Dame d'atour (French pronunciation:[damdatuʁ]ⓘ) was an office at the royal court of France. It existed in nearly all French courts from the 16th-century onward. Thedame d'honneur was selected from the members of the highestFrench nobility. They were ranked between thePremière dame d'honneur and theDame du Palais.
At least fromIsabeau of Bavaria's tenure as queen, there had been a post nameddemoiselle d'atour orfemme d'atour, but this had originally been the title of the queen's chambermaids and shared by several people.[1]
The office ofdame d'atour, created in 1534, was one of the highest-ranking offices among the ladies-in-waiting of the queen and given only to members of the nobility.[2]
Thedame d'atour was responsible for the queen's wardrobe and jewelry and supervised the dressing of the queen and the chamber staff offemme du chambre.[2]
When thedame d'honneur was absent, she was replaced by thedame d'atour as the supervisor of the female personnel of the queen.[2]
List ofdames d'atour to the queens and empresses of France
^Marshall, R. K. (2006). Queen Mary's Women: Female Relatives, Servants, Friends and Enemies of Mary, Queen of Scots. Storbritannien: John Donald. p.47
