Dauphin, << DAW fuhn or doh FAN, >> was the official title from 1349 to 1830 of the oldest son of the king of France. The title was originally used by the lords of Viennois and Auvergne, whose lands in southeastern France were known as Dauphiné. In 1343, Dauphin Humbert II of Viennois, who had no heir, sold King Philip VI the right to rule the land after his death. Humbert sold the right on the condition that one of the royal children would bear the title dauphin. Philip gained full control of the land in 1349. At first, the dauphin actually ruled Dauphiné. But the land became part of the kingdom of France in the 1500’s and 1600’s. The title then became merely an honorary name for the heir to the French throne. See also Louis XVII.
