King's Daughters

The King's Daughters (French: filles du roi; filles du roy) is a term used to refer to the approximately 800 young French women who immigrated to New France between 1663 and 1673 as part of a program sponsored by Louis XIV. The program was designed to boost Canada's population both by encouraging male immigrants to settle there, and by promoting marriage, family formation and the birth of children. While women and girls certainly emigrated to New France both before and after this time period, they were not considered to be filles du roi, 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, where "wards" meant those under the guardianship of another.

Read more about King's Daughters:  Origins, Integration Into New French Society, End of Recruitment, Rumours and Legends, Notable Descendants

Famous quotes containing the words king and/or daughters:

    An illiterate king is a crowned ass.
    —Medieval English proverb.

    Said by the chronicler William of Malmesbury to have been much used by King Henry I of England (1068-1135)

    Lisa Fremont: Surprise is the most important element of attack. And besides, you’re not up on your private eye literature. When they’re in trouble it’s always their girl Friday who gets them out of it.
    L.B. Jeffries: Well, is she the girl who saves him from the clutches of the seductive show girls and the over passionate daughters of the rich?
    Lisa Fremont: The same.
    L.B. Jeffries: That’s the one, huh? But he never ends up marrying her, does he? That’s strange.
    John Michael Hayes (b. 1919)