Bourbon Restoration

France (1814–1830)

In France the Bourbon Restoration began when Louis XVIII took the throne in 1814 after Napoleon's first abdication, was briefly displaced during the Hundred Days in 1815, then reestablished until 1830. The period combined conservative aims—returning émigrés and restoring many older institutions—with concessions to change: the Charter of 1814 created a constitutional monarchy, a bicameral legislature and basic civil liberties while preserving property rights gained under the Revolution. Tensions between conservative "ultras" and liberal critics culminated in the July Revolution of 1830, which deposed Charles X and replaced the senior Bourbon line with a more liberal Orléans monarchy.

Kingdom of the Two Sicilies (after 1815)

After the defeat of Napoleon, the Congress of Vienna and allied decisions restored Bourbon rule in southern Italy under the branch known as the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. The restored regime reunited Bourbon kingship over Naples and Sicily and sought to reassert traditional authority while responding unevenly to demands for reform. Bourbon rule in the Two Sicilies lasted until the Italian unification campaigns of the 1850s–1860s, when forces led by Giuseppe Garibaldi and the Kingdom of Sardinia absorbed the territory into the new Kingdom of Italy.

Spain (early and late 19th century)

Spain experienced multiple Bourbon restorations. Ferdinand VII returned in 1814 after the collapse of Joseph Bonaparte's rule and repudiated many liberal reforms, producing sharp conflict and the Carlist Wars over succession and governance. Later, Isabella II's reign (1833–1868) reflected continued instability and alternating liberal and conservative governments; her exile followed the Glorious Revolution of 1868. A distinct "Restoration" began in 1874 when Alfonso XII, a Bourbon, was placed on the throne and a new constitutional framework attempted to stabilize Spanish politics until the early 20th century.

Common features and legacy

Bourbon restorations shared several features: efforts to reclaim dynastic legitimacy, tensions between reactionary and reforming forces, and legal compromises to accommodate revolutionary changes such as civil equality and property protections. They helped shape 19th‑century political vocabulary—legitimists, ultras, constitutionalists—and influenced the development of constitutional monarchy as a compromise regime. Equally, these restorations provoked uprisings, civil wars and nationalist movements that eroded traditional monarchies across Europe.

Timeline and notable points

• 1814–1815, 1815–1830: French Bourbon rule under Louis XVIII and Charles X.
• Post‑1815: Bourbon-Two Sicilies restored after the Napoleonic interlude; fell during Italian unification by 1861.
• Spain: Ferdinand VII restored 1814; Isabella II deposed 1868; dynastic restoration under Alfonso XII in 1874.

In historiography the phrase "Bourbon Restoration" thus denotes a family of political restorations that sought to reconcile pre‑revolutionary monarchy with the social and political changes unleashed by revolution and empire—efforts that ultimately reshaped modern Europe through compromise, conflict and eventual modernization of state institutions.