Council of Ancients
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Council of Anciens Conseil des Anciens |
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|---|---|
| French First Republic | |
Emblem of the Council of Anciens
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| Type | |
| Type | |
| History | |
| Established | 2 November 1795 |
| Disbanded | 10 November 1799 |
| Preceded by | National Convention (unicameral) |
| Succeeded by | Imperial Senate |
| Seats | 250 |
| Meeting place | |
| Salle du Manège, rue de Rivoli, Paris | |
The Council of Ancients or Council of Elders (French: Conseil des Anciens) was the upper house of the Directory (French: Directoire), the legislature of France from 22 August 1795 until 9 November 1799, roughly the second half of the period generally referred to as the French Revolution.
The Council of Ancients was the senior of the two halves of the republican legislative system. The Ancients were 250 members who could accept or reject laws put forward by the lower house of the Directory, the Council of Five Hundred (Conseil des Cinq-Cents). Each member had to be at least forty years of age, and a third of them would be replaced annually. They had no power to draft laws, but any laws that they rejected could not be reintroduced for at least a year.
Besides functioning as a legislative body, the Council of Ancients selected the five Directors, who jointly held executive power, from a list provided by the Five Hundred.
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Wikipedia