| • Science | • People | • Locations | • Timeline |
| Contents | ||
The French Revolutionary Calendar or French Republican Calendar is a calendar proposed during the French Revolution, and in use by the French government for 13 years from 1793. It was abolished by Napoléon partly to appease the Catholic Church, which opposed the calendar because it abolished the Sabbath and saints' days.
It was designed by the politician and agronomist Charles Gilbert Romme , although is usually attributed to Fabre d'Églantine, who invented the names of the months. The calendar was adopted by the Jacobin-controlled National Convention on October 24, 1793.
Years appear in writing as Roman numerals (usually), counted from the beginning of the 'Republican Era', beginning on September 22 1792 (the day of the proclamation of the French First RepublicThe French people proclaimed France's First Republic on 21 September 1792 as a result of the French Revolution and of the abolition of the French monarchy. This marked the first occasion in many centuries where a major European state moved from monarchica, one day after the Convention abolished the monarchy). As a result the calendar is based on a date one year before it was actually adopted. The new year began on the autumnal equinox.
Napoléon finally abolished official use of the calendar on January 1January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Here a calendar year refers to the order in which the months are displayed, January to December. The first day of the medieval Julian year was usually a day other, 1806Events January 8 Cape Colony becomes a British colony January 10 Dutch in Cape Town surrender to the British January 19 The United Kingdom occupies the Cape of Good Hope March 23 After traveling through the Louisiana Purchase and reaching the Pacific Ocea (in fact at midnight, the 10 nivôse year XIV aka December 31December 31 is the 365th day of the year (366th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, as the final day of the Gregorian year. Events 406 Vandals, Alans and Suebians cross the Rhine, beginning an invasion of Gallia 1600 British East India Company is ch, 1805), thirteen years after its introduction. However, it was to be used again during the brief Paris CommuneThe term Paris Commune originally referred to the government of Paris during the French Revolution. However, the term more commonly refers to the socialist government that briefly ruled Paris from March 26 to May 30, 1871. The Paris Commune of 1871 was ma in 1871Events January January 18 The member-states of the North German Confederation unite into a single nation-state known as the German Empire. The King of Prussia is declared the first German Emperor as Wilhelm I of Germany. January 28 France surrenders to en (year LXXIX).
Many conversion tables and programs exist, largely created by genealogists. Some enthusiasts in France still use the calendar, more out of historical re-enactment than practicality.
The legal texts that were adopted when the Revolutionary Calendar was official and are still in force in France have kept their original dates for citation purposes.