The spelling of the word "Feuillants" is not intuitive. It is pronounced as "foy-yawn," with a silent "t" at the end. In IPA phonetic transcription, it is written as /fœ.jɑ̃/. Feuillants were a political group during the French Revolution who opposed the more radical Jacobins. The term "Feuillant" means "leafy" in French and comes from the former monastery where the group held their meetings, which was adorned with foliage. Despite its challenging spelling, Feuillants remains an important historical term.
Feuillants refers to a political group in France during the French Revolution. The term originated from the French word "feuille" meaning "leaf" as the members used to gather in the Monastery of the Feuillants, a former Cistercian convent in Paris. The Feuillants were a moderate faction who emerged in 1791, branching off from the Jacobins, in response to the increasing radicalism and extremism of the revolutionary movements.
The Feuillants advocated for a constitutional monarchy and sought to uphold the principles of the French Revolution while maintaining a more moderate and restrained approach to political and social change. They believed in the protection of property rights and individual liberties, and their policies were more conservative compared to the radical Jacobins. The Feuillants constituted a significant political force, attracting support from politicians, intellectuals, and members of the bourgeoisie who were concerned about the escalating violence and chaos brought about by the radical factions.
However, the Feuillants faced opposition from both the monarchy and the radical revolutionaries who saw them as a threat to their goals. With the rise of the more radical Jacobins, the Feuillants lost influence, and their party was eventually dissolved in 1792. Many of their members were later targeted during the Reign of Terror, with some being executed or imprisoned.
Overall, the Feuillants were a political group within the French Revolution who aimed to maintain a constitutional monarchy and advocate for a more moderate and orderly approach to reform.
The word "Feuillants" has its origins in the French language. It comes from the Old French word "feuille", meaning "leaf" or "sheet".
The term "Feuillants" originated from the establishment of a religious order called the "Order of the Feuillants" (Ordre des Feuillants) in the late 16th century. The order was founded in 1587 by Jean de la Barrière, a French friar, with the aim of living a more strict and ascetic religious life.
The name "Feuillants" was chosen for the order because their religious house was located near a convent in Paris called "Sainte-Marie-des-Feuillants", which was itself named after the area where it stood, known as "le faubourg Saint-Honoré des feuillants".