Commentary
 
Montesquieu’s full name was Charles-Louis de Secondat, baron de LaBrède et de Montesquieu. When he was born near Bordeaux, France, in 1689, he was merely Charles-Louis de Secondat. He received the baronry of LaBrède (with rich wine land) from his mother. He received the barony of Montesquieu from his uncle. He received a dowry of 100,000 livres from his wife. She was good at managing their property.
Montesquieu was a fortunate man.
He received the usual education centered on the Greco-Roman classics, then obtained a law degree from the University of Bordeaux. This was appropriate because his inheritance from his uncle included a paid position with substantial judicial duties. Eventually, he sold this office (you could do that in pre-Revolutionary France) so he could concentrate on research and writing….