What was the Bourbon Restoration?

France – The Bourbon Restoration, 1814-30

In this course, Dr Michael Rapport (University of Glasgow) explores the Bourbon Restoration, the period of French history between the defeat of Napoleon in 1814 and the July Revolution of 1830. The first module provides a basic introduction to what the Bourbon Restoration was, focusing in particular on the Charter of 1814, in which the restored King, Louis XVIII, attempted a compromise between the liberal and conservative elements in French society. In the second module, we explore the impact of Napoleon's return to France during the Hundred Days of 1815, his final defeat at Waterloo and the acceptance of the Treaty of Paris, before moving on in the third module to consider the range of opposition to the monarchy in the period 1815-20. In the fourth module, we trace how the regime became increasingly royalist in the period 1820-24, and even more so during the reign of Charles X from 1824 onwards – which is the subject of the fifth module. In the sixth and final module, we trace events in the final years of the 1820s, leading up to the July Revolution itself.

What was the Bourbon Restoration?

In this module, we introduce the Bourbon Restoration, focusing in particular on the imposition of the Charter of 1814, in which Louis XVIII attempted a compromise between the liberal and conservative elements in French society.

Reading list:
- Guillaume de Bertier de Sauvigny, The Bourbon Restoration (1996)
- Robert Tombs, France 1814-1914