This thesis aims to give an account of the general movement of Quinet's religious and historical thought. The approach is broadly chronological. Biographical detail, however, is kept to a necessary minimum. Emphasis is placed upon the centrality of the religious dimension but at the same time attention is paid both to Quinet's own poetic production and to those publications in which he deals with aesthetic, political, social and more general philosophical matters. The underlying contention is that despite the seeming diversity of the topics under discussion the author remains fundamentally concerned with two subjects: history and religion. The major issues raised are those of the relationship between man and nature, between the individual and the collectivity and between man and God. The first three chapters cover the period before Quinet's departure into exile in 1851. Aspects of his work considered in detail include: his interpretation of the history of religions, his views on the contemporary condition of Christianity and his contribution to the debate concerning the existence of the historical Homer. Particular attention is given to a discussion of his conception of the messianic destiny of the French nation. Chapters four to six look at the development of Quinet's thought between 1851 and his death in 1875. The major concerns of these chapters are his interpretation of the meaning of the French Revolution, his struggle in difficult circumstances to retain his belief in the historical mission of the French nation and his attempt to reconcile recent developments in evolutionary theory with his own faith in freedom.