy in sixteenth-century France. When Montaigne decided to abandon his career in the law, he was thirty-seven years old. In our century we regard a man of thirty-seven as young. He has decades ahead of him to develop his career, or otherwise to change careers. In contrast, in sixteenth-century France, it was not unusual for peasants or soldiers to die in their mid-forties. Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/michel-de-montaignes-biography-his-momentous-decision/

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