Jean: Did you mean...?

Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) was a Swiss philosopher whose work both praised and criticised the Enlightenment movement. Although a believer in the power of reason, science, and the arts, Rousseau was convinced that a flourishing culture...

Jean Lafitte (also spelt Laffite, c. 1780 to c. 1820 CE) was a Franco-American leader of pirates and privateers who captured merchant vessels of various states in the Gulf of Mexico from 1810 to 1820. Lafitte proved an invaluable ally for...

Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) was a Finnish composer famous for his symphonies, the symphonic poem Finlandia, and the Karelia Suite. Although Sibelius inspired a music revival in his native country, became a figurehead for the Finnish nationalist...

Jean-Baptiste Jourdan (1762-1833) was a French general who held significant commands in the French Revolutionary Wars (1792-1802) and the Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815). He won a major victory for the French Republic at the Battle of Fleurus...

Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980) was a French existentialist philosopher who defined the existentialist movement in the 20th century. Considered the consummate intellectual, he was not only the author of philosophical works but also a biographer...

Jean-François de Surville (1717-1770) was a French explorer and merchant captain. He sailed with the French India Company before serving in the French navy during the Seven Years' War (1756–1763). In 1767, he commanded the French ship St...

A pastel portrait by Maurice Quentin de La Tour of the Swiss philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778). (Musée Antoine-Lécuyer, Saint-Quentin, France)

An 1898 French magazine cover showing Jean-Baptiste Marchand, who led an expedition to Fashoda in Sudan to claim it for France. This episode during the Scramble for Africa created the Fashoda Incident when France and Britain almost went to...

Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980) speaking at Freiburg University, photo by Willy Pragher, 1953. Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg, Staatsarchiv Freiburg.

A 1766 oil on canvas portrait by Allan Ramsay of the Swiss philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778). (Scottish National Gallery, Edinburgh)