The Charte and Constitutional Monarchism

Abstract

In 1814, the collapse of the Napoleonic system laid the foundations for the fundamental change of the political order in France, and it is the very character of this change which is crucial for understanding the Restoration and its constitutional system. Therefore, it might be useful to take a closer look at the circumstances of Napoleon’s fall and the restoration of the Bourbon monarchy before actually turning to the Charte constitutionnelle as the legal basis and core of the Restoration. This is with a view to amalgamate existing research and demonstrate the eminent ‘historicity’ of the Charte,¹ without which its politico-theoretical impetus cannot be fully comprehended.