The Dame du Palais, originally only Dame, was a historical office in the Royal Court of France. It was a title of a lady-in-waiting holding the official position of personal attendant on a female member of the French Royal Family. The position was traditionally held by a female member of a noble family. They were ranked between the dame d'atours and the Fille d'honneur. They had previously been styled 'Dames'.
The equivalent title and office has historically been used in most European royal courts (Dutch: Dames du Palais; English: Lady of the Bedchamber; German: HofstaatsdameorPalatsdame; Italian: Dame di Corte; Russian: HofdameorStatsdame; Spanish: Dueña de honor; Swedish: Statsfru). The same title has been used for the equivalent position in the courts of Belgium, Greece and The Netherlands.
Initially, the married ladies-in-waiting who attended the queen of France had the title Dame. This was simply the title of a married lady-in-waiting, who was not the principal lady-in-waiting.
From 1523, the group of 'Dame', (married) ladies-in-waiting who attended the court as companions of the queen had the formal title Dame d'honneur ('Lady of Honour', commonly only 'Dame'), hence the title 'Première dame d'honneur' ('First lady of honour') to distinguish between the principal lady-in-waiting and the group of remaining common (married) ladies-in-waiting.[1] They were third in rank below the Dame d'atours, and above the unmarried Fille d'honneur ('maid of honour').
In 1674, the position of Fille d'honneur was abolished, and the 'Dames' were renamed Dame du Palais.[2]
The Dame du Palais were appointed from the highest ranked nobility of France. Only married women were selected. Their task was function as companions to the queen and attend functions as a part of her entourage. The number were in 1674 set at twelve.
The position was abolished with the introduction of the Republic in 1792. It was revived during the First Empire, with the same original position as the title of a married lady-in-waiting below the 'Première dame d'honneur'.[3] It was last used during the Second Empire.
This is an incomplete list of those who have served as Dame du Palais to the Queen or Empress of France. They also include those prior to 1674, who had the title Dame (formally Dame d'honneur), because it was the same position under different names. The office was normally shared between twelve women, who served in parallel. If additional Dame du Palais was appointed above the number twelve, they were normally named Dame du palais surnuméraire.
Mary Stuart left France for Scotland in 1561, after which almost all of her ladies-in-waiting chose to remain in France.
The Dame (-d'honneur) were renamed Dame du Palais in January 1674.
Many of the Dame du Palais of Marie Leszczyńska were transferred to the court of Marie Antoinette in 1770 with the title Dame pour accompanger, and became Dame du Palais again when Marie Antoinette became queen in 1774.
Many of the Dame du Palais of Marie Antoinette were transferred to her from the former court of Marie Leszczyńska in 1770. They had the title Dame pour accompanger when Marie Antoinette was Dauphine, and became Dame du Palais again when Marie Antoinette became queen in 1774.
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