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The King's Daughters (french: filles du roi or french: filles du roy, label=none in the spelling of the era) is a term used to refer to the approximately 800 young
French women who immigrated to
New France
New France (french: Nouvelle-France) was the area colonized by France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Great Britain and Spai ...
between 1663 and 1673 as part of a program sponsored by King
Louis XIV
, house = Bourbon
, father = Louis XIII
, mother = Anne of Austria
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France
, death_date =
, death_place = Palace of Vers ...
. The program was designed to boost New France's population both by encouraging male colonizers to settle there, and by promoting marriage, family formation and the birth of children. While women and girls certainly immigrated to New France both before and after this time period, they were not considered to be , as the term refers to women and girls who were actively recruited by the government and whose travel to the colony was paid for by the king.
They were also occasionally known as the King's Wards.
Origins
New France, at its start, was mostly populated by men: soldiers, fur traders, and priests. The colony became more agricultural and by the mid-17th century, there was a severe imbalance between single men and women in New France. The small number of female immigrants had to pay their own passage, and few single women wanted to leave home to move and settle in the harsh climate and conditions of New France. The population growth of the competing English colonies awakened concern among some officials about France's ability to maintain its claim in the New World.
To increase the French population and the number of families, the
Intendant of New France The Intendant of New France was an administrative position in the French colony of New France. He controlled the colony's entire civil administration. He gave particular attention to settlement and economic development, and to the administration of ...
,
Jean Talon
Jean Talon, Count d'Orsainville (; January 8, 1626 – November 23, 1694) was a French colonial administrator who served as the first Intendant of New France. Talon was appointed by King Louis XIV and his minister, Jean-Baptiste Colbert, to ...
, proposed that the king sponsor passage of at least 500 women. The king agreed, and eventually, nearly twice the number were recruited. They were predominantly between the ages of 12 and 25, and many had to supply a letter of reference from their
parish priest
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...
before they would be chosen for immigration to New France.
Marguerite Bourgeoys
Marguerite Bourgeoys (17 April 162012 January 1700), was a French nun and founder of the Congregation of Notre Dame of Montreal in the colony of New France, now part of Québec, Canada. Born in Troyes, she became part of a sodality, ministering ...
was the first person to use the expression in her writings. A distinction was made between King's Daughters, who were transported to New France and received a
dowry
A dowry is a payment, such as property or money, paid by the bride's family to the groom or his family at the time of marriage. Dowry contrasts with the related concepts of bride price and dower. While bride price or bride service is a payment b ...
at the king's expense, and women who emigrated voluntarily using their own money. Other historians used chronological frameworks to determine who could be called a . Research by the historical demographer Yves Landry determines that there were in total about 770 to 850 who settled in New France between 1663 and 1673.
The title "King's Daughters" was meant to imply state patronage, not royal or noble parentage; most of the women recruited were commoners of humble birth. As a , a woman received the king's support in several ways. The king paid one hundred
livres
The (; ; abbreviation: ₶.) was one of numerous currencies used in medieval France, and a unit of account (i.e., a monetary unit used in accounting) used in Early Modern France.
The 1262 monetary reform established the as 20 , or 80.88 gr ...
to the
French East India Company
The French East India Company (french: Compagnie française pour le commerce des Indes orientales) was a colonial commercial enterprise, founded on 1 September 1664 to compete with the English (later British) and Dutch trading companies in the ...
for each woman's crossing, as well as furnishing her
trousseau
Trousseau may refer to:
*A dowry
*The wardrobe of a bride, including the wedding dress or similar clothing
*A hope chest, glory box or its contents
*Trousseau (grape), a wine grape also known as Bastardo
** Trousseau Gris, a white mutation of the ...
. The Crown also paid a dowry for each woman; this was originally set at four hundred livres, but as the Treasury could not spare such an expense, many were simply paid in kind.
Those chosen to be among the and allowed to emigrate to New France were held to scrupulous standards, which were based on their "moral calibre" and whether they were physically fit enough to survive the hard work demanded by life as a colonist. The colonial officials sent several of the back to France because they were deemed below the standards set out by the king and the Intendant of New France.
As was the case for most emigrants who went from France to New France, 80 per cent of the were from Paris,
Normandy
Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...
and the western regions. Almost half were from the Paris area, 16 per cent from Normandy and 13 per cent from western France. Most came from urban areas, with the
Hôpital-Général de Paris and the
Saint-Sulpice parish being big contributors.
Many were orphans with very meagre personal possessions, and with a relatively low level of literacy.
Socially, the young women came from different backgrounds but were all very poor. They might have been from an elite family that had lost its fortune, or from a large family with children "to spare." Officials usually matched women of higher birth with officers or gentlemen living in the colony, sometimes in the hopes that the nobles would marry the young women and be encouraged to stay in Canada rather than return to France. A few women came from other European countries, including Germany, England, and Portugal.
Integration into New French society
The women disembarked in
Quebec City
Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Communauté métrop ...
,
Trois-Rivières
Trois-Rivières (, – 'Three Rivers') is a city in the Mauricie administrative region of Quebec, Canada, at the confluence of the Saint-Maurice River, Saint-Maurice and Saint Lawrence River, Saint Lawrence rivers, on the north shore of the Sain ...
, and
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
. After their arrival, their time to find husbands varied greatly. For some, it was as short as a few months, while others took two or three years before finding an appropriate husband. For the process of choosing a husband, and the marriage, most couples would officially get engaged in church, with their priest and witnesses present. Then, some couples went in front of the notary, to sign a marriage contract. Marriages were celebrated by the priest, usually in the woman's parish of residence. While the marriage
banns
The banns of marriage, commonly known simply as the "banns" or "bans" (from a Middle English word meaning "proclamation", rooted in Frankish and thence in Old French), are the public announcement in a Christian parish church, or in the town cou ...
customarily were to be published three times before a wedding could take place, the colony's need for women to marry quickly led to few having marriage banns announced. It is known that 737 of these were married in New France.
The marriage contracts represented a protection for the women, both in terms of financial security if anything were to happen to them or their husband, and in terms of having the liberty to annul the promise of marriage if the man they had chosen proved incompatible. A substantial number of the who arrived in New France between 1669 and 1671 cancelled marriage contracts; perhaps the dowry they had received made them disinclined to retain a fiancé with whom they found themselves dissatisfied.
An early problem in recruitment was the women's adjustment to the new agricultural life. As
Saint Marie de L'Incarnation wrote, the were mostly town girls, and only a few knew how to do manual farm work. This problem remained but, in later years, more rural girls were recruited.
There were approximately 300 recruits who did not marry in New France. Some had a change of heart before embarking from the ports of Normandy and never left, while some died on the journey. Others returned to France to marry, and a few remained single.
Integration in Ville-Marie
Prior to the King's Daughters, the women who immigrated to Ville-Marie, otherwise known as
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
, had been recruited by the
Société Notre-Dame de Montréal
The Société Notre-Dame de Montréal, otherwise known as the ''Société de Notre-Dame de Montréal pour la conversion des Sauvages de la Nouvelle-France'', was a religious organisation responsible for founding Ville-Marie, the original name for ...
founded in 1641 in Paris. Amongst these women were
Jeanne Mance
Jeanne Mance (November 12, 1606 – June 18, 1673) was a French nurse and settler of New France. She arrived in New France two years after the Ursuline nuns came to Quebec. Among the founders of Montreal in 1642, she established its first hospit ...
and Marguerite Bourgeoys. When the first arrived in Montreal, they were taken in by Bourgeoys. Initially, there were no comfortable lodgings to receive them, but in 1668 Bourgeoys procured the
Maison Saint-Gabriel
The Maison Saint-Gabriel Museum is located in Montreal, Quebec and is dedicated to preserving the history, heritage and artifacts of the settlers of New France in the mid 17th century. The museum consists of a small farm, which has been administer ...
, a large farmhouse in which to house them.
End of recruitment and growth of the settlement
The program was a resounding success. It was reported that in 1670, most of the girls who had arrived the previous year, 1669, were already pregnant and by 1671, a total of nearly 700 children were born to the . The colony was expected to gain population self-sufficiency soon afterward.
By the end of 1671, Talon suggested that it would not be necessary to sponsor the passage of girls for the next year, and the king accepted his advice.
[ The migration briefly resumed in 1673, when the king sent 60 more girls at the request of Buade de Frontenac, the new governor, but that was the last under the Crown's sponsorship.] Of the approximately 835 marriages of immigrants in the colony during this period, 774 included a .[ By 1672, the population of New France had risen to 6,700, from 3,200 in 1663.]
Rumours and legends
The idea that the were prostitutes has been a rumour ever since the inception of the program in the 17th century. It seems to have arisen from a couple of misconceptions, both contemporary and modern, about immigration to French colonies in the New World. The first of these, which took root long before the first emigrated, was that Canada was a penal colony. While there were two campaigns in the mid-17th century that involved the immigration of French criminals to Canada in exchange for their records being expunged, they were both short-lived. These programs resulted in little more than setting a precedent for viewing Canada as a place where those "of questionable morality" could be sent for one reason or another.
The popularisation of the idea that the in particular were prostitutes can be traced to an account by the Baron de Lahontan of his time in New France;[ several earlier sources made the same assertion, including Saint-Amant, Tallement des Réaux, and Paul LeJeune. In his account, Lahontan refers to the as being "of middling virtue", and wrote that they had emigrated in the hopes of religious absolution. As early as 1738, Claude Le Beau countered his portrayal in an account of his own journey to New France, as did ]Pierre François Xavier de Charlevoix
Pierre François Xavier de Charlevoix, S.J. ( la, Petrus Franciscus-Xaverius de Charlevoix; 24 or 29 October 1682 – 1 February 1761) was a French Jesuit priest, traveller, and historian, often considered the first historian of New France. He h ...
in his 1744 work.
Out of nearly 800 , only one, Catherine Guichelin, was charged with prostitution
Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in Sex work, sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, n ...
while living in Canada, after she was abandoned by her husband. She appeared before the Sovereign Council of New France
The Sovereign Council (french: Conseil souverain) was a governing body in New France. It served as both Supreme Court for the colony of New France, as well as a policy-making body, though this latter role diminished over time. The council, though ...
under the charge of carrying out "a scandalous life and prostitution" on 19 August 1675. Her two children were "adopted" by friends, and she was banished from Quebec City. She was reported to have turned to prostitution after her husband, Nicholas Buteau, abandoned the family and returned to France. She later gave birth to many children out of wedlock. Guichelin had at least two marriage contracts cancelled. She also wed twice more after returning to Sorel, Quebec, then Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
.
The ships carrying the would travel up the Saint Lawrence River
The St. Lawrence River (french: Fleuve Saint-Laurent, ) is a large river in the middle latitudes of North America. Its headwaters begin flowing from Lake Ontario in a (roughly) northeasterly direction, into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, connectin ...
, stopping first at Québec City, then at Trois-Rivières
Trois-Rivières (, – 'Three Rivers') is a city in the Mauricie administrative region of Quebec, Canada, at the confluence of the Saint-Maurice River, Saint-Maurice and Saint Lawrence River, Saint Lawrence rivers, on the north shore of the Sain ...
, and lastly at Montréal. Because the prettiest of the girls would have the easiest time finding a husband, many of the immigrants settled in Québec City, the first port of call.
Notable descendants
* Saint André Bessette, descendant of Anne Le Seigneur.
* Hillary Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...
, descendant of Madeleine Niel and Jeanne Ducorps dite Leduc.
* Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie (; born Angelina Jolie Voight; June 4, 1975) is an American actress, filmmaker, humanitarian and former Special Envoy to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. The recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award ...
, descendant of Denise Colin.
* Madonna
Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...
(Madonna Louise Ciccone), descendant of Anne Seigneur. Her mother's ancestors are all French-Canadian from the 17th century.
* Hall of Fame
A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...
player Bernie "Boom Boom" Geoffrion was a direct descendant of Marie Priault, a King's Daughter. She married Pierre Joffrion, a farmer and former grenadier
A grenadier ( , ; derived from the word '' grenade'') was originally a specialist soldier who threw hand grenades in battle. The distinct combat function of the grenadier was established in the mid-17th century, when grenadiers were recruited fr ...
from the Carignan-Salières Regiment
The Carignan-Salières Regiment was a Piedmont French military unit formed by merging two other regiments in 1659. They were led by the new Governor, Daniel de Rémy de Courcelles, and Lieutenant-General Alexandre de Prouville, Sieur de Tracy. ...
, shortly after her arrival in 1669.
* Louis Coutlée, one of the descendants of Catherine Guichelin, became a founding father of Ottawa
Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...
, Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
, later Canada's capital. He descended from Marie Vacher, one of Catherine's illegitimate children. He was the first sheriff of Ottawa (after serving in the lower Canadian Militia during the Anglo-American War of 1812
The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States, United States of America and its Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom ...
with his father.)
* Coutlée's son, Dominique-Amable Coutlée
Dominique-Amable Coutlée (December 24, 1822 – April 10, 1882) was a merchant, farmer and political figure in Quebec. He represented Soulanges in the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada from 1858 to 1861 and in the Legislative As ...
, served as a member of Parliament in Canada.
* Tom Bergeron
Thomas Raymond Bergeron (born May 6, 1955) is an American television personality, game show host, comedian and actor, best known for hosting ''Hollywood Squares'' from 1998 to 2004, ''America's Funniest Home Videos'' from 2001 to 2015, and ''Danci ...
, descendant of Marguerite Ardion, as revealed in the August 30, 2015, episode of ''Who Do You Think You Are?''
* Chloë Sevigny
Chloë Stevens Sevigny (, born November 18, 1974) is an American actress, model, filmmaker and fashion designer. Known for her work in independent films, often appearing in controversial or experimental features, Sevigny is the recipient of se ...
, descendant of Marguerite Lamain, as revealed on the PBS series ''Finding Your Roots
''Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr.'' is a documentary television series hosted by Henry Louis Gates Jr. that premiered on March 25, 2012, on PBS. In each episode, celebrities are presented with a "book of life" that is compiled with ...
''
* Andrée Champagne, descendant of Marguerite Samson and husband Jean Beaugrand dit Champagne.
See also
*Casquette girl
A casquette girl (french: fille à la cassette) but also known historically as a casket girl or a Pelican girl, was a woman brought from France to the French colonies of Louisiana to marry. The name derives from the small chests, known as c ...
*Órfãs do Rei
The Órfãs do Rei (, ''orphans of the king'') were Portuguese girl orphans who were sent from Portugal to overseas colonies during the Portuguese Empire as part of Portugal's colonization efforts. The orphans were married to native rulers or Portu ...
*First white child
The birth of the first white child is a concept that marks the establishment of a European colony in the New World, especially in the historiography of the United States.
Americas
Canada
Snorri Thorfinnsson, born around 1010 in the Viking settle ...
Notes
References
*
*
*
Further reading
* ''King's Daughters and Founding Mothers: The Filles du Roi, 1663-1673'', Peter J. Gagné, 2 volumes, Quintin, 2000
* ''King's Daughters, The'', Joy Reisinger and Elmer Courteau (Sparta, 1988)
* ''Alone in an Untamed Land: The Filles du Roi Diary of Hélène St.Onge'', Maxine Trottier (fiction)
* ''Bride of New France'', Suzanne Desrochers (fiction)
* ''Promised to the Crown'', Aimie K. Runyan, Kensington Publishing Corp. (fiction)
* ''Duty to the Crown'', Aimie K. Runyan, Kensington Publishing Corp. (fiction)
External links
La Société des Filles du roi et soldats du Carignan
Organization for the descendants of the Daughters
*
* ttp://www.buteaufamily.com/Portals/0/Repository/The%20Kings%20Daughters.pdf The Kings Daughters by Thomas J. Laforest first published in Heritage Quest, issue #22 May/June 1989.
*
A list of the King's Daughters compiled by the Programme de recherche en démographie historique (PRDH)
{{Authority control
History of women in Canada
New France