<Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> French Constitution of 1791 . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Original title </Th> <Td> (in French) Constitution française du 3 septembre 1791 </Td> </Tr> <P> The short - lived French Constitution of 1791 was the first written constitution in France, created after the collapse of the absolute monarchy of the Ancien Régime . One of the basic precepts of the revolution was adopting constitutionality and establishing popular sovereignty . </P> <P> The National Assembly began the process of drafting a constitution . The Declaration of the Rights of Man, adopted on 27 August 1789 eventually became the preamble of the constitution adopted on 3 September 1791 . The Declaration offered sweeping generalizations about rights, liberty, and sovereignty . </P>

What was the significance of the constitution of 1791 in france