September 13, 1791

French Constitution of 1791

Louis XVI announces his acceptance of the Constitution of 1791

The acceptance read out to the Assembly was reportedly in the king's own handwriting — and he used the same message to defend his failed flight.

13 September 1791: a message in the king's hand

On 13 September 1791 the minister of justice, Marguerite-Louis-François Duport-Dutertre, delivered to the National Constituent Assembly a message written in Louis XVI's own hand. The Assembly's president, Théodore Vernier, read it aloud.

Louis declared that he had carefully examined the constitutional act, accepted it, and would have it executed. He pledged to maintain the Constitution internally and defend it against external attacks, using the powers it assigned him to enforce it.

Three steps, often collapsed into one

The Assembly had completed its final debate and adopted the text on 3 September, then submitted it for royal acceptance. The written acceptance came on the 13th.

The solemnity came on the 14th, when Louis appeared before the Assembly, swore fidelity to the nation and law, and signed the constitutional act. A contemporary medal recorded both dates — the acceptance message on one side, the oath on the other.

What the acceptance did

Louis used the same message to explain and defend his failed flight from Paris three months earlier. His acceptance ended the suspension and confinement imposed after Varennes.

It did not make him a parliamentary monarch in the modern sense. Ministers were not politically responsible to the legislature, and the king retained executive powers and a suspensive veto.

Sources

Researched 24 Aug 2026 5 sources not yet audited

How this was checked

Researched from the web into a fact sheet and rewritten from that sheet. This article has not yet had an independent model audit. How the pipeline works →

What the sources leave uncertain

The date itself is secure, but three distinct acts are often conflated: the Assembly adopted the text on 3 September; Louis announced acceptance in writing on 13 September; and he took the oath and signed solemnly on 14 September.
Calling either 13 or 14 September simply the date the Constitution was “adopted” obscures this sequence.