The Doctrinaires were a liberal monarchist political party in Bourbon Restoration-era France. Led by Pierre Paul Royer-Collard, the Doctrinaires supported a constitutional monarchy with a heavily restricted census suffrage, and they occupied the middle ground between the center-left Liberals and the right-wing Ultra-Royalists.
The "Doctrinaires" were named for Royer-Collard's studies under the Doctrinaires religious order; the term was initially an insult applied to Royer-Collard by the Bonapartists. The Doctrinaires advocated for a constitutional monarchy and supported liberal principles such as civil liberties and a representative government. They aimed to balance progress and tradition, promoting gradual reform instead of radical change. The Doctrinaires favored free market policies and were generally pro-business, advocating for the interests of the middle class and industrialists. Their support primarily came from the bourgeoisie, including merchants, industrialists, and educated professionals (e.g., lawyers, clerks). They attracted those who were more moderate and sought stability after the tumultuous revolutionary period. The Doctrinaires had significant support in urban areas, particularly in Paris and other major cities, but also had a presence in various departments where commerce and industry were prominent.
The moderate Doctrinaires blamed the failure of the Bourbon Restoration on the reactionism of the Ultra-Royalists. In October 1816, after King Louis XVIII dissolved the Chamber and held new elections, the more moderate Doctrinaires were swept into power, and they agreed on a constitutional monarchy, the Charter of 1815, rights for Frenchmen, and moving on from an angry past to a hopeful future. In 1817, the Doctrinaires and the liberals won a working majority in the Chamber of Deputies, the Doctrinaires being led by the King's "son", Elie, Duc Decazes. In 1818, the center-left Liberals swept the center-right Doctrinaires from power, so, in 1819, Ducaze passed the "Law of the Double Vote" to increase the size of the Chamber of Deputies by 173 seats, voted on only by electors who paid the highest amount of taxes each year; two-fifths of the Chamber would be elected by super-rich landowners who could also vote in regular elections.
The Doctrinaires opposed Jules de Polignac's Ultra premiership and also opposed King Charles X of France's 1830 invasion of Algeria due to their concern that Charles would use the war to boost his personal popularity and enable him to attack the charter of government. When the Doctrinaires warned him that the government could not function without King Charles' cooperation, King Charles prematurely dissolved the Chamber two days later. In July 1830, the liberals won a smashing victory despite the King's victory in Algeria.
After the passage of the repressive Four Ordinances in 1830, the Doctrinaires supported the July Revolution and the elevation of an Orleanist monarch. Publishers met with each other to discuss the fate of their businesses; journalists met to discuss literary responses to the crisis; bankers and financiers were angered at the arbitrary whims of the Bourbon dynasty's impact on their businesses; and the bourgeois business interests (represented by the Aide-toi societies) grew angry at the new electoral law which would cut them out of voting. The Doctrinaire papers refused to print during the July Revolution, saying that it would be hypocritical for them to illegally print while they protested the King's illegal actions, leading to four more radical papers printing a statement of resistance drafted by Adolphe Thiers. The prosperous, respected bourgeoisie launched their own revolution in the homes and salons of prominent politicians, bankers, and businessmen, while, in the streets, a massively decentralized, spontaneous uprising of working-classes, the old sans-culottes (students, shopkeepers, craftsmen, and printers) and veterans occurred, and the latter revolution would take leadership of the revolution through building barricades and fighting against the government's 10,000 soldiers and policemen in the streets. Ultimately, the Doctrinaire leadership persuaded Duke Louis Philippe of Orleans to accept the office of Lieutenant-General, giving the Revolution a leader, and they eventually secured his coronation as King.
The Doctrinaire leaders Victor de Broglie and Francois Guizot both served as Prime Ministers of France under Louis Philippe, and they dominated the political scenery during the 1840-1847 premiership of Jean-de-Dieu Soult. However, the Doctrinaires soon split between the liberal Movement Party and the conservative Resistance Party.