June 3 - In the absence of both his godparents his godfather being his maternal grandfather Donatien de Maille, Marquis de Carmen, and his godmother Louise-Aldonse d'Astoaud de Murs, his paternal grandmother , the infant is held out over the baptismal font in the parish church of Saint-Suplice by two retainers of the Sade household. For Christian names he is given Donatien- Alphonse-Francois instead of those apparently intended for him, Louis-Aldonse-Donatien, a mishap which is to plague him with the authorities throughout his life, especially under the Republic.
August 16 - The municipal council of Saumane sends its consuls and secretary to Avignon "to compliment My Lord the Marquis de Sade, son of the Lord Count of this place, on his happy arrival at Avignon and to wish him long and happy years as heir apparent January 24 - A paternal uncle of the Marquis, Jacques-Francois-Paul-Aldonse born at the chateau de Mazan on September 21, moves to the Benedictine monastery of Saint-Leger d'Ebreuil, to which he has been named abbot.
Entrusted with the education of his nephew, he shares with him two homes, his residence at d'Ebreuil and another at Saumane, a seigneury of which he has life-long tenure. He is given a personal tutor, Abbe Jaques-Francois Amblet. May 24 - Young Sade obtains from the genealogist Clairambault a certificate of nobility in order to be received into the training school attached to the Light Horse Regiment of the Royal Guards. Of the two, Sade prefers the latter, with whom he is wildly in love, but his father is intent on arranging an alliance between his son and the wealthy Montreuil family, doubtless because of the seemingly delicate financial situation in which he then finds himself.
March 15 - Sade is discharged with the rank of cavalry captain, the Paris Treaty having to all intents and purposes ended the Seven Years' War.
Late April - Only a scant two weeks before the date set for his marriage to Mlle. De Montreuil, Sade is still in Avignon, trying to win the hand of Laure de Lauris, despite the fact that she apparently has broken off the engagement. Sade's father is angry and concerned by the Marquis' conduct, which is compromising the proposed alliance with the Montreuil family; nonetheless, young Sade appears to have been so persuasive of eloquent that the Count as one point consents to his marrying Lady Laure.
