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Chapter I: The Revolution Is Over.

The French Revolution began in 1789, with the storming of the Bastille. Now, 7 years later, no one knew what was the Fate of the Revolution. The spirit of revolution is among all Frenchmen, and the military felt particular attachment to a famous general in France. He was Napoleon Bonaparte of Corsica. Napoleon was viewed as the Hero of the Revolution. Yet, many French revolutionaries were worried that he could be a Cromwell or Caesar. Perhaps they were right. Napoleon was extremely ambitious, and rose quickly through the ranks. He had even negotiated a treaty with Austria himself. What was the potential of this general, who had lead a series of victories for Revolutionary France?

The Directory, the current government of Revolutionary France, has been unstable. One of the Directors, Emmanuel-Joseph Sieyès, political theorist and creator of works such as What is the Third Estate? had planned a coup against what he saw a weak government. He needed a general to back him and his new government. Napoleon Bonaparte saw his chance. He saw it as his opportunity and aided Sieyès. On 18 Brumaire, (November 10th), Sieyès along with Roger Ducos, Napoleon, and many others attempted a coup. During the coup, Napoleon grew impatient with deputies arguing over whether to accept the new government. Angrily, he marched into the Council of Five Hundred’s chamber.

There he made a fiery speech, angrily defending himself against claims of him being an enemy of democracy.

No matter his fiery rhetoric, the members of the Council of Five Hundred attacked him. They shouted, “Death to the tyrant, down with the dictator!” His two guards failed to protect him like they so wanted to. They had been stopped by the councilmen, and shielding them away from him. Napoleon was surrounded by the councilmen, all wielding daggers.

“I can’t die! Not yet… I have to lead France out of this disorder. What will they do without me?”

Napoleon thought of this as the many councilmen rushed for him. He was to die. There was no way around it.

“Father… Mother... I’m sorry I couldn't do it. I failed Corsica, and now I have failed France.”

These were his last thoughts, before his guards had reached him. He was dead on the floor when the rest of the group and their army seized the Chamber. His brother, the President of the Council, Lucien Bonaparte participated in the coup, yet did not expect Napoleon to be killed. He was shocked, and depressed at the sight of his brother, one who he had known for several years, dead on the floor, surrounded by councilmen who continuing stabbing him, even as he was dead.

“What will I tell them…?”

The army was in a frenzy, and the Council of Five Hundred was in full rebellion of the coup. Jean Victor Moreau, a general who had detained two leaders of the Directory, heard of this news after seeing French soldiers flee across Paris. Moreau arrived quickly, and saw the army was in distress without their leader, Napoleon. He immediately said, “I have arrived, as your new leader, and I demand, for the Republic, that you seize the Council who killed your general.” Moreau’s calm resolve soothed the army, and they marched right into the Chamber, and demanded they give away to Sieyès. With guns to their heads, they agreed.




Sieyès saw Moreau. He saw a man as great as Napoleon, and one that could be used to back his government up. Losing Napoleon was regrettable, he said. But now he had a replacement. Seeing Moreau’s leadership, he himself gave Moreau a title Napoleon previously owned. Commander of the Grand Armée.

Moreau was overwhelmed. He had now been chosen as the new military leader of France. But, he was a staunch supporter of the Republic. He had to accept, and hopefully lead the army to victory.

The new government, known as the French Consulate, was led by 3 Consuls, in similar style to the Roman Republic eons ago. The 3 Consulates were Sieyès, Moreau, and Roger Ducos. This was a temporary government, and power rested in the Consulate and the Council of Five Hundred.

Now with the leadership of the 3 men and popular support from the military and home, they had to lead France through the Second Coalition against Britain, Austria and Russia, the Ottoman Empire, Portugal and Naples. However, Russia later left, as Austria was more interested in conquering Mediterranean islands.

It was Revolutionary France, her client states, and Spain against this massive coalition. The French Consulate had Moreau as their supreme military commander, and he ordered an immediate offensive in the Rhineland and Italy.

This would prove difficult, yet through Moreau’s thinking and his generals, such as Louis Desaix, Moreau’s right hand man in the Rhine front, and André Masséna, leader of the Italian campaigns, they would emerge victorious in 1801.

In the Italian campaign, the sister republics of France had been the battlegrounds for France and her enemies. Masséna and his army marched through Italy to restore these republics, and managed to capture Rome by September of 1800. Moreau’s order of occupation of the Italian states was surprisingly respectful, and the people slowly grew respect for him. Once all of northern Italy was secured, Moreau ordered the Restoration of the Roman Republic. However, Masséna could not march onto Southern Italy, as his main focus was on the Austrians, not the Kingdom of Naples.



Moreau and his army at Hohenlinden

Moreau’s decisive victory of the Austrians at the Battle of Hohenlinden secured the victory of France and her sister republics. This victory showed all of Europe the power of the Revolutionary government. The Second Coalition had ended in the mainland, and now Britain was the only one left fighting France. Britain posed no real threat to France, yet France also no longer had to worry of any foreign threats. Now a peace was to be settled:


Treaty of Lunéville
  • Austria would reinforce the Treaty of Campo Formio, which ceded the Austrian Netherlands (Belgium), and parts of Italy
  • France would annex all lands west of the Rhine River; all lands East, France would respect their sovereignty
  • Both parties would respect the independence of the following republics:
    • The Batavian Republic
    • The Roman Republic
    • Helvetic Republic
    • Kingdom of Sicily
  • Austria and her allies were to recognize the new French government.
The French Revolution had secured itself; it was at last, a success.

Now, the French Consulate had to deal with settling on an official government. The three men had decided on the Constitution of Year XI. The French Republic was reformed Emmanuel-Joseph Sieyès was voted into the office of President of France for his role in the coup against the Directory. Sieyès gladly accepted this role, and his dream of being leader of France was realized, and he was elected the first President of France in 1806. His first act was to bring stability and control to the country.

First, he began talks with the Catholic Church. He allowed the Church to have some of its properties and land back, but its power was severely weakened. The Papal States would not be restored, but it got special rights in Rome. This brought back many peasants and clergy who had resisted the Revolution for its anti-Catholic stance. The Roman Republic was growing popularity among the people, who had a government similar to France. The Senate would lead the Roman people.

Next, Sieyès and the Council of Five Hundred signed acts that promoted the middle and upper class. The banning of workers union continued, and the power of the bourgeoisie grew. These acts grew France’s economy, which had suffered deeply from the French Revolution.

Sieyès was not the only hero. Moreau was beloved in France, and viewed as the personal hero of Republic. He denied these claims, and was rather humble about his fame. He would often claim he was just a general, and Sieyès and the men in government were the heroes of the Revolution. He was not a politician; he had little experience and was only interested in military affairs. He never sought to gain power, and ordered his men to stand down for now.

“Men. The Revolution is finally over.”
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