Dame is a traditionally Britishhonorific title given to women who have been admitted to certainorders of chivalry. It is the female equivalent ofSir, the title used byknights.[1]Baronetessesin their own right also use the titleDame.[citation needed]
A woman appointed to the grades of Dame Commander or Dame Grand Cross of theOrder of Saint John,[2] theOrder of the Holy Sepulchre,[3] theOrder of the Bath, theOrder of Saint Michael and Saint George, theRoyal Victorian Order, or theOrder of the British Empire becomes a dame.[4] A Central European order in which female members receive the rank of Dame is theOrder of Saint George.[5] Since there is no female equivalent to aKnight Bachelor, women are always appointed to anorder of chivalry.[6] Women who are appointed to theOrder of the Garter or theOrder of the Thistle are given the title ofLady rather than Dame.[7]
Women receive all their honours in the same fashion as men receiving decorations or medals, even if they are receiving a damehood, so there is no female word equivalent of being "knighted".
TheOrder of the Ermine, founded inFrance byJohn V, Duke of Brittany, in 1381, was the first order of chivalry to accept women. However, female knights existed for centuries in many places in the world prior to this.[8] Like their male counterparts, they were distinguished by the flying of coloured banners and generally bore a coat of arms.
One woman who participated in tournaments wasJoane Agnes Hotot (born 1378), but she was not the only one.[9][10] Additionally, women adopted certain forms of regalia which became closely associated with the status of knighthood.[11]
Unlike the maleknights, it was virtually unimaginable to see women taking part in medieval battles or commanding battalions of soldiers, but there were exceptions.Joan of Arc is the most famous; another case was the Welsh princessGwenllian ferch Gruffydd. Some wore armour, others commanded troops, and some were members of an official order of chivalry. One woman to wear full armour into battle was the DuchessGaita of Lombardy (also called Sikelgaita), who rode beside her Norman mercenary husband,Robert Guiscard.[11] She was a knight in her own right.[11][12] Another wasPetronilla de Grandmesnil, Countess of Leicester; wearing a mail hauberk with a sword and a shield, she defended her lands from Henry II of England. She and her husband participated in the rebellion in 1173 againstKing Henry II.[12] However, this does not mean that they were officially knighted the way men were.
Formerly, a knight's wife was given the title of Dame before her name, but this usage was replaced byLady during the 17th century.
The title of Dame as the official equivalent of a knight was introduced in 1917 with the introduction of the Order of the British Empire, and was subsequently extended to the Royal Victorian Order in 1936, the Order of St Michael and St George, and finally the Order of the Bath in 1971.[citation needed]
The youngest person to be appointed a Dame wasgolferLydia Ko at the age of 27.[13] The oldest had been actressGwen Ffrangcon-Davies at the age of 100,[14] untilOlivia de Havilland was appointed two weeks before her 101st birthday.[15]
Several high-profile figures havedeclined the honour, includingVanessa Redgrave, who eventually accepted the honour.[16]
The prefix is used with the holder's given name or full name but never with the surname alone; this follows the same usage customs as "Sir".[17]
Nuns of the EnglishBenedictine order are given the title Dame in preference toSister.[18]
InFrench Louisiana from the 17th through to the 19th centuries, Dame was the title accorded to a woman "of substance or position in the locality".[19] Similarly, in 1889 in France, it was reportedly "a title of honour which long distinguished high-born ladies from the wives of citizens and the commonalty in general" and a title of respect for awidow.[20][21]
A knighthood, and the female equivalent, a damehood, is an award given by The Queen to an individual for a major, long-term, contribution in any activity, usually at a national or international level.
Dame Felicitas - the title Dame is given to English Benedictine nuns in preference to Sister ...
{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)Dame..from Old French, Dame, 'Lady'...title of respect for a widow...
| Distinctions (Lists) |
|    | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ceremonies and events | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Related organisations | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Related concepts | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
