born Aug. 6, 1651, Château de Fénelon, Périgord, France
died Jan. 7, 1715, Cambrai
French archbishop, theologian, and man of letters.
Though generally conservative, his The Education of Young Gentlewomen (1687), based on his experience directing a women's college, supported liberal education and argued against coercing Protestants to convert. As tutor to a grandson of Louis XIV, he composed his best-known work, the novel Les Aventures de Télémaque (1699), but the political ideas it seemed to express offended Louis, who banished him from the court. He was similarly condemned by the church for his leanings toward Quietism, which emphasized spiritual passivity. His liberal views on politics and education exerted a lasting influence on French culture.