Trivia

Three children: Louis Marie de Sade (born 27 August 1767), Donatien Claude Armand de Sade (born 27 June 1769), and Madeline Laure de Sade (born 7 April 1771).

A cast of his skull is on display in the Museé de L'homme is Paris, France.

His books were burned for being 'obscene.'

The term 'sadism' has its origins in his name. The term, which is defined as 'deriving sexual pleasure from inflicting pain,' was coined by German psychiatrist Richard Freiherr von Krafft-Ebing in his book 'Psychopathia Sexualis' in 1886, 72 years after the Marquis' death.

Narrowly escaped being sentenced to the guillotine.

His second son, Donatien Claude Armand de Sade, dropped the 'Donatien' from his name as an adult so as not to be associated with his infamous father.

Managed to convince his wife that 'Laure' was a good middle name for their daughter Madeleine Laure de Sade despite the fact that it was the first name of the woman he almost married instead.

Was engaged to two women simultaneously in 1763. They were Renee-Palagie de Montreuil, whom he married, and Mademoiselle Laure de Lauris. Although he favored de Lauris, his family pressured him into his marriage to de Monteuil because she was part of a wealthy family.

Worked at one time as a magistrate.

His parents intended to name him 'Louis-Aldonse-Donatien,' but a mistake on his baptismal certificate led to him being named 'Donatien-Alphonse-François.'

In 1801, Napoleon Bonaparte ordered the arrest of the anonymous author of Justine and Juliette, expressing outrage after he had been sent a copy of the latter novel by Sade. Sade was arrested at his publisher's office and imprisoned without trial; first in the Sainte-Pélagie Prison and, following allegations that he had tried to seduce young fellow prisoners there, in the harsh Bicêtre Asylum.

Sade lived a scandalous libertine existence and repeatedly procured young prostitutes as well as employees of both sexes in his castle in Lacoste.

He was accused of blasphemy, which was considered a serious offense. His behavior also included an affair with his wife's sister, Anne-Prospère, who had come to live at the castle.

In the realm of visual arts, many surrealist artists had an interest in the "Divine Marquis." Sade was celebrated in surrealist periodicals, and feted by figures such as Guillaume Apollinaire, Paul Éluard, and Maurice Heine; Man Ray admired Sade because he and other surrealists viewed him as an ideal of freedom.

His parents were Count Jean-Baptiste-Joseph-François de Sade and Countess Marie-Eleonore de Sade (neé de Maille de Carman.)