Marquis De Sade, as he was primarily known, was born Donatien Alphonse François, Marquis de Sade with royal background related to the royal house of Conde. He was born in Paris, France on June 2, 1740 to his mother, Marie Elénore Maillé de Carman of the Conde family who was a lady-in-waiting to the princesse de Condé, and his father Comte Jean-Baptiste François Joseph de Sade who was a diplomat in the court of Louis XV who was away on a diplomatic mission and therefore absent for De Sade’s birth. Alphonse was born into quieted scandal as his mother was the lady in waiting to the Princess of de Conde [married to the much older Louis IV Henri de Bourbon, Prince of Condé ] who his father Comte Jean-Baptise would have a secret affair with until 1739. His father would go on to have many affairs later with women and coerce men into affairs using his high influence and bribery as a weapon.
Alphonse was raised as a privileged child during a time where the caste system was thick and attaining riches belonged primarily to royalty and those who gained their favor. By the age of 4 years old Alphonse was known for having a short temper and being spoiled by servants whose job was to appease his every whim.
Alphonse and his mother were abandoned by his father early in his childhood, who was known to hardly be around to begin with. His life at court continued briefly, cut short after him brutally beating Prince Louis-Josephe after an argument. His mother was desperate after this since it destroyed her plans to have him as friends with the prince and in this assuring Alphonse’s life long success.
Alphonse was sent to the south of France to live with his uncle, Abbé de Sade of Ebreuil, an abbot of the church where he would live until he was 10. The dark dungeons of Ebreuil would go on to influence the rest of his life in his re-enactments and writing. At the age of 6 years old Alphonse learned of the reality of how the men of cloth around him comported themselves. His uncle had a mistress who resided in the abbey and it was said he was having an affair with his mistress's daughter. This shaped Alphonse’s ideas of the church and hated their hypocrisy and spent much time condemning it. It cannot be known what else Alphonse was exposed to in such an environment with these men of the church, however, it was enough to have an impact on his views of church, religion and creating a violent viewpoint on sex. This man Abbe de Sade, was in charge of his nephews schooling for 4 more years.
At the age of 10 years old, Alphonse was sent back to Paris and enrolled in Lycée Louis-le-Grand, a strict military boarding school. After what was deemed him misbehaving in school, he was subjected to extreme forms of abuse known as corporal punishment- a term you will hear used in BDSM- primarily flagellation [for those who do not know this is flogging at that time done with a cat-o-nine tails which consisted of 9 knotted cords attached to one handle which was excruciating to the abused]. Alphonse would spend the rest of his life re-enacting this brutality to the point of obsession as well as most likely other brutalities which were left undocumented.
In 1754, at the age of 14, Alphonse joined the military and due to his aristocratic background he was entitled to unearned benefits such as an Officer’s commission even though he was young and did not have the experience of others in Officer’s ranks.
Alphonse fought in the 7 Year War and abandoned his military career when the war ceased in 1763. During this time he caught his fathers negative attention by spending copious amounts of money gambling and in sex trafficking prostitutes in what was known as petite maisons, which were secret brothels where so called noblemen in the 18th century trafficked women and at times men as well.
Hoping to save his own wilting reputation, and his family's dwindling funds which Alphonse had made a heavy dent in, Alphonse’s father arranged a marriage with the daughter of a high ranking bourgeois family de Robe Renée-Pélagie de Montrueil.
In 1763, Alphonse married Renee, this daughter of a wealthy government official whom he would have three children with: two sons, Louis-Marie and Donatien-Claude-Armand, and one daughter, Madeleine-Laure.
However, much to his father’s chagrin, this did not stop Alphonse’s unhealthy behavior. A few months after marriage, he began his affairs and brutal criminal behavior severely abusing women and men including raping them.
More to come.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/who-was-marquis-de-sade-180953980/
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Marquis-de-Sade
https://www.nytimes.com/1988/03/27/books/the-dangerous-marquis-de-sade.html
https://www.veranijveld.com/history/paris-noir-marquis-de-sade :
https://www.biography.com/writer/marquis-de-sade :
http://www.artandpopularculture.com/Rose_Keller
https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/39615