Bourbon Restoration

Bourbon Restoration
Conventional long name	Kingdom of France
Era	19th century
Government type	Constitutional monarchy
Event start	Treaty of Paris (1814) / Charter of 1814
Date start	3 May
Year start	1814
Event end	July Revolution
Date end	26 July
Year end	1830
P1	First French Empire
Flag p1	Flag of France (1794–1815, 1830–1958).svg
S1	July Monarchy
Flag s1	Flag of France (1794–1815, 1830–1958).svg
Symbol type	Royal coat of arms
Capital	Paris
Common languages	French
Religion	Roman Catholicism
Title leader	King
Leader1	Louis XVIII
Year leader1	1814–1824
Leader2	Charles X
Year leader2	1824–1830
Legislature	Parliament
House1	Chamber of Peers
House2	Chamber of Deputies

Bourbon Restoration. The Bourbon Restoration was the period of French history following the final defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, which saw the return of the House of Bourbon to the throne. Ruled successively by Louis XVIII and Charles X, the regime was a constitutional monarchy established by the Charter of 1814. This era was defined by a tense struggle between the forces of reactionary royalism and the enduring legacy of the French Revolution, culminating in its overthrow during the July Revolution of 1830.

Background and causes

The collapse of the First French Empire created a political vacuum filled by the victorious allies of the Sixth Coalition. Key figures like the Prince of Talleyrand and the foreign powers at the Congress of Vienna advocated for a restored monarchy to ensure European stability. The Treaty of Paris (1814) formally restored the Bourbons, with Louis XVIII returning from exile in the United Kingdom. This return was facilitated by the widespread exhaustion after decades of war spanning the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars, and a desire among many elites for order.

The Restoration period

The period is divided into two distinct reigns, separated by the dramatic interlude of the Hundred Days. Louis XVIII's initial return in 1814 was short-lived, as Napoleon Bonaparte escaped from Elba and retook power, leading to the Battle of Waterloo. Following Napoleon's final exile to Saint Helena, the Second Restoration began, marked by the White Terror against Bonapartists and republicans. The later reign of Charles X, beginning in 1824, saw a decisive shift towards more authoritarian and clerical policies, increasing friction with the Chamber of Deputies and the liberal opposition centered in Paris.

Political structure and governance

The state was organized under the Charter of 1814, a constitution granted by the king that created a bicameral legislature consisting of an appointed Chamber of Peers and an elected Chamber of Deputies. Executive power remained firmly with the monarch and his ministers, such as Élie, duc Decazes and later the ultra-royalist Joseph de Villèle. Key political conflicts revolved around the Sacrilege Act and laws favoring the Catholic Church, alongside electoral laws that heavily favored wealthy landowners. The French Army was purged of Napoleonic officers, and the Ultraroyalist faction exerted significant influence.

Society and culture

French society was deeply polarized between the returning émigré nobility, the Catholic revival, and the enduring liberal and Bonapartist sentiments within the bourgeoisie and veteran classes. Cultural life reflected this tension, with the rise of Romanticism in works by Victor Hugo and Stendhal often challenging the establishment. The period saw the expansion of the French colonial empire with the invasion of Algiers in 1830. Meanwhile, the Industrial Revolution began transforming cities like Lyon, and political debate flourished in newspapers such as Le Constitutionnel, despite strict press laws under the Ministry of Jean-Baptiste de Villèle.

Decline and the July Revolution

The decline accelerated under Charles X and his reactionary minister, the Prince de Polignac. The decisive crisis began when the king, facing a hostile liberal majority in the Chamber of Deputies after the 1830 French legislative election, issued the July Ordinances which suspended press freedom, dissolved the chamber, and restricted suffrage. This triggered the July Revolution, a three-day uprising in Paris where insurgents erected barricades and clashed with troops like the Swiss Guard. Charles X abdicated and fled to the United Kingdom, paving the way for the ascension of Louis Philippe I and the establishment of the July Monarchy.

Legacy and historical assessment

Historians view the period as a failed attempt to reconcile the Ancien Régime with the modern principles born of the French Revolution. It solidified the deep political divisions in France between left and right, influencing later conflicts like the French Revolution of 1848. The regime's fall demonstrated the power of the Parisian populace and the enduring strength of liberal constitutionalism. Key figures from the era, such as François-René de Chateaubriand and the Duke of Wellington, left extensive memoirs documenting its tensions. Its conservative internationalism also reinforced the system of the Concert of Europe established by the Congress of Vienna.

Category:Former kingdoms Category:19th century in France