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Dame d'atour was an office at the royal court of France. It existed in nearly all French courts from the 16th-century onward. The dame d'honneur was selected from the members of the highest French nobility.
Contents
- History
- Dame datour to Louise of Lorraine 1575 1601
- Dame datour to Marie de Medici 1600 1632
- Dame datour to Anne of Austria 1615 1666
- Dame datour to Maria Theresa of Spain 1660 1683
- Dame datour to Marie Leszczyska 1725 1768
- Dame datour to Marie Antoinette 1774 1792
- Dame dhonneur to Marie Louise 1810 1814
- References
History
At least from the tenure of Isabeau of Bavaria as queen, there had been a post named demoiselle d'atour or femme d'atour, but this had originally been the title of the queen's chamber maids and divided to several people.
The office of Dame d'atour was created in 1534, and was one of the highest ranked offices among the ladies-in-waiting of the queen and given only to members of the nobility.
The dame d'atour had the responsibility of the queen's wardrobe and jewelry and supervised the dressing of the queen and the chamber staff of femme du chambre.
When the dame d'honneur was absent, she was replaced by the dame d'atour as the supervisor of the female personnel of the queen.