French Republican calendar
The National Convention decreed on the 24th of October 1793 that the new calendar would begin its first year on the 22nd of September 1792. This specific date marked the proclamation of the French First Republic, which had occurred just three days earlier. Before this decision, political bodies struggled to agree on a starting point for their era. The Legislative Assembly initially chose the 1st of January 1789 as the beginning of Year I of Liberty. Later, they shifted the start date to the 1st of January 1792 for documents dated Year IV of Liberty. The final choice to anchor the calendar to the 22nd of September 1792 served to commemorate the birth of the Republic rather than the revolution itself. Sylvain Maréchal published his Almanach des Honnêtes-gens in 1788, offering an early prototype with ten-day cycles within months. His work assigned secular names to days instead of traditional saints. The commission led by Gilbert Romme presented the finalized calendar to the Jacobin-controlled assembly on the 23rd of September 1793. They adopted it the following day and extended its use proleptically back to the autumnal equinox of 1792.
Each month contained twelve weeks called décades, consisting of ten days each named primidi through décadi. The tenth day, known as décadi, replaced Sunday as the official day of rest. This structure aimed to reduce the influence of the Roman Catholic Church on daily life. A period of four years ending on a leap day was designated as a Franciade. The name originally proposed was Olympique but changed to honor the four-year struggle to establish a republican government. Days were divided into ten hours, each hour containing one hundred decimal minutes. Each minute held one hundred decimal seconds. An hour lasted 144 conventional minutes, making it significantly longer than standard time. Mandatory use of decimal time officially suspended on the 7th of April 1795. Some cities continued using decimal time until 1801 despite the suspension. Clocks manufactured during this era displayed both decimal and duodecimal time systems. The numbering of years used Roman numerals, which ran counter to the general trend toward decimalization in other reforms.
The calendar served as a tool for dechristianisation by replacing religious holidays with secular festivals. Christian holidays were officially abolished in favor of revolutionary celebrations. Fabre d'Églantine introduced a rural calendar where every décadi ended with an agricultural tool name. Quintidi days featured common animals while other days named grain, pasture, trees, roots, flowers, and fruits. Minerals received names during the winter month Nivôse. Five or six extra days at year end became national holidays known as les jours complémentaires. These included La Fête de la Vertu celebrating virtue and La Fête du Travail honoring labor. The law of 13 Fructidor year VI required marriages to be celebrated only on décadis starting from the 22nd of September 1798. This requirement remained in effect until the 17th of February 1800. Festivals replaced Catholic observances with events like the Cult of Reason and the Cult of the Supreme Being. The Concordat of 1801 restored Sunday as the official day of rest but kept republican months and years intact.
Leap years created significant disputes due to contradictory statements within the establishing decree. The rule stated leap years occurred when the autumnal equinox fell after midnight in Paris. Another clause suggested leap years should follow a four-year cycle. These specifications proved incompatible because astronomical observations did not align with regular schedules. Years III, VII, and XI were observed as leap years, yet years XV and XX were planned five years apart. Delambre proposed a fixed arithmetic rule on the 8th of May 1795 to determine leap years by applying Gregorian rules to Republican years. He suggested that year 4000 should remain a common year instead of becoming a leap year. Romme committed suicide shortly after presenting this proposal, leaving it unadopted. Jérôme Lalande repeatedly tried to revive the idea over several years. The committee noted that the autumnal equinox of year 144 was predicted to occur at 11:59:40 pm local apparent time. This timing fell within three to four minutes of uncertainty inherent in astronomical measurements of the era. Five years sometimes passed between leap years, occurring about three times per century.
Napoleon signed an act dated the 9th of September 1805 abolishing the calendar officially. The decree referenced a report listing two fundamental flaws regarding its implementation. One flaw involved the uneven course of the sun requiring consultation with astronomers for each new year start. Another issue stemmed from choosing a historical event date incompatible with other European nations beginning their year near winter or spring. The ten-day décade proved unpopular among laborers who received only one full day of rest every ten days. They gained half-days on fifth days totaling 54 free days annually compared to standard Sundays. The calendar remained in use until the 1st of January 1806 when Napoleon declared it abolished. It appeared briefly during the Paris Commune between 6 and the 23rd of May 1871. French frigates named Floréal class bear names derived from Republican months. Émile Zola titled his novel Germinal after the calendar month. Lobster Thermidor was named following an 1891 play set during the Revolution. J.R.R. Tolkien adapted these months into Elvish language for his Nûmenorean Calendar system.
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Common questions
When did the French Republican calendar officially begin and what date marked its start?
The National Convention decreed on the 24th of October 1793 that the new calendar would begin its first year on the 22nd of September 1792. This specific date marked the proclamation of the French First Republic which had occurred three days earlier.
How many days were in each month of the French Republican calendar and what was the day of rest called?
Each month contained twelve weeks called décades consisting of ten days each named primidi through décadi. The tenth day known as décadi replaced Sunday as the official day of rest to reduce the influence of the Roman Catholic Church on daily life.
What decimal time system was used during the French Republican calendar era and when was it suspended?
Days were divided into ten hours each hour containing one hundred decimal minutes and each minute held one hundred decimal seconds. Mandatory use of decimal time officially suspended on the 7th of April 1795 though some cities continued using decimal time until 1801.
Why was the French Republican calendar abolished by Napoleon and on what date did this occur?
Napoleon signed an act dated the 9th of September 1805 abolishing the calendar officially due to flaws involving the uneven course of the sun and unpopular labor conditions. The decree referenced a report listing two fundamental flaws regarding its implementation before declaring it abolished on the 1st of January 1806.
Which cultural works derived their names from months in the French Republican calendar?
French frigates named Floréal class bear names derived from Republican months while Émile Zola titled his novel Germinal after the calendar month. Lobster Thermidor was named following an 1891 play set during the Revolution and J.R.R. Tolkien adapted these months into Elvish language for his Nûmenorean Calendar system.