French First Republic

In the history of France, the French Republic (French: République française), retroactively referred to as the First Republic (French: Première République) and sometimes referred to in historiography as Revolutionary France, was founded on 21 September 1792 during the French Revolution. The First Republic lasted until the declaration of the First Empire on 18 May 1804 under Napoléon Bonaparte, although the form of government changed several times. On 21 September 1792, the deputies of the Convention, gathered for the first time, unanimously decided the abolition of the constitutional monarchy in France. Although the Republic was never officially proclaimed on 22 September 1792, the decision was made to date the acts from the year I of the Republic. On 25 September 1792, the Republic was declared "one and indivisible". From 1792 to 1802, France was at war with the rest of Europe. It also experienced internal conflicts, including the wars in Vendée. This period was characterised by the downfall and abolition of the French monarchy, the establishment of the National Convention and the Reign of Terror, the Thermidorian Reaction and the founding of the Directory, and, finally, the creation of the Consulate and Napoleon's rise to power.