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III. The End of the Napoleonic Senate
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 20 December 2011
Extract
In none of the critical years 1830, 1848, 1870 and 1940 did the French Second Chamber as a body play an independent part in effecting or hindering a change of regime. But in 1814 there is one of the most striking occurrences in the history of the French legislature. The Conservative Senate takes a lead in bringing about a change of government, while the Lower House, so much more to the fore in later crises, obediently confirms the acts of the Upper. The story, often told as an episode in the fall of the Empire or the beginning of the Restoration, may bear a brief re-examination as an episode also in the history of the French Second Chamber.
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References
1 Arch[ives] Nat[ionales] C.C. 986. Extraits des Régistres du Sénat Conservateur.
2 C[ambridge] M[odern] H[istory], ix, 22.
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22 According to Savary, the Regency Council on 28 March agreed that before leaving, Lacepede, the President of the Senate, should write to all the Senators enjoining them not to respond t o any unconstitutional convocation of the Senate. Cp. Dupuis, , Min. Tall. I, 124Google Scholar.
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42 Laharpe, who had left St Petersburg in 1802 rejoined Alexander at Langres in January 1814. It would be interesting to know more about his role at this time. Boehtlingk's, A. biography, Der Waadtländer Friedrich Caesar Laharpe (Bern, 1925)Google Scholar, does not throw much light upon it.
43 The main concession by the Constitutionalists appears to have been to allow the King to nominate all new Senators as he wished. According to Lambrechts' first draft his choice could only be made from a list of names put forward by the Senate itself. Cp. Dupuis, , Min. Tall. I, 195Google Scholar.
44 Arch. Nat. C.C. 986. Extraits des Régistres du Sénat Conservateur.
45 Moniteur universel, 15 April 1815Google Scholar. For the text of the Constitution see [Duguit, L.] and [ Monnier, H.], [Les] Constitutions [et les principales lois politiques de la France depuis 1789] (5th edition; Paris, 1932), pp. 179 ffGoogle Scholar.
46 The Royalists held that he should have been described as uncle of Louis XVII, not brother of Louis XVI.
47 Mémoires de Vitrolles, 1, 322, 323.
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49 Ibid. 1, 367 ff. In the constitutional debate in the Senate on 6 April, a member had asked for the retention of the national colours; but it had been agreed that this was not a proposal which could be included in a constitutional charter and that instead the Provisional Government should be asked to do what they could. It is arguable that a great opportunity was missed and that had the Senators substituted for their Article VI one declaring that the Tricolour should be maintained as the national flag their Constitution would have been universally acclaimed except by the ardent Royalists. As it was, of course, Monsieur and Vitrolles were able to ignore the Provisional Government's recommendations.
50 Correspondence…of Castlereagh, 3rd series, 1, 438.
51 Mémoires de Vitrolles, 1, 370.
52 Arch. Nat. C.C. 986. Extraits des Régistres du Sénat Conservateur, 8 April 1814.
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56 Both papers were at first warm in praise of the Constitution, The Times in its leading article of the 14th calling it ‘a monument of political wisdom and moderation’.
57 There should be some interesting English evidence, but I have so far searched in vain.
58 The Morning Herald, 11 April.
59 Dupuis, Min. Tall. I am not clear about the dates of the Duke's visit.
60 Mémoires, III, 296, 7.
61 E.g. Ponteil, , Chute de Napoleon, p. 96Google Scholar; Thiry, , Sénat de Nap. p. 369Google Scholar.
62 This read as follows: ‘There are one hundred and fifty Senators at the least and two hundred at the most. Their dignity is irremovable and hereditary in the male line by primo-geniture. They are appointed by the King. The existing Senators, with the exception of those who give up their French citizenship, are maintained and included in these numbers. The existing endowment of the Senate and the Sénatoreries is their property. Its revenues are equally divided among them and pass to their successors. In case of the death of a Senator without direct male heir, his share returns to the Treasury. The Senators appointed subsequently cannot have any share in this endowment.’
63 Fahmy, , La France en 1814, XIIGoogle Scholar.
64 This memorandum on the Constitution, published in the Moniteur Universel of 15 April 1815Google Scholar is undated, but must have been written between 14 April, the day of Monsieur's declaration and the King's departure from England,
65 Correspondence…of Castlereagh, 3rd series, I, 462, 14 April 1814Google Scholar.
66 Ibid. 20 April 1814.
67 Mémoires et Correspondence du Comte de Villèle (Paris, 1888), 1, 214Google Scholar.
68 Moniteur universel, 15 April 1815Google Scholar.
69 These views were excellently summarized long ago by Nettement, A., Hist[oire de la] Rest[auration] (Paris, 1860), 1, 297 ffGoogle Scholar.
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71 Moniteur Universel, 15 April 1815Google Scholar.
72 Ibid. An echo of this public suggestion is perhaps to be seen in Maine de Biran's Journal intime (I, 77, 8, entry for 28 April), where it is suggested that one of three things must happen: (1) the Senate must accept alterations in the Constitution; (2) the King must negotiate with the better-disposed Senators, and ignore the rest; (3) the Senate must be destroyed by a ‘coup d'autorité’. Maine de Biran, an ardent Royalist, favoured the last course, and said that public opinion would certainly support it.
73 Mémoires, II, 403.
74 Mémoires, II, 12.
75 Nettement, A., Hist. Rest. I, 302Google Scholar.
76 Ordioni, Pierre, Pozzo di Borgo, diplomate de l'Europe française (Paris, 1935), p. 125Google Scholar.
77 Ibid. p. 122.
78 Polovtsoff, A., Correspondence diplomatique des ambassadeurs et ministres de Russie en France…, I, 1814-16 (St Petersburg, 1902)Google Scholar. Pozzo di Borgo to Nesselrode, 18-30 April.
79 Dupuis, , Min. Tall. I, 316Google Scholar.
80 ‘Nous engageant à mettre sous leurs yeux.’ For the full text of the Declaration see Duguit et Monnier, , Constitutions, p. 182Google Scholar.
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85 Arch. Nat. A.B. XIX, 1859 (my italics). Article VI of the Senate's Constitution of course also raised the whole question of the proper character of an Upper House and the true doctrine of peerage. But any adequate discussion of this issue which greatly exercised many Frenchmen i n 1814 and the early years of th e Restoration would require a separate treatment.
86 Memoires d'Outre-Tombe (Paris, s.d.), III, 351Google Scholar.
87 Memoires, II, 485.