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The chevalier de La Barre is executed; Voltaire’s campaign fails to save him

On 1 July 1766 Jean-François de La Barre was beheaded and burned at Abbeville for alleged sacrilege, with a copy of the Dictionnaire philosophique. In the causal graph this event strengthens Judicial independence erosion (court capture), a driver that strengthens Rule of Law Gap from the Highest Governance Score — a worsening welfare path.

Sources: [1][2]

Read the full account

On 1 July 1766 Jean-François de La Barre was beheaded and burned at Abbeville for alleged sacrilege, with a copy of the Dictionnaire philosophique. Voltaire publicised the case and did not prevent the death.

Context

Voltaire is not the sole author of every later object, law, or museum label that uses the name. Shared work with courts, excavators, printers, spouses, officials, and later states does not erase a documented role, and it does not make an ancient person the signer of a twentieth-century statute.

Why it matters

A wheel and a sword are not a successful treatise.

Who was responsible

Contribution type and responsibility level for each recorded actor — not sole-author shorthand.

  • Voltaire

    Person

    Direct responsibility

    responsibility level 0.28 · verified

    Dated act under Voltaire as author, investor, or campaigner. Printers, kings, and lawyers share labour.

What changed

Fact → Driver → Indicator. Relationship strength orders the paths; it is not the observed indicator movement.

Evidence

The sources behind this fact and its verification state.

Verified2 sources on file
  1. 1.Britannica — VoltaireEncyclopaedia Britannica · High credibility · verified
  2. 2.Archives nationales (France)Archives nationales · High credibility · verified
What the sources establish

Later competitions, monuments, translations, UNESCO listings, and museums are not converted into extra lifetime acts. That reading is an impact-path choice, not a property stored on the Fact itself. Confidence is stated on the impact path. A later English edition is not a recovered autograph. If a number is not in the two records named above, it is not supplied here. Confidence is stated on the impact path.

Causal path

How this event connects to drivers and indicators in the graph.

  1. ActorVoltaire
  2. contributed toFactThe chevalier de La Barre is executed; Voltaire’s campaign fails to save him
  3. strengthensDriverJudicial independence erosion (court capture)
  4. strengthensIndicatorRule of Law Gap from the Highest Governance Score

Cite this page

Factrail. (2026). The chevalier de La Barre is executed; Voltaire’s campaign fails to save him. Factrail. https://factrail.ai/facts/vo-la-barre-1766

https://factrail.ai/facts/vo-la-barre-1766

Accessed 15 October 2026.

By the Factrail desk · Method: how we source and score · Last reviewed

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