France: Presidents of the National Constituent Assembly: 1789-1791 - Archontology
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France: Presidents of the National Constituent Assembly: 1789-1791

Président de l'Assemblée nationale [1]
17 Jun 1789 - 3 Jul 1789 Jean-Sylvain Bailly [2]
3 Jul 1789 - 3 Jul 1789 Louis-Philippe-Joseph d'Orléans, duc d'Orléans [3]
3 Jul 1789 - 18 Jul 1789 Jean-Georges Le Franc de Pompignan, archevêque de Vienne
18 Jul 1789 - 3 Aug 1789 François-Alexandre-Frédéric, duc de La Rochefoucauld-Liancourt et d'Estissac
3 Aug 1789 - 3 Aug 1789 Jacques-Guillaume Thouret [4]
3 Aug 1789 - 17 Aug 1789 Isaac-René-Guy Le Chapelier
17 Aug 1789 - 31 Aug 1789 Stanislas-Marie-Adélaïde, comte de Clermont-Tonnerre
31 Aug 1789 - 14 Sep 1789 César-Guillaume de La Luzerne, évêque-duc de Langres [5]
9 Sep 1789 - 14 Sep 1789 acting (for président): Stanislas-Marie-Adélaïde, comte de Clermont-Tonnerre
14 Sep 1789 - 28 Sep 1789 Stanislas-Marie-Adélaïde, comte de Clermont-Tonnerre
28 Sep 1789 - 10 Oct 1789 Jean-Joseph Mounier
10 Oct 1789 - 28 Oct 1789 Emmanuel-Marie-Michel-Philippe Fréteau de Saint-Just
28 Oct 1789 - 12 Nov 1789 Armand-Gaston Camus
12 Nov 1789 - 23 Nov 1789 Jacques-Guillaume Thouret
23 Nov 1789 - 5 Dec 1789 Jean de Dieu-Raymond de Boisgelin de Cucé, archevêque d'Aix
5 Dec 1789 - 22 Dec 1789 Emmanuel-Marie-Michel-Philippe Fréteau de Saint-Just
22 Dec 1789 - 4 Jan 1790 Jean-Nicolas Démeunier
4 Jan 1790 - 18 Jan 1790 Francois-Xavier-Marc-Antoine de Montesquiou-Fezensac
18 Jan 1790 - 2 Feb 1790 Guy-Jean-Baptiste Target
2 Feb 1790 - 16 Feb 1790 Jean-Xavier Bureaux de Puzy
16 Feb 1790 - 28 Feb 1790 Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord, évêque d'Autun
28 Feb 1790 - 15 Mar 1790 Francois-Xavier-Marc-Antoine de Montesquiou-Fezensac
15 Mar 1790 - 27 Mar 1790 Jean-Paul Rabaut, dit Rabaut Saint-Étienne
27 Mar 1790 - 12 Apr 1790 Jacques-François, baron de Menou
12 Apr 1790 - 27 Apr 1790 Charles-François, marquis de Bonnay
27 Apr 1790 - 29 Apr 1790 François-Henri, comte de Virieu [6]
28 Apr 1790 - 29 Apr 1790 acting (for président): Charles-François, marquis de Bonnay
29 Apr 1790 - 8 May 1790 Jean-Louis Gouttes
8 May 1790 - 27 May 1790 Jacques-Guillaume Thouret
27 May 1790 - 8 Jun 1790 Bon-Albert Briois de Beaumetz
8 Jun 1790 - 21 Jun 1790 Emmanuel-Joseph Sieyès
21 Jun 1790 - 5 Jul 1790 Louis-Michel Le Peletier de Saint-Fargeau
5 Jul 1790 - 20 Jul 1790 Charles-François, marquis de Bonnay
20 Jul 1790 - 31 Jul 1790 Jean-Baptiste Treilhard
31 Jul 1790 - 16 Aug 1790 Antoine-Balthazar-Joseph d'André
16 Aug 1790 - 30 Aug 1790 Pierre-Samuel Dupont de Nemours
30 Aug 1790 - 11 Sep 1790 Henri-Joseph, baron de Jessé Levas
11 Sep 1790 - 25 Sep 1790 Jean-Xavier Bureaux de Puzy
25 Sep 1790 - 9 Oct 1790 Jean-Louis-Claude Emmery
9 Oct 1790 - 25 Oct 1790 Philippe-Antoine Merlin, dit Merlin de Douai
25 Oct 1790 - 8 Nov 1790 Antoine-Pierre-Joseph-Marie Barnave
8 Nov 1790 - 20 Nov 1790 Charles-Antoine Chasset
20 Nov 1790 - 4 Dec 1790 Alexandre-Théodore-Victor, chevalier de Lameth
4 Dec 1790 - 21 Dec 1790 Jérôme Pétion, dit Pétion de Villeneuve
21 Dec 1790 - 4 Jan 1791 Antoine-Balthazar-Joseph d'André
4 Jan 1791 - 18 Jan 1791 Jean-Louis-Claude Emmery
18 Jan 1791 - 29 Jan 1791 Henri Grégoire
29 Jan 1791 - 14 Feb 1791 Honoré-Gabriel Riqueti, comte de Mirabeau aîné
14 Feb 1791 - 26 Feb 1791 Adrien-Jean-François Duport, dit Du Port
26 Feb 1791 - 14 Mar 1791 Louis-Marie, vicomte de Noailles
14 Mar 1791 - 29 Mar 1791 Anne-Pierre, marquis de Montesquiou-Fezensac
29 Mar 1791 - 9 Apr 1791 François-Denis Tronchet
9 Apr 1791 - 23 Apr 1791 Jean-Baptiste-Charles Chabroud
23 Apr 1791 - 9 May 1791 Jean-François Reubell
9 May 1791 - 24 May 1791 Antoine-Balthazar-Joseph d'André
24 May 1791 - 6 Jun 1791 Jean-Xavier Bureaux de Puzy
6 Jun 1791 - 18 Jun 1791 Luc-Charles-Édouard Dauchy
18 Jun 1791 - 2 Jul 1791 Alexandre-François-Marie, vicomte de Beauharnais
2 Jul 1791 - 19 Jul 1791 Charles-Malo-François, comte de Lameth
19 Jul 1791 - 30 Jul 1791 Joseph-Jacques Defermon, dit Defermon des Chapelières
30 Jul 1791 - 13 Aug 1791 Alexandre-François-Marie, vicomte de Beauharnais
13 Aug 1791 - 27 Aug 1791 Charles-Louis-Victor, prince de Broglie
27 Aug 1791 - 10 Sep 1791 Théodore Vernier
10 Sep 1791 - 30 Sep 1791 Jacques-Guillaume Thouret
History:


Traditional representative assembly of the three estates, the États-Généraux (Estates-General), opened at Versailles on 5 May 1789; after holding sessions as separate bodies (clergy, nobility, commons), the Third Estate, styling itself Les Communes, abstained from constituting as a chamber, but proclaimed themselves (17 Jun 1789) Assemblée nationale (National Assembly); prevented from entering their meeting hall (salle des Menus Plaisirs) by order of King Louis XVI, the Assembly held its session in an indoor tennis court (salle du Jeu de Paume) and swore an oath (20 Jun 1789) to continue its deliberations until adoption of a constitution; joined by 150 deputies of the clergy and 47 deputies of the nobility; during the "royal session" (23 Jun 1789) refused to obey the king's order to adjourn to their own hall; commonly known as Assemblée nationale constituante (Constituent National Assembly) from 9 Jul 1789, when it started working on the Constitution; abolished feudalism (4 Aug 1789); passed the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen (26 Aug 1789); moved to Paris (19 Oct 1789); declared freedom of the press (20 Jan 1790); abolished monastic vows (13 Feb 1790); passed (12 Jul 1790) the Civil Constitution of the Clergy (sanctioned 20 Dec 1790); after the news of the king's flight became known to the deputies, the Assembly passed a resolution empowering the minister of justice to attach the State Seal to the assembly's decrees without consent of the king (21 Jun 1791), thus suspending one of the principal royal prerogatives; authorized ministers and other state officials to exercise executive authority (25 Jun 1791); suspension of the royal functions was extended (16 Jul 1791) until the constitutional act is presented to the king; the Assembly exercised full legislative and executive authority until 14 Sep 1791, when the king swore an oath to maintain the Constitution and regained his functions as head of the executive power; accomplished the drafting of the Constitution (3 Sep 1791); declared its mission as being accomplished and held the last session on 30 Sep 1791. In accordance with the Constitution of 1791, the National Assembly as legislative body convened on 1 Oct 1791; deputies swore allegiance to the nation (4 Oct 1791); as anti-revolutionary forces sought for support outside of France and the Austrian army menaced invasion of France, the Assembly declared war against Austria (20 Apr 1792); decreed to deport dissident clergymen (27 May 1792, vetoed by the king); failed to prevent popular invasion of the Tuileries Palace (20 Jun 1792); called for volunteers in response to invasion of Austrian and Prussian armies; received (3 Aug 1792) the message of the Parisian sections demanding deposition of the king; after the storming of the Tuileries (10 Aug 1792), passed a decree and declared the king suspended; ordered the election of a National Convention and imprisoned Louis XVI and the royal family; held its last meeting on 21 Sep 1792 and closed the session after 12 commissioners appointed by the National Convention arrived to announce that the Convention had been constituted.


[1] The official style as appearing in the documents issued by the Assembly and contemporary publications was Assemblée nationale (17 Jun 1789 - 21 Sep 1792). However, a general convention achieved by historians distinguishes between the Assemblée nationale constituante (Constituent National Assembly) [9 Jul 1789 - 30 Sep 1791] and Assemblée nationale législative (Legislative National Assembly) [1 Oct 1791 - 21 Sep 1792], though such styles did not exist in contemporary formal practice. The beginning of the constituante period refers not to the proclamation of the Constituent National Assembly, which actually never took place, but to the report of Jean-Joseph Mounier (9 Jul 1789) on basic principles for elaboration of the Constitution.
[2] Elected and proclaimed (3 Jun 1789) doyen des Communes (doyen of the Commons); reelected as doyen (8 Jun 1789) by the Commons; confirmed in office by the Commons (15 Jun 1789) and the newly-proclaimed National Assembly (17 Jun 1789); acclaimed as provisional président by the National Assembly (17 Jun 1789).
[3] Assumed the chair immediately upon the proclamation of his election and declined nomination [ Archives parlementaires. Série 1, , vol. VIII, pp. 185-186].
[4] Elected president (1 Aug 1789), but declined nomination in writing (letter dated 1 Aug 1789); election nevertheless proclaimed at a session of the National Assembly (3 Aug 1789); assumed the chair immediately upon the proclamation and announced that he declines nomination; a letter of resignation was publicly read out. Duc de Liancourt continued to chair the session until the election and proclamation of Le Chapelier at the evening session of 3 Aug 1789 [Archives parlementaires de 1787 à 1860, op. cit., vol. VIII, pp. 331, 335].
[5] Offended by a speech of deputy de Lally-Tollendal, duc de Langres abandoned the chair and comte de Clermont-Tonnerre assumed the chair as ancien président (morning session of 9 Sep 1789); continued to chair the evening session of 9 Sep 1789, which declined the resignation of duc de Langres presented to the Assembly and entrusted Clermont-Tonnerre to chair the sessions until the incumbent returns to exercising his functions [Archives parlementaires de 1787 à 1860, op. cit., vol. VIII, p. 605]. As duc de Langres persisted in neglecting his duties, Clermont-Tonnerre presided the sessions of 10 Sep 1789, 11 Sep 1789, 12 Sep 1789, and was elected and proclaimed a new président on 14 Sep 1789 [Archives parlementaires de 1787 à 1860, op. cit., vol. VIII, p. 636].
[6] Comte de Virieu announced his resignation in a speech [Archives parlementaires de 1787 à 1860, op. cit., vol. XV, p. 305] at the end of the session of 27 Apr 1790 after briefly exercising the duties of president. Marquis de Bonnay chaired the sessions of 28 Apr 1790 and 29 Apr 1790 as ex-président. The Assembly acquiesced to the written resignation of de Virieu (dated 28 Apr 1790) read out [Archives parlementaires de 1787 à 1860, op. cit., vol. XV, p. 316] during the session of 28 Apr 1790 and proclaimed the election of his successor, abbé Gouttes, on 29 Apr 1790 [Archives parlementaires de 1787 à 1860, op. cit., vol. XV, p. 324].