French Constitution of 1791
The short-lived French Constitution of 1791 was the first written constitution in France, created after the collapse of the absolute monarchy of the Ancien Régime. One of the basic precepts of the revolution was adopting constitutionality and establishing popular sovereignty.
1800 French constitutional referendum
A referendum ratifying the constitution of the French consulate was held in February 1800. 53.74% of voters abstained. The official results, as announced by Lucien Bonaparte, Minister of the Interior and brother of First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte, were 99.9% in favor of the new constitution. However, academics have claimed that Lucien massaged the votes in favour of the constitution, alleging that only 1,550,000 Frenchmen voted for the change.