French Republican Calendar

France Republican Calendar

History of the Calendar
The French Republican calendar (also known as the Revolutionary calendar) was introduced during the French Revolution to replace the Gregorian calendar and begin a new era. The calendar was based on scientific rather than Christian principles.

This calendar was used for twelve years, from 24 October 1793 to 31 December 1805. (An attempt was made in 1871 to reinstate it, but this attempt failed.) It was used for civil registration records, notarial records, and other government records throughout France and other areas under French rule, including modern Belgium, Luxembourg, and parts of the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy. It also affected records in other areas ruled by the French government, such as Egypt, Malta, Reunion, Louisiana, Guiana, and some Caribbean islands.

Principles of the New Calendar
Each year began on the autumn equinox, and the years were counted from the founding of the French Republic on 22 September 1792.

Each year had twelve months of thirty days each.

Five days, called complementary days, were added to the end of the year to bring the total to 365.

Every four years, beginning with the third year of the Republic, an extra complementary day was added. (Days were added to years 3, 7, 11, and so forth.) During this period, the standard calendar had only two leap years (in 1796 and 1804).

The Months
The twelve months of the French Republican calendar were based on the natural events of the seasons of the year. They do not correspond to the standard months of January through December.

In areas that were not French-speaking, the names of the months were often translated into the language of the record, as shown by the following chart:

Summer months

 * Occasionally, the name Fervidor(heat) was used for Thermidor.

Complementary or Feast Days

 * Only used in leap years

Complementary Days
The extra days at the end of the year were called jours complémentaires (complementary days or holidays) or jours-sansculottides (days of the revolutionaries). The complementary days were feast days and each had a name. The above chart shows the names in each language where the calendar was used.

How Dates were Recorded
Dates were usually written out in French or the local language. For example:


 * Le treizième jour du mois de Pluviôse l’an sept de la République Française (The 13th of Pluviose in the seventh year of the French Republic).

The years of the Republic were often designated by Roman numerals. For example:


 * 13 Pluviôse VII (13 Pluviose, seventh year of the Republic).

The complementary (feast) days were recorded in two ways:


 * By the name of the feast. Example: the feast day of Labor in the ninth year of the French Republic.
 * By the number (first, second, third, and so on) of the day.
 * Example: the third complementary day of the ninth year of the French Republic.

How to Calculate the Standard Date for a French Republican Date
Four calendars are on the following pages. Each calendar has the French Republican months across the top, and thirty days on the left-hand column.

Find the French Republican year for the date you are converting at the top of one of the four calendars.

Find the day (of the French month) in the left column, and move across the page to the French month (abbreviated at the top of the chart). This will give you the standard (Gregorian) month and day.

Return to the top of the calendar. The corresponding standard years are on the same horizontal line as the French Republican year. The correct standard year for the date you are converting is on the same side of the heavy black line as the month and day you found in step 2.

Example: 10 Vendémiaire de l’an IX

Year IX is on Calendar Three
On Calendar Three, find the number 10 in the left column and move across the page to the column for Vendémiaire. This box says 2 Oct. Dates on the left side of the heavy black line for the ninth year of the Republic correspond to 1800. Thus 10 Vendémiaire IX corresponds to 2 October 1800.

Calendar One
Year One I.............................1792   1793

Year Two II.............................1793   1794

Year Three III..........................1794   1795

Year Five V............................1796   1797

Year Six VI............................1797   1798

Year Seven VII.......................1798   1799


 * Used only in Year III and VII

Calendar Two

 * French Republican Year                          Standard (Gregorian) Year  (in Bold)


 * Year Four IV . . . . . . . . . 1795   1796

Calendar Three

 * French Republican Year                Standard (Gregorian) Year (in Bold)


 * Year Eight VII . . . . . . . 1799    1800


 * Year Nine IX . . . . . . . . 1800    1801


 * Year Ten X . . . . . . . . . 1801    1802


 * Year Eleven XI . . . . . . . 1802   1803


 * Year Thirteen XIII . . . . .1803   1804


 * Year Fourteen XIV. . . . .1804   1805


 * Used only in Year XI

Calendar Four
{| style="width: 657px; height: 690px" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1" width="657" border="1"
 * VEND
 * BRUM
 * FRIM
 * NIVO
 * PLUV
 * VENT
 * GERM
 * FLOR
 * PRAIR
 * MESS
 * THERM
 * FRUCT
 * COMPL
 * FRUCT
 * COMPL

1 24 Sep 24 Oct 23 Nov 23 Dec 22 Jan 21 Feb 22 Mar 21 Apr 21 May 20 Jun 20 Jul 19 Aug 18 Sep 2 25 Sep 25 Oct 24 Nov 24 Dec 23 Jan 22 Feb 23 Mar 22 Apr 22 May 21 Jun 21 Jul 20 Aug 19 Sep 3 26 Sep 26 Oct 25 Nov 25 Dec 24 Jan 23 Feb 24 Mar 23 Apr 23 May 22 Jun 22 Jul 21 Aug 20 Sep 4 27 Sep 27 Oct 26 Nov 26 Dec 25 Jan 24 Feb 25 Mar 24 Apr 24 May 23 Jun 23 Jul 22 Aug 21 Sep 5 28 Sep 28 Oct 27 Nov 27 Dec 26 Jan 25 Feb 26 Mar 25 Apr 25 May 24 Jun 24 Jul 23 Aug 22 Sep 6 29 Sep 29 Oct 28 Nov 28 Dec 27 Jan 26 Feb 27 Mar 26 Apr 26 May 25 Jun 25 Jul 24 Aug 7 30 Sep 30 Oct 29 Nov 29 Dec 28 Jan 27 Feb 28 Mar 27 Apr 27 May 26 Jun 26 Jul 25 Aug 8 1 Oct 31 Oct 30 Nov 30 Dec 29 Jan 28 Feb 29 Mar 28 Apr 28 May 27 Jun 27 Jul 26 Aug 9 2 Oct 1 Nov 1 Dec 31 Dec 30 Jan 29 Feb 30 Mar 29 Apr 29 May 28 Jun 28 Jul 27 Aug 10 3 Oct 2 Nov 2 Dec 1 Ja n 31 Jan 1 Mar 31 Mar 30 Apr 30 May 29 Jun 29 Jul 28 Aug 11 4 Oct 3 Nov 3 Dec 2 Ja n 1 Feb 2 Mar 1 Apr 1 May 31 May 30 Jun 30 Jul 29 Aug 12 5 Oct 4 Nov 4 Dec 3 Ja n 2 Feb 3 Mar 2 Apr 2 May 1 Jun 1 Jul 31 Jul 30 Aug 13 6 Oct 5 Nov 5 Dec 4 Ja n 3 Feb 4 Mar 3 Apr 3 May 2 Jun 2 Jul 1 Aug 31 Aug 14 7 Oct 6 Nov 6 Dec 5 Jan 4 Feb 5 Mar 4 Apr 4 May 3 Jun 3 Jul 2 Aug 1 Sep 15 8 Oct 7 Nov 7 Dec 6 Jan 5 Feb 6 Mar 5 Apr 5 May 4 Jun 4 Jul 3 Aug 2 Sep 16 9 Oct 8 Nov 8 Dec 7 Jan 6 Feb 7 Mar 6 Apr 6 May 5 Jun 5 Jul 4 Aug 3 Sep 17 10 Oct 9 Nov 9 Dec 8 Jan 7 Feb 8 Mar 7 Apr 7 May 6 Jun 6 Jul 5 Aug 4 Sep 18 11 Oct 10 Nov 10 Dec 9 Jan 8 Feb 9 Mar 8 Apr 8 May 7 Jun 7 Jul 6 Aug 5 Sep 19 12 Oct 11 Nov 11 Dec 10 Jan 9 Feb 10 Mar 9 Apr 9 May 8 Jun 8 Jul 7 Aug 6 Sep 20 13 Oct 12 Nov 12 Dec 11 Jan 10 Feb 11 Mar 10 Apr 10 May 9 Jun 9 Jul 8 Aug 7 Sep 21 14 Oct 13 Nov 13 Dec 12 Jan 11 Feb 12 Mar 11 Apr 11 May 10 Jun 10 Jul 9 Aug 8 Sep 22 15 Oct 14 Nov 14 Dec 13 Jan 12 Feb 13 Mar 12 Apr 12 May 11 Jun 11 Jul 10 Aug 9 Sep 23 16 Oct 15 Nov 15 Dec 14 Jan 13 Feb 14 Mar 13 Apr 13 May 12 Jun 12 Jul 11 Aug 10 Sep 24 17 Oct 16 Nov 16 Dec 15 Jan 14 Feb 15 Mar 14 Apr 14 May 13 Jun 13 Jul 12 Aug 11 Sep 25 18 Oct 17 Nov 17 Dec 16 Jan 15 Feb 16 Mar 15 Apr 15 May 14 Jun 14 Jul 13 Aug 12 Sep 26 19 Oct 18 Nov 18 Dec 17 Jan 16 Feb 17 Mar 16 Apr 16 May 15 Jun 15 Jul 14 Aug 13 Sep 27 20 Oct 19 Nov 19 Dec 18 Jan 17 Feb 18 Mar 17 Apr 17 May 16 Jun 16 Jul 15 Aug 14 Sep 28 21 Oct 20 Nov 20 Dec 19 Jan 18 Feb 19 Mar 18 Apr 18 May 17 Jun 17 Jul 16 Aug 15 Sep 29 22 Oct 21 Nov 21 Dec 20 Jan 19 Feb 20 Mar 19 Apr 19 May 18 Jun 18 Jul 17 Aug 16 Sep 30 23 Oct 22 Nov 22 Dec 21 Jan 20 Feb 21 Mar 20 Apr 20 May 19 Jun 19 Jul 18 Aug 17 Sep

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Paper publication: First Edition, Feb. 1991.