Chien Blanc du Roi
King's White Hound
The Chien Blanc du Roi or King’s White Hound was a pack of scenthounds kept by a line of French kings from the 15th to 18th centuries. They were created in 1470 when a squire gifted King Louis the XI with a pure white Saint Hubert Hound. A superb hunter, he was crossed with the existing royal pack. In 1500 Louis XII introduced Italian Pointer blood and Francis I added a “Breton Hound” (likely a Grand Fauve de Bretagne) in 1520. Both of these crosses helped strengthen the bloodline, which had been suffering from inbreeding.
Hounds were often gifted from one royal court to another, and the Chien Blanc du Roi was no exception. Mary Queen of Scots scent Francis II a white hound in 1560 and Henri IV sent James I of England an entire pack as a special gift.
Louis the XIV was perhaps their biggest fancier, and their last. He displayed them proudly on his hunts and as he grew older and could no longer keep up with them he added Normand Hounds to slow them down rather than abandon them. It appears the downfall of the Chien Blanc du Roi began after his son’s reign. When Louis the XV switched to a pack based on Foxhound crosses the remaining dogs were dispersed in 1725. Before their extinction, they contributed to the modern Vendéen breeds, the Porcelaine, and through the extinct Céris, the Billy.
Hounds were often gifted from one royal court to another, and the Chien Blanc du Roi was no exception. Mary Queen of Scots scent Francis II a white hound in 1560 and Henri IV sent James I of England an entire pack as a special gift.
Louis the XIV was perhaps their biggest fancier, and their last. He displayed them proudly on his hunts and as he grew older and could no longer keep up with them he added Normand Hounds to slow them down rather than abandon them. It appears the downfall of the Chien Blanc du Roi began after his son’s reign. When Louis the XV switched to a pack based on Foxhound crosses the remaining dogs were dispersed in 1725. Before their extinction, they contributed to the modern Vendéen breeds, the Porcelaine, and through the extinct Céris, the Billy.
Chien Blanc du Roi Facts
- large, pale scenthound
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