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 ( ; or ; Kalinago language, Kalinago: or ) is an island in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the eastern Caribbean Sea. It was previously known as Iguanacaera which translates to iguana island in Carib language, Kariʼn ...
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 (, ; Norman language, Norman: ) is a coastal Departments of France, French ''département'' in Normandy (administrative region), Normandy on the English Channel, which is known as , literally "the sleeve", in French. Manche is bordered by ...
in the 16th century, whose sole granddaughter married Francois de Salignac or Salangac, Baron of Motte-Fénelon, in 1599.
His father was Gabriel Jacques de Salignac de La Mothe-Fénelon (1688–1746), Marquis of Mothe-Fénelon, an army lieutenant general and ambassador to the Hague.
His father died of wounds received in the
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 () 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 reward for exceptional officers, notable as the fi ...
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.
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'') ...
'' in 1759, lieutenant general in 1762 and governor of Martinique in 1763.
He was also Lieutenant General of the
Windward Islands
The Windward Islands are the southern, generally larger islands of the Lesser Antilles of the Caribbean islands or the West Indies. Located approximately between latitudes 10° and 16° N and longitudes 60° and 62° W, they extend from D ...
. In addition to his capacity as imperial official, Fénelon upheld the
slave system ideologically through his
white supremacist
White supremacy is the belief that white people are superior to those of other races. The belief favors the maintenance and defense of any power and privilege held by white people. White supremacy has roots in the now-discredited doctrine ...
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
Aschères-le-Marché () is a commune in the Loiret department in north-central France.
Population
See also
*Communes of the Loiret department
The following is the list of the 325 communes of the Loiret department of France.
The commune ...
, Loiret, France.
Publications
Fénelon was also a playwright. His publications include:
*
*
Notes
Sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Salignac, François-Louis de, marquis de La Mothe-Fenelon
1722 births
1767 deaths
Governors of Martinique