François-Louis de Salignac de La Mothe-Fénelon, marquis de La Mothe-Fénelon (7 November 1722 – 10 October 1767) was a French soldier and playwright who was governor of
Martinique
Martinique ( , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago: or ) is an island and an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France. An integral part of the French Republic, Martinique is located in th ...
from 1763 to 1764.
Family
François-Louis de Salignac de La Mothe-Fénelon was born on 7 November 1722.
His paternal family was descended from Antoine de Neuville, baron of Magnac in
Manche
Manche (, ) is a coastal French département in Normandy, on the English Channel, which is known as ''La Manche'', literally "the sleeve", in French. It had a population of 495,045 in 2019.battle of Rocoux.
His mother was Françoise Louise Le Pelletier de Montméliand (died 1782).
Career
In 1737 Fénelon was a second lieutenant in the King's Infantry Regiment at the age of 15.
He was made a knight of the
Order of Saint Louis
The Royal and Military Order of Saint Louis (french: Ordre Royal et Militaire de Saint-Louis) is a dynastic order of chivalry founded 5 April 1693 by King Louis XIV, named after Saint Louis (King Louis IX of France). It was intended as a rewar ...
in 1740.
He was attached to the gendarmes of Berry in 1740, and was a lieutenant-colonel of cavalry in 1741.
In 1745 he was colonel of the
Régiment de La Fère
A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation.
In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripte ...
.
In 1747 Fénelon was a brigadier of the infantry.
On 29 October 1747 Fénelon married Marie Charlotte Malon de Bercy (died 1760).
Their children were Louis François Charles (1750–1803), Jean Louis Augustin (1753–1829) and Louise Charlotte (1758–1840).
He was a ''
maréchal de camp
''Maréchal de camp'' (sometimes incorrectly translated as field marshal) was a general officer rank used by the French Army until 1848.
The rank originated from the older rank of sergeant major general ( French: ''sergent-major général''). Se ...
'' in 1759, lieutenant general in 1762 and governor of Martinique in 1763.
He was also Lieutenant General of the
Windward Islands
french: Îles du Vent
, image_name =
, image_caption = ''Political'' Windward Islands. Clockwise: Dominica, Martinique, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Grenada.
, image_alt =
, locator_map =
, location = Caribbean SeaNorth ...
. In addition to his capacity as imperial official, Fénelon upheld the slave system ideologically through his
white supremacist
White supremacy or white supremacism is the belief that white people are superior to those of other Race (human classification), races and thus should dominate them. The belief favors the maintenance and defense of any Power (social and polit ...
writings, stating that
The safety of the whites demands that the blacks be kept in the most profound ignorance. I have come to believe firmly that the blacks must be managed like beasts.
He died at the age of 44 on 10 October 1767 in Aschères-le-Marché, Loiret, France.
Publications
Fénelon was also a playwright. His publications include:
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