About the Filles du Roi (“Daughters of the King”) in Quebec, Canada:
In mid-17th Century, New France, what is now Quebec, was sparsely populated and overwhelmingly male. Few European women had chosen to make the perilous Atlantic voyage to a harsh, unfamiliar colony.
To stabilize and grow the settlement, King Louis XIV and his finance minister Jean-Baptiste Colbert launched an unprecedented program to strengthen French Quebec. Between 1663-1673, approximately 800 young women, mostly from modest or orphaned backgrounds, were sent to New France at the Crown’s expense. These women were called Filles du Roi (Daughters of the King), a title that reflected royal sponsorship. On average, a Fille du roi was 23 years old when she left France.
Before their departure, each Fille du Roi was given a “trousseau” that included essential items such as a comb, a belt, a pair of shoes and shoelaces, gloves, a bonnet, two coiffes (a type of hood), and sewing supplies. The sewing kit contained 100 needles, a case and thimble, thread, scissors, pins, two knives, and cloth, equipping them for basic needs and tasks in their new lives in New France.
Departures to New France primarily occurred from the port cities of La Rochelle or Dieppe. Over 60% of these women were from urban areas, contrasting with about 28% from rural backgrounds, with the origins of the remaining group unknown.
Interestingly, most of the men they married in New France were from a rural setting.
Upon arrival, they were quickly courted by settlers, soldiers, and traders who needed wives to establish families and secure land grants. The initiative was remarkably effective, within a decade, the colony’s population nearly doubled, and family life became central to its survival and culture.
While life in New France was challenging, marked by brutal winters, limited resources, and isolation, the Filles du Roi played a defining role in shaping the demographic and cultural identity of French Canada. Their descendants would go on to populate much of Quebec and other parts of Canada. Today, historians estimate that as many as two-thirds of French Canadians can trace their ancestry to these women.
Many Filles du Roi left detailed marriage contracts and baptismal records, which have become invaluable sources for genealogical research, allowing modern Canadians to trace family histories back more than 300 years.