Incredible 1792 Minutes of the First Convention of the French Republic Following the French Revolution
10124On offer is a superb document drawn on September 22, 1792, the very first official day of the French Republic (République française), founded following the French Revolution.
In the aftermath of the Revolution of 1789 and the abolition of the monarchy, the First Republic of France was established on September 22 of 1792. The National Convention was made up of groups representing differing political outlooks. At their first meeting, the Convention decided to try King Louis XVI for treason, based on his attempt to flee the country the previous year. They later found him guilty, and executed him on January 21, 1793.
September 22, 1792 was also established as the beginning date of the new Revolutionary Calendar.
This document is a record of some of the minutes of that first convention and are dated September 22nd – the first day of the new government It is titled:
Extract Du Proces-Verbal De La Convention National Relatif au renouvellement des Corps administrifs, municipaux et judicaires
[Translation: Extract From The Minutes Of The National Convention Relative to the renewal of the administrative, municipal and judicial bodies]
It opens with a recording of these ‘motions’:
Un membre fait la motion que toutes les administrations et tribunaux soient renouveles. Un autre demande que les operations faites a cet egard par les corps electoraux, soient confirmes. Plusiers autres membres insistent pour que toutes les administations soient renouvelees et qu'il soit fait au repport prochain sur l'existance et la formation des tribunaux…
[Translation: A member makes the motion that all the administrations and courts be renewed. Another asks that the operations made in this respect by the electoral bodies, be confirmed. Several other members insist that all the administrations be renewed and that the existence and formation of the courts be reported soon].
The next few pages go on to detain other proposals and requests, generally concerning legal matters.
The document bears the printed signature of Monge and Garat. Gaspard Monge was a Minister of State, serving as Minister of the Navy and Colonies. Interestingly, Monge was a noted matheematician and founder of Differential Geometry. Garat was Dominique Joseph Garat, Minister of the Interior.
These minutes were ordered printed and distributed throughout France and this copy was sent to the City of Nancy in the north east of France.
For a historian or a collector of material from the earliest days of the French Revolution, this is a superb item, documenting the earliest efforts of the French people to establish a republican government, separate from the monarchy and the feudal system
The document measures 9.0 inches by 7.0 inches and is folded to make 4 pages. The printed text occupies all 4 pages and it bears not only a printed signature but also a fairly solid hand signature. When it was printed, the paper was not placed squarely on the press and therefore the text is not aligned perfectly horizontal. The page bears the initial stamp of the new government displaying the Phrygian cap or liberty cap that was adopted as a symbol of the revolution. The paper is in good condition with some slight staining from dampness and age.
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