Wiki With Me! -- Filles du Roy

Perhaps if you grew up in Canada they taught you about this in history class, but it's brand new to me!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King%27s_Daughters

Apparently in the 1600s, France had a severe gender imbalance in their efforts to colonize North America. 

In English speaking colonies, whole communities and families moved together– men, women and children--usually to escape religious persecution and create utopian communities without government oversight (the North) or to reinvent feudal farming communities (the South). 

In contrast, the French government was way more hands-on with their colonies, and New France was more of an economic effort than a social/utopian experiment. Most of the French colonists were young working men without wives or families.

So, for ten years (1663-1673), King Louis XIV sent about 800 penniless young women to New France, all expenses paid, with a completely new wardrobe, household linens, and dowry thrown in. This initial financial boost meant that the girls weren't prostitutes or servants, but rather free agents with the economic power to choose their own husbands. Because the King was providing their dowry, they were known as "The King's Daughters" which is a pretty cheeky nickname--a bit of a flex, a bit of a roast. 

The best part of reading this Wikipedia entry is scrolling the Famous Descendants section. In addition to some male ice hockey players and at least one canonized Catholic saint, these women passed their genetics on to:

Hillary Rodham Clinton

Angelina Jolie

MADONNA (!!!) 

Chloe Sevegne

Now I'm re-imagining the conversation:

ADVISOR: Your Majesty, we don't have enough women in the New World. 

KING: Easy fix, Paris is chock full of baddies. Go there and get me 800 of the hottest, smartest, hungriest girls you can find.

KING: Oh, and make sure they can absolutely kick someone's ass!" 

Yes, I knowwwww that the Notable Descendants section has a massive selection bias, but it's delightful to imagine a boatfull of healthy, strong 18-25 year-old Madonnas, Angelinas, Chloës and Hilarys. It's such drama! 

What kind of social instability and absolute havoc was going on in those ten years when 800 of them showed up? What were they thinking? What were they feeling? How much did they interact with First Nations women? Did they have any moral or intuitive scruples about colonization? What was it like to live in a world with very few older women? I'm sure there is some historical record answering these questions, but since I don't speak or read French, I will probably just enjoy wondering and not knowing. 

Thanks for Wikiing with me! :-)