French Third Restoration
Henri d'Artois (left), grandson of Charles X and Legitimist pretender, and Prince Philippe, Count of Paris (right), grandson of Louis Philippe I and Orléanist pretender. | |
| Date | October 14 – October 31, 1873 |
|---|---|
| Timeline September 4, 1870: Fall of the Empire: the Provisional Government of National Defense continues the war against Germany until January 29, 1871. February 8, 1871: Legislative elections: the royalists obtain a large majority. March 1, 1871: Official deposition of Napoleon III July 5, 1871: Return of Henri d'Artois to France May 24, 1873: Resignation of President Adolphe Thiers; the royalist Patrice de MacMahon is elected to office. October 14, 1873: The royalist commission offers the throne to Henri d'Artois, who accepts the constitutional project. October 31, 1873: Henri d'Artois refuses the tricolor flag: the royalist deputies turn away from him, the commission is dissolved and the project canceled. February 24 – July 16, 1875: Constitutional laws: the republic asserts itself and solidifies. October 14 – October 27, 1877: Legislative elections: the republicans obtain the majority January 5, 1879: Senate elections: faced with the rout of the monarchists, Patrice de Mac Mahon resigns on January 30 | |
The project of a Third Restoration arose in the early 1870s to reestablish the monarchy in France. The project was conceived and prepared following the fall of the Second Empire in 1870, the Paris Commune, and the 1871 legislative elections, giving the National Assembly a royalist majority.
Henri d'Artois, Count of Chambord and grandson of King Charles X, was the leading candidate for the throne. His legitimacy became indisputable among the royalists after his cousin, Philippe, Count of Paris and leader of the Orléanists, agreed to recognize him as the sole claimant. Called "Henri V" by his supporters, the Count of Chambord prepared to enter Paris.
While awaiting his return, Marshal Patrice de Mac Mahon was elected President of the Republic and organized a peaceful transition. However, the disagreements between Chambord and the Orléanists, as well as the growing strength of the Republicans in the Assembly during the first decade of the French Third Republic, made any attempt at restoring the Bourbons difficult. Due to political divisions and the Count of Chambord's hesitation and refusal to compromise on key symbols such as the tricolor flag, the negotiations collapsed in 1873 with failure to achieve agreement and never regained momentum.
While Patrice de Mac Mahon continued on as President and was supportive of the monarchy, the passage of the Constitutional Laws of 1875, the 1877 legislative elections and the January 1879 senatorial elections confirmed the rise of the Republicans and the decline of the royalists. Lacking a majority, Mac Mahon was forced to step down and the project was abandoned.