On 9 August 1830, in the turbulent weeks after the July Revolution, France moved from the Bourbon restoration toward a new, constitutional monarchy. The July Revolution (27–29 July 1830) drove Charles X from power after his July Ordinances suspended the constitution and provoked widespread insurrection in Paris. In the immediate aftermath, royal authority briefly passed through several hands before coalescing around Louis-Philippe, Duke of Orléans, who accepted the crown as "King of the French" on 9 August, inaugurating the July Monarchy. Context and political shift The period after Charles X’s abdication was marked by political uncertainty. Charles X signed his abdication on 2 August in favor of his grandson, the young and nominal heir Henri, Count of Chambord, but the abdication did not secure a Bourbon continuance. Public and political leaders in Paris preferred a constitutional regime that would recognize the gains of 1789 and the Charter of 1814 while avoiding a return to pre-revolutionary absolutism. Louis-Philippe, a member of the Orléans branch of the royal family with a reputation for liberal sympathies and a history of opposition to ultra-royalist policies, emerged as a compromise candidate acceptable to many liberal deputies and urban elites. The proclamation and its meaning On 9 August 1830, a provisional government and the Chamber of Deputies endorsed Louis-Philippe’s assumption of power under the title "King of the French" rather than "King of France," a deliberate lexical signal that sovereignty derived from the people and constitution rather than divine right. The new regime affirmed a revised constitutional charter that preserved bicameral institutions, civil liberties, and property-based electoral laws while limiting the political influence of ultra-royalists. The change was presented as a restoration of monarchy in the sense of maintaining a hereditary head of state, but it was also a transformation toward a constitutional, bourgeois monarchy rooted in civic legitimacy. Reception and limits The July Monarchy found support among liberal bourgeoisie, moderate deputies, and many in the commercial classes who sought stability without a return to reactionary rule. However, it disappointed republicans and legitimists alike: republicans wanted a republic rather than a crown, while legitimists saw Louis-Philippe as a usurper who had supplanted the senior Bourbon line. The new regime relied on a narrow electoral base—voting remained restricted by property qualifications—and it struggled with social unrest, labor agitation, and calls for broader political reform throughout its existence. Aftermath and historical significance Louis-Philippe’s accession on 9 August 1830 inaugurated the July Monarchy, which lasted until the revolution of February 1848. Historians view this episode as a notable instance of ‘‘constitutional monarchy’’ replacing an absolutist claimant: the monarchy was restored in form but altered in source of legitimacy and practice. The July Monarchy consolidated the political influence of the liberal bourgeoisie, advanced certain civil liberties, and maintained relative stability for a time, but its limited franchise and inability to address deeper social inequalities contributed to its eventual downfall. Uncertainties and disputes Precise interpretations of how ‘‘restorative’’ this moment was remain debated among historians. Some emphasize continuity with monarchical institutions and the hereditary principle; others stress the fundamentally changed relationship between the sovereign and the nation implied by the title "King of the French" and the charter revisions. The sequence of abdications, provisional governments, and political negotiations in July–August 1830 is well documented, but assessments of popular support and the regime’s legitimacy vary across contemporary accounts and later scholarship.