Titles in France?

Question

So I have a woman, living in France in...oh, say the 19th century or earlier. Seh is cousin to the crown prince...whats her tittle? How do you say Lady Gabrielle in French? Does she have a special title?

Thanks!

Answer 1

The situation of royalty in 19th C. France is messy. YOu have several royal families, each claiming the non-existent throne. You have the Bonapartes. And you even have the British royal family, with their own claims to parts of France dating back to the Middle Ages.  One of the big problems in 19th Century France, altough it looked like a unified country to outsiders, was that it was actually made up of many provinces and districts, each with its own traditions and rich history, and, often, a separate and distinct language and culture.

So if you're intending to create a Versailles-like atmosphere, you've got the wrong century.  Titles were bought and sold (think The Count of Monte Cristo). Apart from the grand old families, who generally played  no part in Parisian life, the holders of titles were nouveau riche society upstarts, two generations removed from a blacksmithy or crossing-sweeper. The good news is...

This can be a boon to the historical fiction writer, because you've got the tension of all these wanna-bes and actual aristocrats glaring at each other.

Answer 2

I realise that you're speaking about the 19th century,or before.

For an example,'Dauphin',which once meant Prince(next in line...),now means dolphin.No joke.

Answer 3

Only in the UK they called lady. on the continent they called countess in French they called Comtesse Gabrielle

Answer 4

At the end of the 18th Century, The French Revolution abolished nobility titles and their  special privileges.

Before the French Revolution, members of the royal family had different titles.

Female members of the royal family were called, most of the times, "Madame". All female descendants of the king were usually called "Madame de France". Sometimes, a king’s mistress and her descendants were called “Madame” too.

But not all women in the French court were addressed as "Madame", regardless of their marital status.

In France, the imaginary Lady Gabrielle would have perhaps been addressed as "Madame Gabrielle", assuming she is the King's cousin or the Dauphin's cousin ("Dauphin" is the heir apparent to the throne - the king's eldest male child).

She could have also been called “Mademoiselle" (daughters of the king's eldest living brother were usually addressed as such) or “Mademoiselle Gabrielle".

**FYI: today in modern France, you address unmarried women as Mademoiselle (in English: Miss).

She could have even been called "Madame Royale", often used to address the king's eldest daughter or to the king's most senior unmarried niece, so

"Madame Royale Gabrielle de France" or

“Madame la Princesse d'Orleans”, if she was also styled as a princess.

Female members of the French royalty also adopted the husband's title (duc, comte, marquis):

"Madame Gabrielle, Duchesse de Chevreuse”   (I made up Duchesse de Chevreuse),

or simply "Madame la Duchesse".

Answer 5

Dame Gabrielle....

This is the correct French word, and the English took it to designate the equivalent title to Sir or knight of the kingdom.

But since France eliminate monarchy a long time ago, it is useless now to claim any royal tittle in France

Answer 6

the last king of France was killed in 1789, so, there wouldn't have been a sister to the crown prince in th 19th century.

(a little knowledge of history is a dangerous thing)

The sister of the crown prince is...now hold on to your hat, here, cause this is going to blow you away!  the princess.

that's what a princess is, you know, the daughter of the king, and the prince is the son of the king.

Now, once the king dies, his younger sons are usually given the title of Duke.  Sometimes, when the prince comes of age, he becomes a Duke (as in Duke of York, etc.)

And Lady Gabrielle would be Madame Gabrielle.

(Dame means lady, and Ma means my, so the title is My Lady....)

And, as for the dauphin comment, Dauphin always meant dolphin, which is why the queen of Louis XV was given a tea set decorated with dolphins to commemorate the birth of Louis XVI, the Dauphin.

Answer 7

There isn't a monarchy in France...

Answer 8

She also could be a princess if she is a child of the crown prince's brother,or even his sister if she married a prince.She could also bear whatever title her father holds as well.

La princesse Gabrielle

Gabrielle, la Duchesse de--

Gabrielle, la marquise de--

La comtesse Gabrielle or Gabrielle,le comtesse de ---

Gabrielle, la vicomtesse de --

Gabrielle, la baronne de --

The French equivalent for Lord is Seigneur and the male is addressed as Sieur.In the French language it usually follows that the female equivalent is the same,but with an added -e,unless it is irregular.My guess is that Lady Gabrielle would be La Dame Gabrielle.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_nobi...

has an explanation on the nobility.

It would also be wise to place your story in a earlier time than the 19th century,before the Revolution.Titles granted by Napoleon Bonaparte and after just don't hold enough grandeur and history as earlier titles.

another site to browse is

http://www.heraldica.org/topics/france/p...