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The Kingdom of the French (French: Royaume des Français) was a short-lived constitutional monarchy that governed France from 3 September 1791 to 21 September 1792. Louis XVI (Previously King of France) ruled as the only King of the French from the state's creation until its demise. The Kingdom of the French was France's first constitutional monarchy. The Kingdom of the French’s predecessor, the Kingdom of France, was an absolute monarchy. The Legislative Assembly suspended the monarchy on August 11, the day after the Storming of the Tuileries Palace.[1] The Legislative Assembly put the fate of the monarchy into the hands of the National Constituent Assembly (elected by universal male suffrage). The freshly elected National Constituent Assembly abolished the monarchy on September 21, 1792, ending 203 years of consecutive Bourbon rule over France.
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Background
In the years before the Kingdom of the French, France had been undergoing a Revolution in its government and social orders. In June 1789, a National Assembly declared itself into being, and promulgated their intention to provide France with a fair and liberal constitution.[2] Louis XVI moved to Paris in October of that year. Louis XVI grew to detest Paris, and organised an escape plot in 1791. The escape plot, known as the Flight to Varennes, ultimately failed to materialise. It destroyed any positive public opinion for the monarchy.[3] Louis XVI's brothers-in-exile in Coblenz rallied for an invasion of France. Austria and Prussia responded to the royal brothers' cries and released the Declaration of Pillnitz in August. The declaration stated that Prussia and Austria wish to restore Louis XVI to absolute power, but would only attempt to do so with the assistance of the other European powers.[4]
Constitution
Louis XVI was forced to adopt the Constitution of 1791 by the National Assembly in September of that year, in the aftermath of his Flight to Varennes to the Austrian Netherlands.[5] The Constitution of 1791, which established the Kingdom of the French, was revolutionary in its content. It abolished the nobility of France, created all men equal before the law, and took the ability to ratify legislation away from the King, and gave it to France’s new legislature the Legislative Assembly. Louis XVI had the ability to veto legislation that he did not approve of, as the legislation still needed Royal Assent to come into force.[6]
Demise
Louis XVI reluctantly declared war on Austria on 20 April, 1792, bowing to the assembly's wishes. Prussia allied with Austria, and therefore France was at war with Prussia as well.[7] The Brunswick Manifesto of August, 1792 (issued by the Charles William Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick, Commander of the Austrian & Prussian joint military) brought about the Storming of the Tuileries on August 10, 1792. The manifesto explicitly threatened the people of Paris with dire repercussions if they in anyway harmed Louis XVI or his family.[8] This infuriated the Parisians and the aforementioned event occurred as a result. The Legislative Assembly was inundated with requests for the monarchies demise. The President of the National Assembly responded by suspending the monarchy on August 11, pending the outcome of elections for another assembly.[1] The newly elected National Convention, elected under universal male suffrage, abolished the monarchy on September 21, 1792. The convention proclaimed a republic in the monarchy's place.[9]
Citations
References
- Fraser, Antonia: "Marie Antoinette: the Journey", Orion Books, London, 2001, ISBN 978-0-7538-1305-8
- Hibbert, Christopher: "The French Revolution", Penguin Books, Great Britain, 1982, ISBN 978-0-14-004945-9
- Jones, Colin: "The Great Nation: France from Louis XV to Napoleon", Columbia University Press, New York, 2002, ISBN 0-231-12882-7
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