The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen
- Date
- 26 August 1789
- Category
- Politics & governance
- Region
- France
- Era
- Early Modern
- Significance
On 26 August 1789 the French National Constituent Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, a foundational statement of the principles of the French Revolution.
Drawing on Enlightenment thought, the American Declaration of Independence and state bills of rights, it proclaimed that men are born and remain free and equal in rights, and enumerated liberties including freedom of speech, the press and religion, equality before the law, the presumption of innocence, and the principle that sovereignty resides in the nation rather than the monarch. Intended as a preamble to a constitution, it reframed political legitimacy around universal natural rights rather than royal authority and divine sanction. Although its promises of equality coexisted with sharp limits—excluding women, the enslaved and the propertyless from full citizenship—the Declaration became a touchstone for liberal and democratic movements worldwide and a enduring reference point for human-rights discourse into the modern era.
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Empires active in 26 August 1789
- British Empire1583 CE – 1997 CE
- Qing Dynasty1636 CE – 1912 CE
- Russian Empire1721 CE – 1917 CE
- Spanish Empire1492 CE – 1976 CE
- Portuguese Empire1415 CE – 1999 CE
- Mughal Empire1526 CE – 1857 CE
Related politics & governance events
- The storming of the Bastille and the outbreak of the French Revolution14 July 1789
- The Reign of TerrorSeptember 1793 – July 1794
- Napoleon's coup of 18 Brumaire ends the Revolution9–10 November 1799 (18–19 Brumaire)
- Montesquieu's The Spirit of the Laws and the separation of powers1748
- The United States Constitution drafted and ratified17 September 1787
- The Declaration of Independence4 July 1776
Further reading
The wider story
Conquerors: How Portugal Forged the First Global Empire
Fast-paced narrative of Portugal's seaborne empire.
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