Government of the first Bourbon restoration

The Government of the first Bourbon restoration replaced the French provisional government of 1814 that had been formed after the fall of Napoleon. It was announced on 13 May 1814 by King Louis XVIII of France. After the return of Napoleon from exile, the court fled to Ghent and the government was replaced by the French Government of the Hundred Days on 20 March 1815.

Government of the First Bourbon Restoration
Cabinet of France
Louis XVIII
Date formed13 May 1814
Date dissolved19 March 1815
People and organisations
Head of stateLouis XVIII of France
History
PredecessorFrench provisional government of 1814
SuccessorFrench Government of the Hundred Days

Formation
Allegory of the Return of the Bourbons on 24 April 1814 : Louis XVIII Lifting France from Its Ruins by Louis-Philippe Crépin

King Louis XVIII made a triumphal return to Paris on 3 May 1814, accompanied by members of the provisional council of state, commissaires of the ministerial departments, marshals of France and Generals. He was greeted by a huge crowd.[1] He named the new ministry on 13 May 1814.[2]

Ministers
Louis XVIII of France by Jean-Baptiste Paulin Guérin

The ministers were:[2]

MinistryStartEndMinister
Foreign Affairs13 May 181419 March 1815Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord
Justice13 May 181419 March 1815Charles Dambray
Interior13 May 181419 March 1815François-Xavier-Marc-Antoine de Montesquiou-Fézensac
War13 May 18143 December 1814Pierre Dupont de l'Étang
3 December 181411 March 1815Jean-de-Dieu Soult
11 March 181519 March 1815Henri Jacques Guillaume Clarke
Finance13 May 181419 March 1815Joseph-Dominique Louis
Navy and Colonies13 May 18147 September 1814Pierre-Victor Malouet
7 September 181419 March 1815Jacques Claude Beugnot
Minister of State13 May 181419 March 1815Emmerich Joseph de Dalberg
King's Household29 May 181419 March 1815Pierre Louis Jean Casimir de Blacas

Events

On 4 June 1814 the Charter of 1814 was proclaimed, defining the basic constitutional laws of the state.[3] The government soon became unpopular. Some were opposed to the reactionary policies of the government, and some were opposed to the Bourbon dynasty. The clergy openly preached intolerance and persecution of supporters of the former regime, while the army resented the rejection of their achievements under the Empire. Napoleon sensed the change of mood, left Elba and on 1 March 1815 landed on the mainland near Cannes.[4] He traveled north, with supporters flocking to his cause.[5] On 16 March 1815 Louis XVIII addressed a meeting of both chambers, appealing to them to defend the constitutional charter.[6] On the night of 19-20 March the king left his palace for Ghent in Belgium. Napoleon entered Paris on 20 March 1815.[7]

References

Citations

  1. Muel 1891, p. 91-92.
  2. Muel 1891, p. 92.
  3. Muel 1891, p. 93.
  4. Muel 1891, p. 95.
  5. Muel 1891, p. 96.
  6. Muel 1891, p. 98.
  7. Muel 1891, p. 99.

Sources

  • Muel, Léon (1891). Gouvernements, ministères et constitutions de la France depuis cent ans: Précis historique des révolutions, des crises ministérielles et gouvernementales, et des changements de constitutions de la France depuis 1789 jusqu'en 1890 ... Marchal et Billard. Retrieved 14 April 2014.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
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