Constant was a leading member of the first generation of liberals who played a significant role in shaping the future of France in the period following the French Revolution. After an unsettled childhood and youth, he relocated to Paris in 1795, following the conclusion of the Reign of Terror and the establishment of the Directory in France, and established himself there as a highly regarded political publicist. Following Napoleon‘s coup in 1799, he temporarily assumed an active role as a member of the Tribunate. In 1814, when Louis XVIII ascended the throne, Constant published a plea for a constitutional monarchy with a bicameral system to reconcile the achievements of the French Revolution (constitution, fundamental rights, and parliamentarianism) with the French monarchy. In 1815, he joined the returning Napoleon and drafted an appendix to the French constitution on his behalf during the Hundred Days’ reign. Following Napoleon’s ultimate defeat at the Battle of Waterloo, Constant was compelled to seek refuge in England for a period of several years.