Omar Bennett
France's first written constitution was called the Constitution of 1791. It was drafted by the National Assembly and adopted in September 1791. The Constitution of 1791 was inspired by Enlightenment theories and foreign political systems, and was an attempt to create a better form of royal government rather than something radically new.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name | The Constitution of 1791 |
| Date Adopted | 3 September 1791 |
| Drafted By | The National Assembly |
| Government Type | Constitutional Monarchy |
| Legislature | Unicameral (one house) |
| Voting Rights | Restricted to 'active citizens' (those who paid a minimum amount of taxation) |
| King's Title | "King of the French" |
| King's Powers | Reduced civil list, allowed to select and appoint ministers, given suspensive veto power |
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What You'll Learn
The French Constitution of 1791
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 of 1791 was inspired by Enlightenment theories and foreign political systems. It was drafted by a committee of moderates who hoped to create a better form of royal government rather than something radically new. However, by the time it was adopted in the autumn of 1791, it was already outdated, overtaken by the events of the revolution and growing political radicalism.
The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, adopted on 26 August 1789, eventually became the preamble of the constitution adopted on 3 September 1791. The Declaration offered sweeping generalisations about rights, liberty, and sovereignty.
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The collapse of the absolute monarchy
The Constitution of 1791 was inspired by Enlightenment theories and foreign political systems. It was an attempt to create a better form of royal government rather than something radically new. However, by the time it was adopted in the autumn of 1791, the new constitution was already outdated, overtaken by the events of the revolution and growing political radicalism.
The Constitution of 1791 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. Voting rights were restricted to 'active citizens', i.e. those who paid a minimum amount of taxation.
The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, adopted on 26 August 1789, eventually became the preamble of the constitution adopted on 3 September 1791. The Declaration offered sweeping generalisations about rights, liberty, and sovereignty.
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The Tennis Court Oath
The first written constitution in France was the French Constitution of 1791. This was created following the collapse of the absolute monarchy of the Ancien Régime. The Tennis Court Oath was a pivotal event in the French Revolution and preceded the adoption of the French Constitution of 1791.
On 20 June 1789, the members of the French Third Estate, representing commoners and the lower clergy, met on the Jeu de Paume, an indoor tennis court in Versailles, in defiance of King Louis XVI's order to disperse. They took the Tennis Court Oath, vowing "not to separate and to reassemble wherever necessary until the constitution of the kingdom is established". This was a dramatic act of defiance by the non-privileged classes of the French nation.
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The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen
The first written constitution in France was the Constitution of 1791. It was drafted by the National Assembly and adopted in September 1791, turning the country into a constitutional monarchy following the collapse of the absolute monarchy of the Ancien Régime.
The Declaration was a significant step towards establishing popular sovereignty in France. It set out the fundamental rights and freedoms that all citizens were entitled to, including the right to liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression. It also established the principle of equality before the law and the separation of powers between the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government.
The Declaration had a profound impact on the course of the French Revolution and the development of democracy in France. It provided a framework for the new political system that was being established, and helped to shape the values and principles that would guide the country in the years to come.
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The National Assembly
The French Constitution of 1791 was the first written constitution in France. It was created after the collapse of the absolute monarchy of the Ancien Régime. The National Assembly was formed by the Third Estate on 13 June 1789, with the stated goal of writing a constitution. The Assembly was made up of moderates who hoped to create a better form of royal government rather than something radically new.
On 20 June 1789, the newly formed National Assembly assembled in a Versailles tennis court and pledged not to disband until France had a working constitution. This event is known as the Tennis Court Oath. Following this, the National Assembly began the process of drafting a constitution as its primary objective.
A twelve-member Constitutional Committee was convened on 14 July 1789 to draft most of the articles of the constitution. The Assembly delegated the task of drafting the constitution to this special constitutional committee. The committee began by debating the structure the new political system should have. Many proposals for redefining the French state were floated. The main early controversies surrounded 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.
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Frequently asked questions
The French Constitution of 1791.
To turn France into a constitutional monarchy following the collapse of the absolute monarchy of the Ancien Régime.
The National Constituent Assembly.
3 September 1791.
The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, which was adopted on 26 August 1789.
