---
title: "Civil Constitution of Clergy — AP Euro Definition & Guide"
description: "The Civil Constitution of the Clergy (1790) put the French Catholic Church under state control, splitting France and fueling counterrevolution. Key for AP Euro Unit 5."
canonical: "https://fiveable.me/ap-euro/key-terms/civil-constitution-of-clergy"
type: "key-term"
subject: "AP European History"
---

# Civil Constitution of Clergy — AP Euro Definition & Guide

## Definition

The Civil Constitution of the Clergy (1790) was a French Revolutionary law that placed the Catholic Church in France under state control, making clergy elected, salaried officials who had to swear loyalty to the nation, which split France between revolutionaries and Catholic traditionalists.

## What It Is

The [Civil Constitution of the Clergy](/ap-euro/unit-5/french-revolution/study-guide/frij9HoCniCphxzDRMZM "fv-autolink") was a law passed by the [National Assembly](/ap-euro/key-terms/national-assembly "fv-autolink") in 1790 that turned the Catholic Church in France into a department of the state. Bishops and priests would now be elected like other officials, paid by the government, and required to swear an oath of allegiance to the nation. In other words, the Church no longer answered to the pope on French soil. It answered to the Revolution.

The fallout was huge. The pope condemned the law, and the clergy split into 'juring' priests (who took the oath) and 'refractory' or 'non-juring' priests (who refused). Roughly half refused. For millions of devout Catholics, especially in rural France, the Revolution suddenly looked like an attack on their faith, not just on the king. That religious divide fed counterrevolutionary uprisings and gave critics like [Edmund Burke](/ap-euro/key-terms/edmund-burke "fv-autolink") concrete evidence that the Revolution was trampling traditional authority. It's one of the clearest examples on the AP exam of the Revolution radicalizing and creating its own enemies.

## Why It Matters

This term lives in **Topic 5.5, Effects of the French Revolution** ([Unit 5](/ap-euro/unit-5 "fv-autolink"): Conflict, Crisis, and Reaction in the Late 18th Century) and supports learning objective **[AP Euro](/ap-euro "fv-autolink") 5.5.A**, explaining how the Revolution influenced political and social ideas from 1648 to 1815. The CED's essential knowledge (KC-2.1.IV.G) says that while many people were inspired by the Revolution's emphasis on equality and rights, others condemned its violence and 'disregard for traditional authority.' The Civil Constitution of the Clergy is the textbook example of that disregard. It shows how Enlightenment-driven reform collided with religion, and it hands you ready-made evidence for any essay about why the Revolution divided Europe instead of uniting it.

## Connections

### [Concordat of 1801 (Unit 5)](/ap-euro/key-terms/concordat-of-1801)

Napoleon's Concordat with the pope was essentially the cleanup job for the mess the Civil Constitution created. It restored [Catholicism](/ap-euro/key-terms/catholicism "fv-autolink") as the religion of 'the majority of Frenchmen' while keeping state influence over the Church, ending a decade of religious conflict. If the Civil Constitution opened the wound, the Concordat stitched it closed.

### Edmund Burke and opposition to the Revolution (Unit 5)

Burke, the CED's named opponent of the Revolution, argued that tearing down inherited institutions invites chaos. The state seizing control of a thousand-year-old Church is exactly the kind of move he was attacking. Use this law as concrete evidence when explaining conservative reactions under KC-2.1.IV.G.

### Gallicanism (Unit 3)

French kings had long pushed Gallicanism, the idea that the French Church should be semi-independent from Rome. The Civil Constitution took that old absolutist instinct to its extreme by cutting [papal authority](/ap-euro/key-terms/papal-authority "fv-autolink") out entirely. It's a great continuity-and-change link from absolutism to revolution.

### [Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen (Unit 5)](/ap-euro/key-terms/declaration-of-the-rights-of-man-and-citizen)

The Declaration (1789) promised [religious toleration](/ap-euro/key-terms/religious-toleration "fv-autolink") and made sovereignty rest with the nation, not the Church or king. The Civil Constitution applied that logic to religion itself a year later, and the backlash shows the gap between Enlightenment ideals on paper and how they landed in practice.

## On the AP Exam

No released FRQ has used this term verbatim, but it's prime supporting evidence for Unit 5 essays. Multiple-choice questions on the French Revolution often pair a primary source (a papal condemnation, a Burke excerpt, or a refractory priest's protest) with questions asking why the Revolution generated opposition. For LEQs and DBQs, the Civil Constitution works as evidence for arguments about the Revolution's radicalization, the conflict between Enlightenment reform and traditional authority, or church-state relations from Louis XIV's Gallicanism through Napoleon's Concordat. The key skill is using it as a cause, not just a fact. Show that it split France internally and turned the papacy and devout Catholics against the Revolution.

## Civil Constitution of Clergy vs Concordat of 1801

Both deal with church-state relations in Revolutionary France, but they pull in opposite directions. The Civil Constitution of the Clergy (1790) subordinated the Church to the state and ignored the pope, creating a religious crisis. The Concordat of 1801 was Napoleon's deal *with* the pope to end that crisis, recognizing Catholicism's place in France while preserving state influence. One broke the relationship; the other repaired it on Napoleon's terms.

## Key Takeaways

- The Civil Constitution of the Clergy (1790) made the Catholic Church in France a state institution, with elected, salaried clergy who had to swear an oath of loyalty to the nation.
- The pope condemned the law, and roughly half of French priests refused the oath, splitting the clergy into juring and non-juring (refractory) priests.
- The law turned many devout Catholics, especially in rural France, against the Revolution and fueled counterrevolutionary resistance.
- It's a go-to example for KC-2.1.IV.G, showing the Revolution's 'disregard for traditional authority' that critics like Edmund Burke condemned.
- Napoleon's Concordat of 1801 later ended the religious conflict the Civil Constitution started, so the two terms bookend a decade of church-state crisis.

## FAQs

### What was the Civil Constitution of the Clergy in simple terms?

It was a 1790 French Revolutionary law that put the Catholic Church under government control. Priests and bishops became elected, state-paid officials who had to swear loyalty to France instead of answering to the pope.

### Did the Civil Constitution of the Clergy ban religion in France?

No. It didn't outlaw Catholicism; it nationalized it. The Church kept operating but under state control. The radical de-Christianization campaigns (like closing churches during the Terror) came later and went much further.

### How is the Civil Constitution of the Clergy different from the Concordat of 1801?

The Civil Constitution (1790) cut the pope out and made the Church a state agency, sparking a decade of religious conflict. The Concordat (1801) was Napoleon's agreement with the pope that recognized Catholicism in France and ended the conflict, while still keeping state influence over the Church.

### Why did so many priests refuse the oath?

Refusing priests (called refractory or non-juring) believed only the pope, not the French state, had authority over the Church, and the pope had condemned the law. Roughly half the clergy refused, which made them enemies of the Revolution in the government's eyes.

### Is the Civil Constitution of the Clergy on the AP Euro exam?

Yes, it falls under Topic 5.5 (Effects of the French Revolution) in Unit 5. It's most useful as evidence for why the Revolution created opposition at home and abroad, supporting learning objective AP Euro 5.5.A.

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