Marquis de Sade

Donatien Alphonse Francois de Sade, more commonly known as the Marquis de Sade, was a French nobleman known for his malicious nature and the overt sexuality often common in his political and philosophical written works. His most popular publications combined taboo topics, many of which featured examples of pornography and graphic depictions of violence — predominantly against women and children.

Throughout his life, he spent nearly half of his years in prison or asylum for charges such as inappropriate conduct, sexual assaults, battery, and a whole slew of other unscrupulous activities. The Marquis was so well-known for these violent tendencies that his name became the term sadist; coined by the late 19th-century German psychologist Richard von Krafft-Ebing. De Sade definitely has a very checkered past, and we take a deeper look at the upbringing and circumstances surrounding his unique persona in our Rogues’ Gallery.

De Sade was openly bi. While it was not uncommon for the aristocracy to engage in same-sex relationships, de Sade caused such a stir during his time that he became an example and was brought up on multiple charges due to his relationship with his manservant, Latour, and the often-illegal things they would do to their employees or prostitutes. He was against organized law, religion, preferring to simply see where his “passions” took him, and that was his view on sexuality as well.

Let us give ourselves indiscriminately to everything our passions suggest, and we will always be happy… Conscience is not the voice of Nature but only the voice of prejudice.

In his case, being bi was a minor detail— a single facet to his otherwise complex and deeply troubled persona that ultimately led to his historical significance.