Erik's French Republican Calendar Converter
The French Republican Calendar, also known as the Revolutionary Calendar, was introduced during the French Revolution in 1793 as part of a broader effort to break away from traditional structures tied to monarchy and religion. It aimed to reflect the ideals of the Enlightenment, emphasizing reason, nature, and secularism.
This calendar reorganized time around the decimal system, dividing the year into 12 months of 30 days each, with each month named after seasonal characteristics (e.g., Vendémiaire for the grape harvest, Floréal for flowers). The remaining five or six days at the end of the year were designated as complementary days for festivals celebrating revolutionary values such as virtue and labor.
Each week, known as a décade, consisted of 10 days, further distancing the calendar from the seven-day week rooted in religious tradition. Additionally, days were no longer named after saints but after plants, animals, and tools, reflecting the revolutionary emphasis on nature and practical life.
While innovative, the calendar struggled to gain widespread acceptance because of the enduring influence of the Gregorian system and its complexity confused the hell out of everyone involved. It was officially abandoned in 1806 under Napoleon, but until today it remains a fascinating historical artifact symbolizing the revolutionary pursuit of reason and change.
French Republican to Gregorian Calendar
Updates:
- Added the day names to the results in the Gregorian to French Republican Calendar converter (05.01.2025).
- Apparently in the Gregorian to French Republican Calendar converter some obscure mobile browsers like Safari or Chrome do not properly support a limited date range in the date picker so I had to add additional code to force them to obey my wishes. Everything should work now but if it doesn't please ensure the entered date is between 1792-09-22 and 1805-12-31 (05.01.2025).