Feuillant (political group)
Encyclopedia
The Feuillants were a political grouping that emerged during the French Revolution
. It came into existence from a split within the Jacobins
from those opposing the overthrow of the king and proposing a constitutional monarchy
. The deputies publicly split with the Jacobins when they published a pamphlet on 16 July 1791. Initially the group had 264 ex-Jacobin deputies as members.
The group held meetings in a former monastery of the Feuillants
on the Rue Saint-Honoré, in Paris, and came to be popularly called the Club des Feuillants. They called themselves the Amis de la Constitution. The group was led by Antoine Barnave, Alexandre de Lameth and Adrien Duport
. In March 1792, in retaliation for their opposition to war with Austria the Feuillant ministers were forced out by the Girondins. Labelled by their opponents as royalists, they were targeted after the fall of the monarchy. In August 1792, a list of 841 members was published and they were arrested and tried for treason. Barnave was guillotined on 29 November 1793.
The name survived for a few months as an insulting label for moderates, royalists and aristocrats.
The Feuillant group was against passive citizens being enlisted in the National Guard
. They believed the only way to have a strong army was for it to be structured. “By favoring elimination of “passive citizens” from the National Guard (April 27, 1791), remaining silent during the debate on the right to petition and post bills, opposing the political emancipation of the blacks (May 11-15, 1791), the triumvirs exhausted their popularity within the space of a few months”. The group knew if the political emancipation of blacks was passed the main source of France's income would be lost. The sugar fields in Saint-Domingue
would be taken over and land would also be lost.
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
. It came into existence from a split within the Jacobins
Jacobin Club
The Jacobin Club was the most famous and influential political club in the development of the French Revolution, so-named because of the Dominican convent where they met, located in the Rue St. Jacques , Paris. The club originated as the Club Benthorn, formed at Versailles from a group of Breton...
from those opposing the overthrow of the king and proposing a constitutional monarchy
Constitutional monarchy
Constitutional monarchy is a form of government in which a monarch acts as head of state within the parameters of a constitution, whether it be a written, uncodified or blended constitution...
. The deputies publicly split with the Jacobins when they published a pamphlet on 16 July 1791. Initially the group had 264 ex-Jacobin deputies as members.
The group held meetings in a former monastery of the Feuillants
Feuillant (monks)
The Feuillants were monks of the Cistercian order who established an abbey in the diocese of Rieux in 1145.The abbey was named Notre-Dame-des-Feuillants and the name came to be applied to the monks too. Pope Gregory XIII established the Feuillants as a separate congregation in 1589 under their...
on the Rue Saint-Honoré, in Paris, and came to be popularly called the Club des Feuillants. They called themselves the Amis de la Constitution. The group was led by Antoine Barnave, Alexandre de Lameth and Adrien Duport
Adrien Duport
Adrien Duport was a French politician, and lawyer.-Life:He was born in Paris...
. In March 1792, in retaliation for their opposition to war with Austria the Feuillant ministers were forced out by the Girondins. Labelled by their opponents as royalists, they were targeted after the fall of the monarchy. In August 1792, a list of 841 members was published and they were arrested and tried for treason. Barnave was guillotined on 29 November 1793.
The name survived for a few months as an insulting label for moderates, royalists and aristocrats.
Views
The Feuillant party was formed to protect a conception of power. Its goals were to neutralize royalists by gaining the support of the moderate right, to isolate the democrats from the majority of patriotic deputies, to withstand Jacobin influences, and to terminate societies that threatened the nations independence of the National Assembly.The Feuillant group was against passive citizens being enlisted in the National Guard
National Guard (France)
The National Guard was the name given at the time of the French Revolution to the militias formed in each city, in imitation of the National Guard created in Paris. It was a military force separate from the regular army...
. They believed the only way to have a strong army was for it to be structured. “By favoring elimination of “passive citizens” from the National Guard (April 27, 1791), remaining silent during the debate on the right to petition and post bills, opposing the political emancipation of the blacks (May 11-15, 1791), the triumvirs exhausted their popularity within the space of a few months”. The group knew if the political emancipation of blacks was passed the main source of France's income would be lost. The sugar fields in Saint-Domingue
Saint-Domingue
The labour for these plantations was provided by an estimated 790,000 African slaves . Between 1764 and 1771, the average annual importation of slaves varied between 10,000-15,000; by 1786 it was about 28,000, and from 1787 onward, the colony received more than 40,000 slaves a year...
would be taken over and land would also be lost.