The period of restoration of the Bourbon monarchy in France lasted from 1814 to 1830. Then the power in the country returned to the hands of representatives of the Bourbon dynasty. It began on April 6, 1814, on the day of Napoleon's abdication of power. Its end was the July Revolution, which occurred in 1830.
Two periods
In the restoration of the Bourbon monarchy, historians distinguish two stages:
- Stage I - from the beginning of April 1814 to the end of February 1815. It lasted until Napoleon returned from exile. He immediately set about gathering troops to regain the French throne.
- Stage II - from the end of June 1815 until the last days of July 1830. From 01.03. On June 22, 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte was on the French throne, the last reign of which is called “One Hundred Days”. His power ended with defeat at Waterloo 06/22/1815
Next, the reasons leading to the events under consideration will be considered.
Prerequisites for the restoration of the Bourbons in France
They are associated with the following factors:
- The weakness of the Napoleon Bonaparte regime.
- The defeat in the war with Russia in 1812.
- The defeat of the French army in 1813 near Leipzig.
- Inability to counter the onset of the anti-Napoleonic coalition.
- The economic exhaustion of the country, the devastation of the treasury.
- Social contradictions, tearing France apart.
- The political crisis.
- The capture of Paris by a coalition of allies opposing Napoleon.
- The demand of the Allies for the return to power in France of the Bourbons.
As you can see, the restoration contributed to the premises of an external and internal nature. Life in the camp required urgent changes.
First stage
Charles-Maurice Talleyrand during the restoration of the Bourbons played an important role. At that time he stood at the head of the French Senate. Under his influence, the senators voted to remove Bonaparte from power. They decided to restore the monarchy in the country and proclaim France kingdom.
Louis XVIII was on the throne, this is the brother of Louis XVI, the power of the first was limited by the constitution. The charter, adopted in 1814, was at the same time a peace treaty with the allies, and established the terms of the new monarch. The country was able to retain almost all of its possessions, and the allies withdrew troops from it. Among the most important points of the Charter were the following:
- Establishment of a limited monarchy.
- The establishment of a bicameral parliament. The upper house was appointed by the king, and the lower one was subject to election.
- Granting voting rights to men over forty who paid a tax of 1 thousand francs.
However, the original reign of Louis XVIII was short. Napoleon escaped from the island of Elba, and, reaching France, captured Paris. He gathered loyal supporters and again launched a military campaign against the coalition. The Battle of Waterloo put an end to this adventure, and the Bourbons again came to power, the second period began in the restoration of the Bourbons.
Second phase
Returning to the throne, Louis announced that he was not going to repress Bonaparte's supporters, but he did not keep his promise. In particular, numerous courts and tribunals have been created. In the years 1815-16. a huge number of people were sentenced to death.
The activities of the New Chamber of Deputies, elected in 1815, did not suit the king, and he dissolved it in the autumn of 1816. Louis was afraid of new revolutionary actions and a coup d'etat. The next chamber was represented by supporters of a limited monarchy, called doctrinaire.
It included financiers, industrialists and large landowners. It was headed by the philosopher R. Collard, who opposed democratic rule. The chamber operated until 1820. After the assassination of the Crown Prince, Duke of Berry, Louis proceeded to radical action.
Secret organizations
At this stage of the Bourbon restoration, reactionary laws restricting freedoms were adopted and implemented, including the press, persecuted for blasphemy. The rule of extreme ultra-royalists was established. Disparate secret organizations began to appear in the country. Their activity was aimed at the destruction of the monarchy. There were attempts to organize mass uprisings, but the conspirators were exposed, they were subjected to public execution. In 1824, Louis XVIII died of natural causes.
When Charles X
The next king during the restoration of the Bourbons was Charles X, brother of Louis. He was considered cruel and short-sighted. He did not recognize dissent and criticism. Among the laws adopted by him can be identified as follows:
- The introduction of the death penalty for criminal acts against religion and the church.
- Return of land to immigrants who fled from Napoleon, or compensation for their loss.
During the restoration of the Bourbons in France, the development of capitalism was observed. Some of the manifestations of this process were:
- Moving to the city of large masses of the peasantry to work in enterprises.
- The increase in the number of workers at times.
- Formation of a layer of technical intelligentsia.
In 1826, the country experienced an industrial crisis. In subsequent years, with the inaction of the authorities in the economy, finance, agriculture, depressive phenomena were observed. The discontent of the poorest people intensified, revolutionary ideas began to spread again. Workers began to unite and organize skirmishes.
The revolution erupted on July 26, 1830, starting in the capital with riots. Upon learning of this, the king hit the run. 08/02/1830, he abdicated, and the restoration of the Bourbons was completed.
Carl sent a letter to Louis Philippe of Orleans, where he transferred power to the Duke of Bordeaux, his grandson. Until he reached adulthood, Louis Philippe had to be regent. However, the latter, at the suggestion of the interim government, adopted the crown, becoming the "king-citizen", or "king-bourgeois." In fact, power passed into the hands of the bourgeoisie.