What does one do when they witness the gradual decline of their country? What if the governing body of your country is the epitome of political ineptitude? What if you thought that you were the only right man for the job of running your country?
In that case, congratulations, you might just be Napoleon Bonaparte, revered general and future Emperor of the French Empire. What drove Napoleon to such lengths to overthrow a government, and what happened after he did? Let's dig into the Coup of Brumaire!
Coup d'etat Meaning
To start with, we need to understand what a coup, an abbreviation of the term "coup d'etat", actually means.
Coup d'etat
An immediate, illegal, and often violent seizure of power over a country after suppressing its current government. The term comes from French, literally meaning 'stroke of state', referring to the swiftness with which a state is overthrown.
Coup of Brumaire Timeline
Below is a timeline of the events surrounding the Coup of Brumaire.
| Date | Event |
| 29 November 1798 | Start of the War of the Second Coalition. |
| 9-10 November 1799 | The Coup of Brumaire. |
| 10 November 1799 | Establishment of the French Consulate. |
| 24 December 1799 | Constitution of the Year VIII. |
| 24 December 1799 | Napoleon becomes First Consul. |
Coup of 18 Brumaire Summary
The Coup of 18 Brumaire was an event that effectively ended the French Revolution. Taking place on 9 November 1799, the event was called the Coup of Brumaire after the French republican calendar. 'Brumaire' translates to the 'Month of Fog'.
Did you know? The French republican calendar was adopted in France in 1793 as a way to replace the Gregorian calendar and avoid the Christian Association of the dating system.
This month involved three of the most influential players in French politics, Napoleon Bonaparte, Charles-Maurice Talleyrand, and Emmanuel-Joseph Sieyès (simply called Abbè Sieyès or Abbot Sieyès). The three men staged a bloodless coup d'etat which sought to overthrow the legislative assembly of France of the time, the Directory.
France had not been doing too well against her enemies. Though the War of the Second Coalition (1798-1802) ultimately ended with a French victory in 1802, the year 1799 was not a successful year for France. In addition, the Directory was looked upon very poorly by the likes of Napoleon and Talleyrand. They believed the Directory was not only weak with the dealings of its internal politics, but their ineptitude to govern ultimately led to the weakening of French forces outside France.
Napoleon and Talleyrand's fears were supported by Sieyès, who himself was a member of the Directory and witnessed, first-hand, the Directory's incapacity to govern the French Republic.
Fig. 1 - The Coup of Brumaire, Napoleon enters the St. Clouds Palace
Napoleon thus decided to take matters into his own hands. Alongside several of his men, Napoleon entered the legislative assembly at the Palace of St. Cloud and began criticising the members of the assembly. Napoleon blamed the Directory for insulting the constitution and, by this, the revolution. Napoleon exclaimed:
The revolution is over, you have destroyed the constitution.
During this very emotional monologue, Napoleon was assaulted. Today it is accepted that he was nearly stabbed, but this information is not confirmed.
Coup 18 Brumaire
In an attempt to distance himself from the angered Directory, Napoleon retreated and gathered his unit of grenadiers. He returned, and on the day of 19 Brumaire, Napoleon entered the legislative assembly again, this time backed with the might of his grenadiers. The dissolution of the Directory was now inevitable.
Grenadiers
Grenadier companies were found in most European armies, used by every general that had access to them, and were usually larger and stronger than their fellow regular soldiers. They were typically selected from the ordinary ranks for their strength and bravery. Sometimes, Grenadiers were chosen purely based on their height. French grenadiers wore tall cylindrical bearskin caps to make themselves appear even taller.
During the confrontation, Napoleon's younger brother Lucien Bonaparte seized a sword and pointed it at his brother's heart. With this, Lucien promised that he would be the one to plunge the sword into his older brother's heart had Napoleon turned out to be a traitor. Though this occurrence has been romanticised and exaggerated, Lucien's theatrical demonstration became a famous demonstration of patriotism among the French.
Fig. 2 - Lucien Bonaparte
That very day, the Directory was abolished, and in its place, the Consulate was established with Napoleon as one of its three heads (the other two being Sieyès and Roger Ducos).
The Directory
The Directory was a bicameral legislative body made up of the Council of Five Hundred and the Council of Ancients. The Directory was the fourth governing body instated since the start of the revolution in 1789.
It became obvious that neither legislative body was up to the task of governing revolutionary France.
Bicameral
A legislative body that has two chambers. In Revolutionary France, this was the Council of Five Hundred and the Council of Ancients.
Legislative Body
A government body that has the power to make laws.
Coup of Brumaire Bonaparte
The Coup of Brumaire established Napoleon as a figure who was the head of the French army. Legends of his respect for his soldiers in the campaigns of Southern France, Egypt, and the Levant, in turn, bestowed Napoleon with great respect and influence within the French military.
But Napoleon was a career man. He did not seek to simply be a general of the French Army. Napoleon sought glory and legacy. He sought total leadership of France.
Fig. 3 - Constitution of the Year VIII
After the events of the Coup of Brumaire, Napoleon was made one of three consuls that were responsible for governing the newly established French Consulate. However, this status quo would not last. Napoleon was aware that the three consuls were equal in power and authority, but this did not satisfy Bonaparte. Luckily for him, a new constitution was in the drafts, the Constitution of the Year VIII.
Napoleon oversaw the drafting of this constitution. It was here, with the authority of the new constitution that was adopted on 22 Frimaire year VIII (24 December 1799), that changed the order of the consuls from equal to a hierarchical one and put Napoleon on top as First Consul.
Fig. 4 - Napoleon as Consul
Technically speaking, Napoleon staged a coup within a coup in that he first oversaw the overthrowing of the Directory and later oversaw the drafting of a constitution which would put him on top of the French leadership.
For what it is worth, Napoleon proved to be a prudent leader. Not only did his coup manage to ease political tension in France, but with internal tensions out of the way, France achieved a convincing victory in the War of the Second Coalition in 1802. In 1804, Napoleon became Emperor of France.
Did you know? The Constitution of the year VIII was the fourth constitution that was ratified in the French Republic during the Revolution.
Coup of Brumaire - Key takeaways
- The Coup of Brumaire was instigated by Napoleon and his co-conspirators Sieyès and Ducos.
- The Directory, the legislative body responsible for the governance of France, was overthrown.
- Napoleon was aided by the likes of Talleyrand, Sieyès and his younger brother Lucien Bonaparte.
- The overthrow of the Directory happened in a day, and in their place, the French Consulate was established.
- The French Consulate had three consuls that acted as three heads of the government, but Napoleon wanted to be the only head.
- Napoleon oversaw the drafting of the new constitution named the "Constitution of the Year VIII", which gave him supreme power as the First Consul.
References
- Andrew Roberts, Napoleon: A Life (2014)
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