Marquis de Sade Is Arrested
The Marquis de Sade, born Donatien Alphonse François in 1740, was a French nobleman whose life was marked by scandal and controversy, ultimately leading to his arrest on February 13, 1777. He is infamously associated with the term "sadism," which refers to deriving pleasure from inflicting pain and suffering, a concept rooted in his notorious sexual practices. By the 1770s, de Sade had developed a reputation for engaging in extreme sexual behavior, often involving the exploitation of vulnerable women, including impoverished prostitutes and young girls. His actions included organizing orgies that subjected his captives to severe physical and psychological abuse.
Despite his noble status, de Sade faced multiple legal troubles; he had been arrested previously in 1772 but managed to escape to Italy. His return to France in 1777 prompted a renewed investigation that led to his imprisonment, where he would spend 13 years, including time in the notorious Bastille. After his release in 1790, he briefly engaged in a political career during the French Revolution, but his tumultuous life continued, culminating in further conflict with authorities. Ultimately, he spent his final years confined in an asylum, where he died in 1814. De Sade's legacy continues to evoke complex discussions about morality, sexuality, and the boundaries of artistic expression.
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Marquis de Sade Is Arrested
Marquis de Sade Is Arrested
The name of Sade has given rise to the word sadism, the term for sexual arousal derived from inflicting pain and suffering on others. It comes from the nefarious activities of a French nobleman, the Marquis de Sade, whose sexual abuse of numerous women led to his arrest in Paris on February 13, 1777. He was born Donatien Alphonse François, comte de Sade, in 1740 and served for a time in the French army. At some point he developed a perverse appetite for extreme sexual behavior. By the early 1770s he had become notorious in France for recruiting vulnerable women, mostly impoverished prostitutes, and young girls for his sexual activities. De Sade held orgies with his captive women virtually every day, forcing them to endure beatings, sexual torture, and other forms of physical and mental abuse in order to satiate his warped desires.
De Sade was in trouble with the law on several occasions, even though he was a nobleman, and he was arrested in 1772. He escaped from the authorities and fled to Italy, but he returned to France in 1777 and was arrested on February 13 by inspector Louis Marais. He was tried, convicted, and imprisoned. This time he could not escape, and he would languish in prison for 13 years. De Sade served time in several prisons, including the infamous Bastille, and was finally released in 1790. For a time he enjoyed something resembling a normal career, entering into politics and serving as a minor elected official in the new French government that followed upon the collapse of the monarchy during the French Revolution. After falling into trouble with the authorities once again in 1801, de Sade spent the rest of his life in confinement and died in an asylum at Charenton in 1814.