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1803
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On 1793, August 8, the revolutionary Convention Nationale decreed the abolition
of "toutes les académies et sociétés littéraires
patentées ou dotées par la Nation" [all academies and learned
societies licensed or endowed by the Nation]
(Institut de France (1995), p.299).
According to Institut de France (1995), pp.18-19,
the royal academies were suppressed by the Convention on 1793, August 8,
because they were, in the words of Abbé Henri Grégoire (1750-1831),
"gangrenées d'une incurable aristocratie."
The suppressed royal academies included the following national ones:
- Académie Françoise (founded 1635, later called
Académie Française);
- Académie Royale de Peinture et de
Sculpture (founded 1648);
- Académie Royale des Inscriptions et
Médailles (founded 1663, renamed
Académie Royale des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres in 1716)
- Académie Royale des Sciences (founded 1666);
- Académie Royale de Musique (founded 1669);
- Académie Royale d'Architecture (organized 1671).
On the same date that the royal academies were suppressed, the comité
d'instruction publique de la Convention was charged with preparing as soon
as possible an organizational plan for a "société destinée
à l'avancement des science et des arts".
On 1795, October 25, the Convention adopted a report of Danou on the
formation of such an organization, no longer referred to as a
"société" but as an "institut national", and intended to cast
into the shade the splendour of all the former royal academies
(Institut de France (1995), p.19).
This organization was called the Institut National des Sciences et Arts
(Institut de France (1995), p.20).
According to p.20 of Institut de France (1995),
the Institut originally had the following three Classes:
- Première Classe: Classe des Sciences Mathématiques et Physiques
[covered geometry, mechanical arts, astronomy, experimental physics, chemistry,
natural history and mineralogy, botany and plant physiology, anatomy and zoology,
medicine and surgery, agricultural economics and the veterinary arts.]
- Deuxième Classe: Classe des Sciences Morales et Politiques
[covered the analysis of sensations and thoughts, ethics, social science and
legislation, political economy, history and geography.]
- Troisième Classe: Classe de Littérature et Beaux-Arts
[covered grammar, ancient languages, poetry, antiquities and monuments,
painting, sculpture, architecture, music, and oratory.]
According to p.29 of Institut de France (1995),
Napoléon Bonaparte (1769-1821) decided, on the advice of a
commission, to resurrect the former academies, but within the bosom of the
Institut; so, on 1803, January 23, the Institut was re-organized into four
classes corresponding to the academies suppressed by the Revolution:
-
Première Classe: Sciences Mathématiques et Physiques [corresponding
to the Académie Royale des Sciences (founded 1666)]
-
Deuxième Classe: Langue et Littérature Françaises
[corresponding to the Académie Françoise
(founded 1635, later called
Académie Française)]
-
Troisième Classe: Histoire et la Littérature Ancienne
[corresponding to the Académie Royale des Inscriptions et Médailles
(founded 1663, renamed
Académie Royale des Inscriptions et
Belles-Lettres in 1716)]
-
Quatriéme Classe: Beaux-Arts [corresponding to a union of the
Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture
(founded 1648);
Académie Royale de Musique (founded 1669);
Académie Royale d'Architecture (organized 1671).]
In addition, it should be noted that, according to pp.307-308 of
Institut de France (1995), in January of
1803 Napoléon Bonaparte had proposed a re-organization of the
Institut inspired largely by the former royal model (suggesting among other
things, restoring the designation of "Académie" to the various
sections), which was rejected for this reason by the Conseil d'État.
The plan adopted a few days later on 1803, January 23 did not include
restoring the designation of "Académie".
Co-incidentally, this re-organization effectively suppressed the
Classe des Sciences Morales et Politiques, the second class originally
established by the Convention in 1795. It was not until 1832, October 26,
that King Louis-Philippe (1773-1850) passed an order prepared by
François Guizot (1787-1874) and Pierre-Louis Roederer (1754-1835)
that re-established the Classe as the
Académie Royale des Sciences Morales et Politiques
(Institut de France (1995), p.352).
Although the First Restoration of the Monarchy occurred in 1814, there was too
much instability in the country until after the Second Restoration of the
Monarchy (which occurred around July 1815, after the defeat of
Napoléon Bonaparte, who had returned from exile in February of
1815), for any reform of the Institut
(Institut de France (1995), p.32).
On 1816, March 21, Louis XVIII (1755-1824) issued an order fixing the
statutes of the Institut; one notable change was the return of the designation
of "Académie" to the constituent parts of the Institut
(Institut de France (1995), p.310).
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