The Laffitte government .282 November 1830 .E2.80.93 13 March 1831.29 July Monarchy

donjon of château de vincennes, charles x s ministers detained.

although louis-philippe disagreed banker laffitte , secretly pledged duke of broglie not support him @ all, new president of council tricked trusting king.

the trial of charles x s former ministers took place 15 21 december 1830 before chamber of peers, surrounded rioters demanding death. sentenced life detention, accompanied civil death polignac. la fayette s national guard maintained public order in paris, affirming bourgeois watchdog of new regime, while new interior minister, camille de montalivet, kept ministers safe detaining them in fort of vincennes.

but demonstrating national guard s importance, la fayette had made position delicate, , forced resign. led minister of justice dupont de l eure s resignation. in order avoid exclusive dependence on national guard, citizen king charged marshal soult, new minister of war, reorganizing army. in february 1831, soult presented project, aiming increase military s effectiveness. among other reforms, project included 9 march 1831 law creating foreign legion.

in meantime, government enacted various reforms demanded parti du mouvement, had been set out in charter (art. 69). 21 march 1831 law on municipal councils reestablished principle of election , enlarged electorate (founded on census suffrage) increased tenfold in comparison legislative elections (approximately 2 3 million electors total population of 32,6 million). 22 march 1831 law re-organized national guard; 19 april 1831 law, voted after 2 months of debate in parliament , promulgated after laffitte s downfall, decreased electoral income level 300 200 francs , level eligibility 1,000 500 francs. number of voters thereby increased less 100,000 166,000: 1 frenchman in 170 possessed right vote, , number of constituencies rose 430 459.

the february 1831 riots

françois guizot, leader of parti de l ordre.

despite these reforms, targeted bourgeoisie rather people, paris once again rocked riots on 14 , 15 february 1831, leading laffitte s downfall. immediate cause of riots funeral service organized legitimists @ saint-germains l auxerrois church in memory of ultra-royalist duke of berry, assassinated in 1820. commemoration turned political demonstration in favour of count of chambord, legitimist pretender throne. seeing in celebration intolerable provocation, republican rioters ransacked church 2 days in row, before turning on other churches. revolutionary movement spread other cities.

confronted renewed unrest, government abstained strong repression. prefect of seine odilon barrot, prefect of police jean-jacques baude, , new commandant of national guard, general georges mouton, remained passive, triggering guizot s indignation, republican armand carrel s criticisms against alleged demagogy of government. far suppressing crowds, government had archbishop of paris mgr. de quélen arrested, charging friar of saint-germain-l auxerrois , other priests, along other monarchists, having provoked masses.

in gesture of appeasement, laffitte, supported prince royal ferdinand-philippe, duke of orléans, proposed king remove fleur-de-lys, symbol of ancien régime, state seal. obvious displeasure, louis-philippe signed 16 february 1831 ordinance substituting arms of house of orléans shield open book, on read charte de 1830 . fleur-de-lys, removed public buildings, etc. new defeat of king sealed laffitte s fate.

on 19 february 1831, guizot verbally attacked laffitte in chamber of deputies, daring him dissolve chamber , present himself before electors. laffitte accepted, king, 1 entitled dissolve chamber, preferred wait few days more. in meanwhile, prefect of seine odilon barrot replaced taillepied de bondy @ montalivet s request, , prefect of police jean-jacques baude vivien de goubert. make matters worse, in insurrectionary climate, economic situation bad.

louis-philippe tricked laffitte resigning having minister of foreign affairs, horace sébastiani, pass him note written french ambassador vienna, marshal maison, , had arrived in paris on 4 march 1831, announced imminent austrian intervention in italy. learning of note in le moniteur of 8 march, laffitte requested immediate explanations sébastiani, replied had followed royal orders. after meeting king, laffitte submitted council of ministers belligerent program, , subsequently disavowed, forcing him resign. of ministers had negotiated positions in forthcoming government.