Napoleon, after being pulled away from the heat of battle, was examined by his personal physician, who determined that he had taken a direct shot to the lung. For the next nine-and-a-half hours, the physician faced what he described as the most stressful time of his life. He tried his best to keep Napoleon in a position of comfort, preventing the blood from spilling out further, and even managing to prevent his lung from collapsing for a number of hours after Napoleon was shot. Some accounts by Napoleon's staff report that the General "was fearless, refusing to bow low at the final hour; once, if I recall correctly, he had even told his doctor that he did not fear God's will being done." This show of bravery did not last, however. Whether it started due to shock, or because of some overlooked contamination, Napoleon would gain a fever six hours after being shot, and would fall into delirium shortly thereafter. Accounts would describe how he would toss and turn, sweating profusely and failing to recognize his most trusted advisers. Close to 11:00 at night, Napoleon turned to his doctor and said, "Oh, Josephine, what a man I would be without you." (Interestingly, he had divorced Josephine a year before). Shortly afterward, his lung would collapse, and Napoleon would fall unconscious. Twenty minutes until midnight, Napoleon would die from a lack of oxygen.
The death of Napoleon would bring about the worst kind of instability for the nation of France. Word would spread quickly through the French Army that night that Napoleon had died, and lead to a morale plummet hitherto undreamt of by the French military leaders. The perceived woe was so overwhelming that later Transcendentalist writers would popularize a myth that the French cries of despair at the death of their emperor were so great, not a single British soldier would get an ounce of sleep that night from the noise. The next day, rumors would spread among the British Army about Napoleon's death, leading to a morale increase as they entered battle. This, combined with the still-sinking morale among the French Army's forces, would lead to the French first line completely collapsing by 2:00 in the afternoon, alongside the second line two hours later. Realizing that the battle was lost, Armand de Caulaincourt, who had taken over leading the Army after Napoleon's death, ordered the third infantry line to hold out for as long as possible, allowing the French Army to retreat unhindered deeper into France.
The death of Napoleon, and the subsequent defeat of the French Army at the Battle of Dax (known to Romantics as the Battle of the Destinies) would cause an uproar across France. The French Army, while retreating, would fall apart from a lack of a uniform voice in the form of Napoleon, causing many to become cut off from the Army, and many more to simply up and leave, deciding instead to return home where it would be significantly harder for them to find a way to die. The French people, meanwhile, would fully embrace anarchy during this time. While national mourning would be the first to take a hold of the people in the nation, soon that national mourning would give way to fear: fear of what would happen now with Napoleon gone. Protests would break out across nearly every major city on the French mainland. In Paris, in particular, these protests would turn violent after the military was called in, beating and arresting any citizen that they suspected was taking part in the riots. This would cause the protesters to respond with their own form of violence, throwing rocks and stones at the soldiers. As they were breaking up the protesters, a rock hit a French soldier in the eye, rendering him blind. His fellow soldiers, fearing for their lives, released a volley into the crowd, causing a mass panic. Soon, the protesters would manage to get their hands on rifles themselves, and returned fire, leading to a shootout taking place between the soldiers and the protesters. Over the next three days, from November 28th to December 1st, the Parisian Riots would engulf the French capital in chaos, causing business to be burned, homes to be ransacked and vandalized, and violent acts to become commonplace. By the time a stronger military force arrived and finally crushed the rioters, restoring some calm to the city, over 3,200 people would have died, and massive amounts of property damage would have taken place across Paris.
Underscoring all the chaos that occurred in the aftermath of Napoleon's death was a schism quickly forming among the Napoleonic political leaders. When news reached of Napoleon's death, a question was formed: who would lead France now? While it was obvious that it should be someone from Napoleon's family, he had never specified an heir, and his unborn son, while having the strongest claim, was just that; unborn. This created a problem in the form of it becoming necessary for the leaders of Napoleonic France to find a new heir. Unfortunately, no-one could agree on who it should be. Some would call for one of his brothers, most often between Lucien, Joseph, and Jérôme, while others called for one of his nephews, usually Louis Bonaparte, to take the throne. As the politicians argued amongst each-other who should take the throne, the Parisian Riots would begin, establishing a sense of urgency to the choosing of an heir. Yet, despite the universal agreement by all that they could not waste time on electing an heir for Napoleon, almost no-one agreed on who that heir should be.
As this schism became more prominent, a faction within the government, the Minuitmes (Midnight Men), began to plot something new. The Minuitmes were the most radical faction within Napoleonic France; even before the rise of Napoleon, they were considered radical at best, and extremists at worst. This view of their faction is not without reason; led by Maximilian Robespierre, back during a time when they referred to themselves as the Mountains, they were, and still are, most remembered as the causation of the Reign of Terror after they took over Revolutionary France during a coup.
Although the faction had effectively been banned after Maximilian Robespierre was, ironically, overthrown in a coup to end the Reign of Terror, its former members still generally held the same beliefs, and, more importantly, still kept in contact with each-other. Reminiscing of the old days before the rise of Napoleon, and becoming more concerned over how the France that they had helped build was slowly falling apart, this group organized a meeting on November 30th within an abandoned church on the outskirts of Paris so as to remain discreet. In what has been dubbed "The Midnight Meeting", the group debated for hours between each-other; although the topics of these debates had been lost to time, the end result is known by all historians. As the sun rose in the early hours of the morning, the delegates left the secret meeting with a resolution similar to the Tennis Court Oath made more than a decade ago; called the "Midnight Oath", the delegates all unanimously agreed that, in the best interest of France, at the first opportune moment, the delegation would "force abdication upon the other delegates, and establish a new government, designed to serve the people of France and to protect said people in any event wherein their sovereignty, property, or happiness is threatened."
Field where the church that hosted the Midnight Meeting once stood, having long since been torn down.
It would not take long for the Midnight Oath to be put into action. Soon after the Parisian Riots ended, the major leaders of Napoleonic France all agreed that it would be best to keep a sizable military force in the city of Paris in order to protect government property (and themselves). However, this act would prove to benefit those who wished to overtake the politicians. The man assigned to lead the military garrison, Augustin Gabriel d'Aboville, was both shocked and appalled that the leaders of Napoleonic France had so far failed to name a successor to Napoleon, and soon began to openly criticize the French politicians for "failing the Empire in its most basic needs." This criticism, although more broadly causing condemnation among the upper classes and nobility, caught the attention and praise of the Minuitmes, who began to open up a correspondence with the general. After several letters were exchanged, d'Aboville met with the leaders of Minuitmes in the bedroom of a local tavern on December 6th, and, after the sharing of drinks and tobacco and a lively discussion, was asked a question: What would he be willing to do for the betterment of France? Soon thereafter, the Minuitmes would ask more extreme and arguably treasonous questions, all of which d'Aboville answered not only without objection, but also with some enthusiasm. By the time the two parties would leave the pub late in the evening, they had begun to realize how useful a partnership would be.
Augustin Gabriel d'Aboville.
The next time that the two groups would meet, two days after the first meeting, they would go straight to business. The Minuitmes had a proposition for d'Aboville: according to him, the French government, after the tragic death of Napoleon, had become largely ineffectual, resulting in its losing the ability to govern even itself. The Minuitmes, they explained, had come to the same conclusion some weeks prior, and had decided that the only way to save the Empire would be through action rather than words. What they proposed was that d'Aboville use his influential position as the garrison leader of the military force stationed in Paris to aid the Minuitmes in the "forceful abdication" of power from the current leaders to French politicians who, according to them, actually knew how to govern properly. While d'Aboville was intrigued by their offer, he wanted to first know what he would receive in return: if forceful abdication failed, then he would lose a great deal by merely being associated with the Minuitmes, let alone actively aiding them in their endeavor. The radicals had anticipated that d'Aboville would want something in return for his support, and so proposed to him this: in return for using the military to the advantage of the Minuitmes, d'Aboville would be placed in direct command of all French Army personnel as the "Supreme Military Commander", a prestigious title that would be akin to Napoleon's position in the Army during the Napoleonic Wars. After mulling over this offer, d'Aboville accepted the offer, and, after a handshake and some celebratory tobacco use, began to work out how the planned coup would play out.
Points of potential problems arose: mainly how to get the Parisian garrison force to support the coup and when would be the best time to strike. After some hours spent brainstorming, the Minuitmes and d'Aboville came up with a plan: most of the military forces were weary of the current government after Napoleon's death, but few, unlike d'Aboville, supported a complete seizure of power and overthrow of the government. So, d'Aboville would anonymously publish a pamphlet, and have it spread out throughout the entire garrison force, in which he would attack the character of the government, the politicians who ran it (all the while excluding the Minuitmes), and how the need for action had arisen. Interestingly, in this pamphlet, d'Aboville made a number of baseless claims about the then-current government. Among these claims were: that the government had paid people to start the Parisian Riots as an excuse to bring the military into the city, that the government was part of a secret organization intent on taking over France and shaping it to their image, and, most brazen of all the claims, that the government had played a part in Napoleon's death so that they could rise to power. Although the pamphlet provided no evidence for the claims, the garrison force did not need any; already mistrusting of the government, the garrison was all too ready and willing to believe the stories told by the pamphlet, whether or not they were true. As for the time to strike, the parties agreed on December 15th, exactly one week after the second meeting between Minuitmes and d'Aboville.
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"But it should not matter! This is not a debate over who is best, it's a debate over who should lead!" Lazare Carnot screamed. He could barely hear his own voice as the delegates crowded in the General Assembly argued amongst each-other. All around him, men were shouting, most likely to no-one in particular, about what should be done with the French Empire now that Napoleon was dead. Many of them appeared out of breath; indeed, even Carnot, only forty seven, had lost a large amount of his voice after the meetings of the General Assembly from the pains of trying to make his voice heard by the crowd of politicians. He considered it a miracle that he was still able to speak after the amount of shouting he has had to endure throughout the day.
"What do you know, Carnot?!" someone whom Carnot could not see shouted. "You are no politician! You had spent the last nine years in self-imposed exile! The only reason you are here now is because Napoleon took pity on you, giving you a meaningless job to re-examine the fortifications of his Empire!" Carnot's blood boiled.
I still know more about politics than you ever will, he shouted in his mind. Though he wished to, he dared not speak those words aloud; that kind of language was how fistfights began, and even this pristine place was not immune to the passionate anger of man.
Carnot hated that thought; that the best France's politicians could do was beat each-other down when they're supposed to unify together.
Was this the kind of Empire Napoleon created? he thought.
An Empire where secrecy and misery prevailed? One where chaos reigned supreme? Were we not entrusted to lead France in its time of need? Now look at us: I would not be surprised if we came close to murdering each-other over what flavor of wine was better.
Carnot had justification for these thoughts; after all, he could count half of these men as being more than willing to sell out everyone else in this room if it meant they would achieve glory. The different factions in the General Assembly were bad enough beforehand; now, in the aftermath of Napoleon's death, they have only become more partisan in their actions. Everywhere he turned, there were secret whispers, devious screams, and at times finger-pointing, a tribute to the endless game of passing the blame on to someone else in the hopes that one could escape the mob's anger unscathed. He only had to look around the Assembly to prove this belief; the Minuitmes, the General Assembly's resident madmen, hadn't even bothered to show up for this meeting. What tricks they were trying to pull, Carnot knew not, but he did not have time to dwell on the matter. The action was here and now; whatever the Minuitmes were doing this time, he could sort out that mess later on.
"Quiet! Quiet! All of you!" an older delegate yelled as he rose from his seat. While some far distant conversations continued, the majority of the delegates stopped to listen to his counsel. Although Carnot could not recognize the man, it was clear that he held a certain aura of respect among the delegates, whether or not they were supportive of him. "We must stop bickering!" He lowered his voice as the Assembly grew silent. "We must adapt a uniform agreement on a successor. I, for one, say that we nominate Joseph Bonaparte to the throne!" At the mention of Napoleon's older brother, a string of groans and boos arose from the crowd.
Flustered, the old man attempted to regain the support of the other delegates. "Joseph would prove to be the best nomination! Not only is he brave and experienced, but he would protect French tradition better than anyone else! Protect the French Empire better than anyone else!"
"You're one to talk about protecting the French Empire you old fool!" Someone from among the crowd shouted out. "You gave this same speech in defense of Louis XVI ten years ago!" At this, there were calls of "Treason!" and "Monarchist!" from the crowd. The old man, barely holding himself together, tried to speak again, but Carnot could not make out what he was saying over the crowd's shouts.
A younger, more level-headed delegate Carnot recognized rose to speak. Though he did not command the same authority the older delegate did, he still managed to get enough delegates to stop shouting that Carnot managed to hear him. "No! You are wrong, sir! Joseph is not the right choice; rather, Louis is the best man for the nomination!" This drew boos from the crowd, including the older delegate.
This cycle had repeated itself on an endless loop ever since Carnot had arrived in Paris to take part in the debates over who should succeed Napoleon, and frankly, he was getting sick of it. Despite all the delegates talk of immediate action, none of them could agree to give up their petty disagreements and unify into a single voice. Something had to be done; Carnot knew that, and he was sure that every other delegate did as well. The ques-
Carnot was awoken from these inner thoughts when the door to the General Assembly was violently opened. Emerging from the doorway were upwards of fifty armed men wearing the clothes of the garrison, with the garrison commander, Augustin Gabriel d'Aboville, in the center of the procession. Carnot stood up at once. An eerie silence followed, all the delegates forced to abide by it upon the sudden show of force by the newcomers.
"What is all this?" Carnot finally asked.
"This," a voice said by d'Aboville, revealed to be coming from a man emerging from the crowd of garrison forces, "Is a protection of the Empire." Carnot recognized the man; it was Pierre-Antoine Antonelle. A man who, having served briefly as the president of the Jacobin Club, was most known as the de facto leader of the Minuitmes, Antonelle being with the garrison force could not mean good things ahead. Finally noticing the scores of familiar faces behind the garrison, Carnot suddenly remembered that the Minuitmes had never arrived for the meeting of the General Assembly.
Antonelle turned to d'Aboville, and, speaking in a voice loud enough to be heard by all, exclaimed, "
Commandant d'Aboville, please arrest these men for treason and escort them to the nearest prison." d'Aboville nodded once, and, turning to his garrison force, nodded his head in a quick jabbing motion to the men situated in the General Assembly.
"What?!" Carnot exclaimed. "You cannot do this!" As a garrison soldier, hardly older than eighteen approached him, Carnot began to back away, still screaming. "Antonelle, you can't! This is too much, even for you!" Carnot felt his back his someone else, and before he knew what was happening, this unseen figure positioned Carnot's hands behind his back and secured them with handcuffs. "Antonelle, stop this at once!" As Carnot was led out of the General Assembly along with the other delegates, he continued to shout at Antonelle. "Antonelle! Antonelle!" Meanwhile, Antonelle responded by turning his back to Carnot, focusing on the now-empty meeting space of the Assembly. "Antonelle! Cease this at once! Antonelle!!" Carnot kept screaming, even as he was practically dragged away by the garrison into the unknown.
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Sorry this update took so long, but like I said, California was having a ...
problem, to put it lightly. Hope you all enjoyed the update!