Donatien Alphonse
Francois de Sade
"We monsters are necessary to nature also."
The man who would become known as the embodiment of sadism, whose name was used to coin the very word, was born on the 2 of June 1740. Originally meant to be baptized as Donatien Aldonse Louis de Sade, he was, due to the fact that no members of his family was present, instead named Donatien Alphonse Francois de Sade. His parents were members of the old french nobillity, his father, the Comte Jean-Baptiste Joseph Francois de Sade, had been a a diplomat, a spy and a soldier. A libertine in his youth, he had been involved in homosexual relationships with male prostitutes, for which he was infamous at the royal court. His mother, the Comtesse Marie-Eléonore de Sade had been the waiting-girl of the princess de Condé. It is claimed that Donatiens father only married his mother to be close to the princess, with whom he had an affair. The young Donatien grew up as a playmate to the prince de Condé, and was taught from an early age that he was a nobleman of the old blood of France, and that he should behave as such. He was taught that he was inherently superior to those of lower social rank. There was of course nothing unusual about this whatsoever. This was seen to be the proper way of things at that time period in France.