In ''
Ancien Régime
''Ancien'' may refer to
* the French word for " ancient, old"
** Société des anciens textes français
* the French for "former, senior"
** Virelai ancien
** Ancien Régime
** Ancien Régime in France
{{disambig ...
''
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
, a ''menin'' ({{IPA, fr, mənɛ̃) was one of six
gentlemen
''Gentleman'' (Old French: ''gentilz hom'', gentle + man; abbreviated ''gent.'') is a term for a chivalrous, courteous, or honorable man. Originally, ''gentleman'' was the lowest rank of the landed gentry of England, ranking below an esquire ...
who were particularly attached to the person of the
dauphin. They were also known as ''gentilshommes de la manche''. The word originates in the Portuguese word ''menino'' (masculine) or ''menina'' (feminine, as in the title of the
Vélasquez painting ''
Las Meninas
) is a 1656 painting in the Museo del Prado in Madrid, by Diego Velázquez, the leading artist of the Spanish Baroque painting, Spanish Baroque. It has become one of the most widely analyzed works in Western painting for the way its complex a ...
''), meaning boy or girl, where it denoted a young nobleman made a companion to the royal children. The word was used in France for the first time in 1680 when the household of the
Grand Dauphin
Louis, Dauphin of France (1 November 1661 – 14 April 1711), commonly known as le Grand Dauphin, was the eldest son and heir apparent of King Louis XIV and his spouse, Maria Theresa of Spain. He became known as the Grand Dauphin after the birth ...
was set up.
Holders of this office during the Ancien Régime included
marquis de Dangeau, the
marquis de Mimeure and the
comte du Muy. The
Bourbon Restoration Bourbon Restoration may refer to:
France under the House of Bourbon:
* Bourbon Restoration in France (1814, after the French revolution and Napoleonic era, until 1830; interrupted by the Hundred Days in 1815)
Spain under the Spanish Bourbons:
* Ab ...
saw the return of many old court offices, and the
duc d'Angoulême (dauphin from the accession of
Charles X Charles X may refer to:
* Charles X of France (1757–1836)
* Charles X Gustav (1622–1660), King of Sweden
* Charles, Cardinal de Bourbon (1523–1590), recognized as Charles X of France but renounced the royal title
See also
*
* King Charle ...
in 1824) also had menins, including the
marquis d'Osmond.
Ancien Régime
*
Court titles in the Ancien Régime
Bourbon Restoration