Filles du Roi or King's Daughters and
The Carignan Salères Regiment

The filles du roi, or King's Daughters, were courageous women who were sent to New France by King Louis XIV of France between 1663 and 1673. They numbered over 750 and consisted of country girls, village girls and orphans. These young women of marriageable age and capable of bearing children were part of King Louis' program to promote the settlement of and increase the population of New France. Their transportation and settlement expenses, as well as a dowry of 50 livres for many of them, were assumed by the royal treasury.

Between June and September of 1665, the Carignan Salières Regiment arrived in Québec city. These regular French troops were sent by King Louis XIV in response to the Iroquois (Mohawk Indian) threat which had plagued the colony for many years. The Regiment consisted of 20 companies plus 4 companies which were detached from other regiments, some 1200 soldiers and officers in all. A series of forts were established along the Richelieu River and a successful attack against the Iroquois in their own territory were effective and brought about the signing of a peace treaty in July 1667.

Although most of the regiment returned to France, over 450 men were discharged and stayed to permanently settle in New France. Many of these ex-soldiers married the newly arrived filles du roi. Four companies remained until 1671 when they too were discharged and many of the men settled. This virtually left all of the colony without a garrison and transferred it's dependence back to the local militia.

There is an interesting story associated with one ancestor who married a King's Daughter. Married in France and arriving in New France in 1662, Pierre Piché was planning to have his wife Marie Lefebvre join him after he was settled. Three months later, a letter from his brother Louis informed him that Marie had died. Now as a widower and free to remarry, he married Catherine Durand in 1665, a King's Daughter. In 1671 he found out that his first wife was alive so he went back to France to get her and return to New France. On the voyage back Marie his first wife died. Pierre arrived back in New France widowed a second time. Fortunately his marriage to Catherine was rehabilitated in 1673 by the Church and his life continued where it had left off.

Ray's ancestry consists of 30 filles du roi, 26 on his mother's side, 3 on his fathers side and one is shared on both sides. Of the 26 on his mother's side 5 married soldiers of the Carignan Salières Regiment. In the following table the soldiers are prefixed with a bold red *. For complete lists of all the King's Daughters and the Carignan Salières Regiment soldiers, visit www.fillesduroi.org.

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