The French Charter of 1814 established a limited monarchy after the Bourbon Restoration, balancing revolutionary gains with dynastic rule.
Key Facts
- Date granted
- 4 June 1814
- Granted by
- King Louis XVIII
- Form of document
- Royal charter (octroi)
- Rejected predecessor
- Constitution sénatoriale of 6 April 1814
- Type of monarchy established
- Limited monarchy, not constitutional monarchy
- Context
- Required by the Congress of Vienna before restoration
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Following Napoleon's defeat, the Congress of Vienna required that Louis Stanislas Xavier, count of Provence, adopt some form of constitution before the Bourbon monarchy could be restored. He rejected the provisional government's proposed Constitution sénatoriale of 6 April 1814, finding it unacceptable.
On 4 June 1814, Louis Stanislas Xavier granted the Charter of 1814, a royal constitutional text that preserved many gains of the French Revolution and Empire while restoring the Bourbon dynasty. The document's hybrid title — 'constitutional Charter' — reflected its deliberate compromise between the Ancien Régime and revolutionary ideals.
With the Congress of Vienna's conditions satisfied, Louis Stanislas Xavier was officially recognized as Louis XVIII and the Bourbon monarchy was restored. The Charter established a limited monarchy dominated by the king as Head of State, rather than a fully constitutional system, shaping French governance in the post-Napoleonic era.
Work
French Charter of 1814
The Charter served as France's foundational constitutional text from 1814, blending Ancien Régime monarchical tradition with revolutionary legal acquisitions, and influenced subsequent French constitutional frameworks through the July Monarchy.