Original: Charles-Louis de Secondat , baron de La Brède et de Montesquieu ( ; 18 January 1689 in Bordeaux -- 10 February 1755 ) , was a French social commentator and political thinker who lived during the Era of the Enlightenment .
Simplified: Charles-Louis de Secondat , Baron de La Brède et de Montesquieu ( January 18 , 1689 -- February 10 , 1755 ) , more commonly known as Montesquieu , was a French political thinker .