In France, primarily from the 13th to the 16th century, the giving of lands or pensions to children of the royal family.
Established to provide for the younger brothers and sisters of the king, appanages also helped develop royal administration within the lands concerned. The Ordinance of Moulins (1566) made royal lands inalienable, so all appanages would eventually revert to the crown. They were abolished during the French Revolution but were briefly reestablished between 1810 and 1832.