Charles de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu, (1689-1755).Artist: J Cook [Getty Images]

Charles de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu, (1689-1755). Montesquieu, (Charles-Louis de Secondat, Baron de La Brede et de Montesquieu), was a French social commentator and political thinker. (Photo by The Print Collector/Print Collector/Getty Images)

Hulton Archive Print Collector