The Friends of the Monarchist Constitution (french: Amis de la Constitution Monarchique), commonly known as the Monarchist Club (french: Club monarchique) or the Monarchiens, were one of the revolutionary factions in the earliest stages of the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

. The Monarchiens were briefly a

centrist Centrism is a political outlook or position involving acceptance or support of a balance of social equality and a degree of social hierarchy while opposing political changes that would result in a significant shift of society strongly to the l ...

stabilising force criticized by the

left-wing Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...

of the National Constituent Assembly, the spectators in the galleries and the patriotic press. Established in August 1789, the Monarchist Club was quickly swept away. Specifically, the brief movement developed when the Revolution was shifting away from the

Ancien Régime ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word for "ancient, old" ** Société des anciens textes français * the French for "former, senior" ** Virelai ancien ** Ancien Régime ** Ancien Régime in France {{disambig ...

during the Spring of 1789 and was defeated by the end of 1789. Subsequently, the term itself is usually derogatory.

Monarchien positions

Monarchiens were once viewed as contributors to the

Third Estate The estates of the realm, or three estates, were the broad orders of social stratification, social hierarchy used in Christendom (Christian Europe) from the Middle Ages to early modern Europe. Different systems for dividing society members into ...

. They differed from

Emmanuel Joseph Sieyès Emmanuel-Joseph Sieyès (3 May 174820 June 1836), usually known as the Abbé Sieyès (), was a French Roman Catholic '' abbé'', clergyman, and political writer who was the chief political theorist of the French Revolution (1789–1799); he also ...

and

Honoré Gabriel Riqueti, comte de Mirabeau Honoré Gabriel Riqueti, Count of Mirabeau (; 9 March 17492 April 1791) was a leader of the early stages of the French Revolution. A noble, he had been involved in numerous scandals before the start of the Revolution in 1789 that had left his re ...

as they did not "speak the language of democracy". Instead, they formed their views based on the

liberalism Liberalism is a political and moral philosophy based on the rights of the individual, liberty, consent of the governed, political equality and equality before the law."political rationalism, hostility to autocracy, cultural distaste for c ...

influences of the years of the Enlightenment and

Constitution of the United Kingdom The constitution of the United Kingdom or British constitution comprises the written and unwritten arrangements that establish the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland as a political body. Unlike in most countries, no attempt ...

. They sought fairness under law and pushed for a working constitution. The Monarchiens position favored voting and common deliberations. It aimed to merge the rights of the royal authority with the rights of the common man. This idea was in fact part of their downfall as the changes brought about by the Revolution were far more aggressive than what the Monarchiens viewed as acceptable. Specifically, the Monarchiens were unable to understand and reform to the importance of

political legitimacy In political science, legitimacy is the right and acceptance of an authority, usually a governing law or a regime. Whereas ''authority'' denotes a specific position in an established government, the term ''legitimacy'' denotes a system of governm ...

when it came to discussing the constitutional process. In fact, they sought to establish a free government without substituting one power for another, but rather redefining the existing powers of the

monarchy A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state for life or until abdication. The political legitimacy and authority of the monarch may vary from restricted and largely symbolic (constitutional monarchy) ...

Founder, Jean-Joseph Mounier

The group was founded and led by

Jean Joseph Mounier Jean Joseph Mounier (12 November 1758 – 28 January 1806) was a French politician and judge. Biography Mounier was born the son of a cloth merchant in Grenoble in Southeastern France. He studied law, and in 1782 purchased a minor judgeship at ...

, who was born in 1758. Though Mounier was neither graceful nor eloquent in his speeches, he was able to influence many with his strength and consistency. Among his followers were Pierre Victor, baron de Malouet,

Nicolas Bergasse Nicolas Bergasse (born 24 January 1750 in Lyon – died 28 May 1832 in Paris) was a French lawyer, philosopher, and politician, whose activity was mainly carried out during the beginning of the French Revolution during its early Monarchiens phase ...

Gérard de Lally-Tollendal Trophime-Gérard, marquis de Lally-Tollendal (5 March 175111 March 1830) was a French politician and philanthropist. Born in Paris into an old aristocratic family, he was the legitimized son of Thomas Arthur de Lally, who served as viceroy in ...

and

Stanislas Marie Adélaïde, comte de Clermont-Tonnerre Stanislas Marie Adélaïde, comte de Clermont-Tonnerre (October 10, 1747 – August 10, 1792) was a French nobleman, military officer, and politician during the French Revolution. Early life and career Born in Mandres-aux-Quatre-Tours in the Du ...

. On 9 July, Mounier's views of the government's political position were outlined in a statement to the National Constituent Assembly. The Assembly ultimately voted against the introduced Monarchiens views of Mounier on 10 and 11 September. The rejection led to the resignation of Mounier. * A new party was formed in December 1789 by one of the original Monarchiens members, Clermont-Tonnerre, called the ''Amis de la Constitution Monarchique''. * The Monarchiens party was established under the authority of

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

Louis XVI Louis XVI (''Louis-Auguste''; ; 23 August 175421 January 1793) was the last King of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. He was referred to as ''Citizen Louis Capet'' during the four months just before he was ...

. * The Monarchiens movement was founded by

(1758–1806). Among the followers of the Monarchiens were liberal nobles including Lally-Tollendal, Clermont-Tonnerre and Malouet. * The Monarchiens were a conservative faction with the National Assembly. For the most part and although briefly, the Monarchiens party was well organized and took an active role in Constituent debates. * Mounier supported another legislative Chamber and more royal authority. * The Monarchiens, specifically Mounier, "wanted a compromise between the old aristocracy and the new elite, based on an absolute veto for ordinary laws and a bicameral legislature". * Mounier's views appeared in a pamphlet that was published titled ''Nouvelles observations sur les Etats – Generaux'', which introduced the Monarchiens ideas about law and government. * Within the Monarchiens party, there are three distinct groups of members. The first is the Dauphinois delegation, including the

archbishop of Vienne The Archbishopric of Vienne, named after its episcopal seat in Vienne in the Isère département of southern France, was a metropolitan Roman Catholic archdiocese. It is now part of the Archdiocese of Lyon. History The legend according to whic ...

. The second is the group of elite members of society, including

bishop of Langres The Roman Catholic Diocese of Langres (Latin: ''Dioecesis Lingonensis''; French: ''Diocèse de Langres'') is a Roman Catholic diocese comprising the ''département'' of Haute-Marne in France. The diocese is now a suffragan in ecclesiastical pr ...

, Clermont-Tonnerre and Lally-Tollendal. The third group was the deputies to the Third Estate, including Bergasse and Malouet. * Bergasse published his Monarchiens view in pamphlets and called for the unity between the throne and Third Estates. * Monarchiens politics were more authoritarian and hierarchical. * The Monarchiens organized for elections. The elections carried out in September 1789 demonstrated the popularity of the Monarchiens movement as the movement's candidates received many of the votes. * One of the laws passed which emphasized the party's political views was that in order for a royal veto to be overwritten, the same law needed to be passed by three straight legislatures. * After Mounier's resignation, the Monarchiens dream continued to live out until the end of the Constituent Assembly. This was due to the efforts of Malouet, Clermont-Tonnerre, Virieu and others. * The clubs formed by these men after Mounier left the organization were ''Club de Impartiaux'' and ''Club Monarchique''.

References

* Furet Francois, Ozouf Mona (1989). ''A Critical Dictionary Of The French Revolution''. Cambridge, Massachusetts. London, England. Harvard University Press. * Scott F. Samuel, Rothaus Barry (1985). ''Historical Dictionary of the French Revolution 1789-1799''. V-2. Westport, Connecticut. Greenwood Press. *

Gary Kates Gary R. Kates (born November 9, 1952) is an American historian who specializes in the European Enlightenment and the French Revolution. He is the H. Russell Smith Foundation Professor of History at Pomona College in Claremont, California. He pre ...

(1998). ''The French Revolution: Recent Debates and New Controversies''. France. Routledge. {{Authority control Centrist parties in France Conservative parties in France French monarchists Groups of the French Revolution Monarchism in France Monarchist parties in France

Monarchien positions

Founder, Jean-Joseph Mounier

See also

References