Omar Bennett
The French Constitution of 1791 was the first written constitution in France, created after the collapse of the absolute monarchy of the Ancien Régime. The constitution was passed in September 1791, following the drafting of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, which was adopted on 26 August 1789. The Declaration served as a preamble to the constitution, offering sweeping generalisations about rights, liberty, and sovereignty. The constitution turned France into a constitutional monarchy, with the king's powers reduced and voting rights restricted to 'active citizens', or those who paid a minimum amount of taxation.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date written | 3 September 1791 |
| Date adopted | 3 September 1791 |
| Date ratified | 5 October 1791 |
| Type of government | Constitutional monarchy |
| Previous type of government | Absolute monarchy |
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What You'll Learn
The French Constitution of 1791 was the first written constitution in France
The process of drafting the constitution began in July 1789, when the National Assembly formed by the Third Estate stated that one of its goals was to write a constitution. A twelve-member Constitutional Committee was convened to draft most of the articles of the constitution. The main controversies surrounded the level of power to be granted to the king and the form the legislature would take.
The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, adopted on 26 August 1789, eventually became the preamble of the constitution. The Declaration offered sweeping generalisations about rights, liberty, and sovereignty, and inspired similar texts in several European and Latin American countries throughout the 19th century.
The constitution was short-lived, as the onset of the French Revolutionary Wars and the involvement of foreign powers in the conflict led to increasing radicalism and the growth in popularity of republican conceptions. The constitutional monarchy proved unacceptable to radical revolutionaries and was effectively ended by the August 10 Insurrection.
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The constitution was drafted by the National Constituent Assembly
The French Constitution of 1791 was the first written constitution in France. It was drafted by the National Constituent Assembly and passed in September 1791. The Assembly delegated the task of drafting the constitution to a special constitutional committee. This committee was convened on 14 July 1789, the same day as the storming of the Bastille. The committee's first task was to debate the structure the new political system should take.
The National Constituent Assembly was formed by the Third Estate on 13 June 1789. One of its stated goals was to write a constitution. The Assembly's early debates centred on the level of power to be granted to the king of France and the form the legislature would take. The Assembly eventually concluded that France should be a constitutional monarchy with a unicameral (one house) legislature. Voting rights were restricted to 'active citizens', i.e. those who paid a minimum amount of taxation.
The constitution retitled Louis XVI as 'King of the French', granted him a reduced civil list, allowed him to select and appoint ministers and gave him a suspensive veto power. The constitution was ratified on 5 October by Louis XVI under pressure from the Assembly and the people who had rushed to Versailles. The preamble to the constitution was the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, which was adopted on 26 August 1789. The Declaration offered sweeping generalisations about rights, liberty, and sovereignty.
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It was passed in September 1791
France's first constitution was passed in September 1791. It was the first written constitution in France, created after the collapse of the absolute monarchy of the Ancien Régime. The constitution turned the country into a constitutional monarchy, with the king retitled as the 'King of the French'.
The constitution was drafted by the National Constituent Assembly, which was formed by the Third Estate on 13 June 1789. One of the stated goals of the Assembly was to write a constitution, and a twelve-member Constitutional Committee was convened on 14 July 1789 to draft most of the articles. The main early controversies surrounded the level of power to be granted to the king and the form the legislature would take.
The Assembly eventually concluded that France should be a constitutional monarchy with a unicameral (one house) legislature. Voting rights were restricted to 'active citizens', i.e. those who paid a minimum amount of taxation. The constitution retitled Louis XVI as 'King of the French', granted him a reduced civil list, allowed him to select and appoint ministers, and gave him a suspensive veto power.
The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, adopted on 26 August 1789, eventually became the preamble of the constitution. The Declaration offered sweeping generalisations about rights, liberty, and sovereignty. It was ratified on 5 October by Louis XVI under pressure from the Assembly and the people who had rushed to Versailles.
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The constitution turned France into a constitutional monarchy
The French Constitution of 1791 was the first written constitution in France, created after the collapse of the absolute monarchy of the Ancien Régime. It was passed in September 1791, following the Tennis Court Oath, and turned France into a constitutional monarchy.
The constitution was drafted by the National Constituent Assembly, who had been tasked with writing a constitution by the National Assembly formed by the Third Estate on 13 June 1789. The Assembly's primary objective was to draft a constitution, and they delegated this task to a special twelve-member Constitutional Committee, convened on 14 July 1789.
The main controversies surrounding the drafting of the constitution were the level of power to be granted to the king of France and the form the legislature would take. The Assembly eventually concluded that France should be a constitutional monarchy with a unicameral (one house) legislature. Voting rights were restricted to 'active citizens', i.e. those who paid a minimum amount of taxation.
The constitution retitled Louis XVI as "King of the French", granted him a reduced civil list, allowed him to select and appoint ministers, and gave him a suspensive veto power. However, when the King used this veto power to protect non-juring priests and refused to raise militias in defence of the revolutionary government, the constitutional monarchy proved unacceptable to radical revolutionaries and was effectively ended by the August 10 Insurrection.
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The constitution was short-lived
The French Constitution of 1791 was passed on 3 September 1791. It was the first written constitution in France, created after the collapse of the absolute monarchy of the Ancien Régime. The constitution turned France into a constitutional monarchy, with the king retaining some powers, including the ability to select and appoint ministers and a suspensive veto power.
However, the constitution was short-lived. One of the main controversies surrounding the constitution was the level of power to be granted to the king. When the king used his veto powers to protect non-juring priests and refused to raise militias in defence of the revolutionary government, the constitutional monarchy proved unacceptable to radical revolutionaries. The influence of radical Jacobin and republican conceptions grew enormously in popularity, increasing the influence of Robespierre, Danton, Marat and the Paris Commune. The constitution was effectively ended by the August 10 Insurrection.
The constitution was also followed by two other declarations of the rights of man in 1793 and 1795, and while the text of 26 August 1789 was the one to survive, it was flouted by many revolutionaries. The French constitutions of 1852, 1946 and 1958 were founded on this text, rather than the 1791 constitution.
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Frequently asked questions
France's first constitution was written in September 1791.
The French Constitution of 1791.
The constitution turned France into a constitutional monarchy following the collapse of the absolute monarchy of the Ancien Régime.
The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, which was adopted on 26 August 1789.
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