Immigration of the King's Daughters to New France National Historic Event
Québec, Quebec
Watercolour by Eleanor Fortescue Brickdale
(© Library and Archives Canada | Bibliothèque et Archives Canada, Acc. no. 1996-371-1)
Address :
Québec, Quebec
Recognition Statute:
Historic Sites and Monuments Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. H-4)
Designation Date:
2007-06-08
Other Name(s):
-
Immigration of the King's Daughters to New France
(Designation Name)
Research Report Number:
2006-033, 2007-087
Importance:
Eight-hundred immigrants who were provided with a one-way passage played a decisive role in the history of the settlement of New France
Plaque(s)
Existing plaque: Near rue du Cul-de-sac and in proximity to the Royal Battery, Québec, Quebec
From 1663 to 1673, some 800 “filles du roi” immigrated to New France for the purpose of marrying and starting families. These French women, most of whom were impoverished orphans, had their passage and settlement expenses paid by the government. This Royal administrative policy aimed to stimulate the growth of the French population of the colony, which was struggling with a numerical imbalance between men and women. Accounting for nearly half of the women who settled in New France, these filles du roi made a significant and lasting contribution to the establishment of a French presence in North America.