... considerable authority, and though on the surface people would see the country being run in a more democratic way, the king retained a tremendous amount of power. The Charter included equality before the law (although there is evidence that this was not always upheld.) Along with the added rights (the share of power in the country, the freedom of press...) the Charter was fairly reactionary in the sense that there was restricted suffrage to those who could stand. It did however, provide more independence and was the most liberal constitution on the continent. Evidence suggests that the general public's view of a Bourbon returning to power, was mixed. Louis XV1 had supported the church and its role. Napoleon however, enforced a clear distinction between the church, and the running of the country. With Louis XV111 in power, the church assumed it would regain all the rights it had had with ...

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