For my research project I chose to do the les filles du roi. The les filles du roi, were a group of eight-hundred young women sent by the king to New France between 1663 and 1673. Their purpose was to to wed the unmarried men in New France and populate the colonies. The les filles du roi uprooted their lives in France to come to New France for a better life and better economic status. The les filles du roi knew very little about New France and what they did know, were only the good things to persuade these women to want to come to New France, thinking life in New France would be better for them, when in some aspects, it was much harder.
When arriving in New France these women were essentially picked like cattle at an auction, men would choose one of les fille du roi, and they would be wed in the next three days. The les fille du roi’s sole purpose was to populate New France, if a family had ten or more people in it, they would receive a large dowry.
The les filles du roi were hand picked by agents of the King, and were picked by what they looked like. The agents wanted healthy looking girls with pleasant features and if they looked as though they could adapt to the climate. Once these young girls had been picked, they would have to go through an inspection, their birth records were checked, along with follow ups on their recommendations from parish priests or father confessors.
When boarding the ships, the les fille du roi were in store for a nine week journey from France to New France. They would would live in small confined areas for the journey, and had a daily diet of rations. Once they arrived in New France, the boat was greeted with cheers and smiles, many men were excited for the les fille du roi to have arrived, knowing they would start a family and have someone to take care of them.
Upon arrival, the les fille du roi were placed in three seperate halls for another inspection. After they were inspected, men were sent into specific halls. Whichever hall best fit the man’s traits is the hall he was sent into. When the men and the les fille du roi’s would meet the girls had the choice to accept or decline the man. Once the les filles du roi and the man chose each other, the marriage usually took place immediately, priests were on hand to conduct the ceremony along with a notary to draw up the papers. After the marriage was consummated the couple was given an oxe, a cow, two pigs, a pair of chickens, as well as, two barrels of salted meat, and eleven crowns in money. After marriage (if married), the les fille du roi were not only the carers of the homestead but also had jobs in other places. The les fille du roi were also encouraged to have lots of children, the incentive for this was financial status. They also had larger families to help work the land they owned and to survive.
The les filles du roi were a highly select group of immigrants, and were highly prized. They took a chance, and for them it was for the better, than what France had to offer them. If the les fille du roi stayed in France, they would have no chance at moving up in status, but moving to New France gave them that chance. They created a nation, in 1671, seven hundred children were born through marriages of the les fille du roi. The les fille du roi ultimately saved New France by populating the colonies.