A ( French translation of ) was a feature of

French law French law has a dual jurisdictional system comprising private law (), also known as judicial law, and public law (). Judicial law includes, in particular: * () * Criminal law () Public law includes, in particular: * Administrative law ( ...

during the

French Consulate The Consulate () was the top-level government of the First French Republic from the fall of the French Directory, Directory in the coup of 18 Brumaire on 9 November 1799 until the start of the First French Empire, French Empire on 18 May 1804. ...

(1799–1804),

First French Empire The First French Empire or French Empire (; ), also known as Napoleonic France, was the empire ruled by Napoleon Bonaparte, who established French hegemony over much of continental Europe at the beginning of the 19th century. It lasted from ...

(1804–1814, 1815) and

Second French Empire The Second French Empire, officially the French Empire, was the government of France from 1852 to 1870. It was established on 2 December 1852 by Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte, president of France under the French Second Republic, who proclaimed hi ...

(1852–1870).

Consulate and First Empire

It was an act voted on by the Sénat and had the force of law. Organic 'sénatus-consultes' modified the French Constitution and 'sénatus-consultes simples' ruled on its enaction.

Second Empire

After the French coup of 1851, Napoleon I's institutional architecture was reintroduced. Executive power was retained by

Napoleon III Napoleon III (Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was President of France from 1848 to 1852 and then Emperor of the French from 1852 until his deposition in 1870. He was the first president, second emperor, and last ...

, who subordinated legislative power by dividing it between two chambers: * The

Corps législatif The was a part of the French legislature during the French Revolution and beyond. It is also the generic French term used to refer to any legislative body. History Under Napoleon's Consulate, the Constitution of the Year VIII (1799) set up ...

where deputies did not have the power to initiate legislation, that being reserved to the a

Conseil d'État In France, the (; Council of State) is a governmental body that acts both as legal adviser to the executive branch and as the supreme court for administrative justice, which is one of the two branches of the French judiciary system. Establ ...

made up of civil servants; * The Sénat, whose members were named for life by the emperor. The Sénat could pass ''sénatus-consultes'', acts with the force of law, to adapt France's institutions and modify the

French Constitution of 1852 The French Constitution of 1852 was enacted on 14 January 1852 by Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte (Napoleon III). Slightly modified later that year, on 25 December 1852 the constitution became the basis for the creation of the Second French ...

. Initially used to found and reinforce the imperial and authoritarian character of the Second Empire, ''sénatus-consultes'' ended up helping the regime evolve into a 'liberal empire' from the 1860s onwards by giving more powers to the Parlement.

List of ''sénatus-consultes'' passed under the Second Empire (1852–1870)

''Sénatus-consultes'' accompanying the establishment of the imperial regime (1852)

* 7 November 1852: The republican constitution of 14 January 1852 was modified to restore the imperial dignity on behalf of Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte (

). This ''sénatus-consulte'' was ratified by a plebiscite. * 12 December 1852: The emperor's

civil list A civil list is a list of individuals to whom money is paid by the government, typically for service to the state or as honorary pensions. It is a term especially associated with the United Kingdom, and its former colonies and dominions. It was ori ...

and the endowment for the crown were defined. * 25 December 1852: The emperor assumed additional rights (rights of pardon and amnesty, the right to preside over the Sénat and

) while many points in the constitution were modified in order to affirm the monarchical character of institutions. Allowances for senators and deputies were fixed. The oath of faithfulness required of ministers, parliamentarians, officials, magistrates and civil servants was reformulated. Other articles legislated on secondary points (the "French prince" ordinance, treaties of commerce, public works...)

''Sénatus-consultes'' of varying importance under the authoritarian regime (1856–1858)

* 23 April 1856: The role of the administrator of the endowment for the crown was specified. * 17 July 1856: The terms of a

regency In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

were established on behalf of the empress,

Eugénie de Montijo Eugénie de Montijo (; born María Eugenia Ignacia Agustina de Palafox y Kirkpatrick; 5 May 1826 – 11 July 1920) was Second French Empire, Empress of the French from her marriage to Napoleon III on 30 January 1853 until he was overthrown on 4 ...

. * 27 May 1857: One article of the Constitution was modified to create the position of supplementary deputy in departments with more than 17,500 voters. * 17 February 1858: As part of the plan to repress the republic movement following the assassination attempt by

Felice Orsini Felice Orsini (; ; 10 December 1819 – 13 March 1858) was an Italian revolutionary and leader of the '' Carbonari'' who tried to assassinate Napoleon III, Emperor of the French. Early life Felice Orsini was born at Meldola in Romagna, th ...

, candidates for legislative elections were required to sign and deposit with the prefecture a written version of the oath of loyalty to the emperor.

''Sénatus-consultes'' indicating the regime's liberal evolution (1860s–1870)

* 2 February 1861: An article of the Constitution was modified to authorize the reproduction and distribution of the legislative body's debates. * 31 December 1861: The legislative body was given the ability to vote on the budget by sections and consequently to question the conduct of individual ministers. * 22 April 1863: Organization of the status of landed property. In Algeria, division of land according to different types of ownership. * 14 July 1865: For Algeria, the "indigenous" status of Muslims and Jews was defined as well as the conditions for naturalization of foreign residents. Naturalization required at least three years of residence. * 18 July 1866: Discussions concerning the Constitution could only take place in the Senate. The articles of the Constitution concerning the length of sessions of the legislative body and the elaboration of ideas for law were modified. Legislative sessions, formerly fixed at three months, were to be set by imperial decree. Going forward, amendments to laws rejected by the Council of State could gain a new examination if the deputies requested. * 14 March 1867: The article of the Constitution setting the conditions for refusing to promulgate a law was modified. Henceforth a new deliberation of the legislative body could be requested by senators before the definitive pronouncement, creating a kind of parliamentary reconciliation ("navette" or shuttle in French). * 8 September 1869: The Constitution was modified in a more liberal and parliamentary spirit, notably after the "Interpellation of the 116," a claim lodged with the Emperor by a group of 116 deputies: the initiation of laws, formerly reserved to the emperor, was endowed on the legislative body. * 20 April 1870: Ministers were henceforth accountable to Parliament. This ''sénatus-consulte'' was ratified by the 1870 French constitutional referendum. * 21 May 1870: The new Constitution confirmed the liberal and parliamentary transformation of the regime. {{DEFAULTSORT:Senatus-Consulte First French Empire Second French Empire