Claude François de Malet
Claude François de Malet entered the world on the 28th of June 1754 in Dole. He was born into an aristocratic family that expected him to follow traditional paths for nobility. At age seventeen, he enlisted as a Musketeer under King Louis XVI. This role was common for young men of his social standing during the ancien régime. The king disbanded the musketeer regiments in 1776 due to budgetary constraints. Malet found himself without his regiment and turned toward the French Revolution. His family disinherited him in 1790 after he supported the revolutionary cause. He became commander of his home town's National Guard that same year. He celebrated the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille with public fervor. War broke out shortly after these events. Malet volunteered for the Revolutionary army and joined the 50th infantry regiment. He served within the Army of the Rhine as a captain. Discharge came in 1795 but he reenlisted in March 1797. He rose through the ranks to become Chief of Staff of the 6th division. By 1799 he held the position of Chief of Staff of the Army of the Alps. General Jean Étienne Championnet commanded this force at the time. Malet received honourable citations from both Championnet and general André Masséna. They praised his defense of the Little St. Bernard Pass in August 1799. Promotion to Brigadier General arrived on the 19th of October 1799. He fought throughout the Helvetian Republic until 1801. Fighting ended with the Second Coalition in 1802 by treaties of Lunéville and Amiens.
The coups of the 30 Prairial and 18 Brumaire replaced the French Directory with the French Consulate. Malet voted against the referendum confirming Napoléon Bonaparte as First Consul. His opposition became even more vehement after these political shifts. Authorities relegated him first to Bordeaux then to Les Sables d'Olonne. Despite his exile, he became Commander of the Légion d'honneur during these years. Discharge from active duty occurred in 1805 when Napoleon seized total power. Malet resigned after the coronation as Emperor. He was appointed Governor of Pavia in the Kingdom of Italy. Eugène de Beauharnais expelled him on allegations of black market activities and propaganda. Internment began at La Force Prison from the 1st of July 1807 to the 30th of May 1808. Released without trial, he faced jail again the next year. Suspicion arose that he belonged to the Philadelphes society. This group operated as a republican and anti-Bonapartist Masonic organization. House arrest confined him in Paris from July 1810 until escape on the 23rd of October 1812.
During detention Malet conceived and planned Napoleon's overthrow in a daring coup d'état. The plan relied on announcing the death of Napoleon while the Emperor remained absent on the Russian front. Malet decided to proclaim this death via forged documentation. He hoped plausible declarations would be believable to military commanders. His proposed provisional government included Mathieu de Montmorency and Alexis de Noailles. General Moreau served as vice president with Lazare Carnot as president. Marshal Augereau joined the list alongside ex-legislator Bigonnet. Count Frochot held the title of Prefect of the Seine. Ex-legislator Florent Guiot and Destutt de Tracy also participated. Vice-Admiral Truguet and Senators Volney and Garrat completed the roster. Forces involved included Gendarmerie forces of Paris which dissolved thereafter. They formed the 134th Line Infantry Regiment after dissolution. The 10th Cohort of the French National Guard provided additional support. Malet prepared complex instructions for his accomplices. This preliminary work required immense effort to assign specific roles. Each participant received forged copies of the senatus consultum and proclamations. Dispatches were closed, sealed, numbered and entrusted to custody. A Spanish priest living on Saint-Gilles street stored these documents near barracks.
On the night of October 23 Malet escaped his captivity. Dressed in a general's uniform he presented himself at La Force prison. Using forged orders he obtained release of Generals Victor Lahorie and Emmanuel Maximilien-Joseph Guidal. He announced Napoleon's demise on October 7 at the Russian front near Moscow. Convincing them that immediate action was necessary proved crucial. He showed forged documents leading them to believe the Senate had already reacted. Pre-dawn hours of October 23 found Malet and accomplices at Gendarmerie barracks. Malet awakened commanders and soldiers announcing Emperor death. He presented forged documents as evidence for their actions. Orders dictated troops take up weapons and dispatch detachments. A detachment led by Lahorie went to Duke of Rovigo residence. The Duke served as Minister of Police and was taken by surprise. Another detachment arrested the prefect of the police force. A third column moved toward Paris town hall while troops took positions. Place de Grève hosted commanders who seized key of Midsummer's Day alarm bell. They called Prefect Frochot and prepared rooms for provisional government. Death of Emperor spread belief throughout Paris. Malet settled into offices of district general at Place Vendôme. General Pierre-Augustin Hulin requested verification of senatorial documents. Malet shot and injured him when verification was demanded.
Malet's actions ended when Colonel Jean Doucet recognized the prisoner. This senior military police officer identified the new general of the Senate as Malet himself. Doucet disarmed Malet and returned him to prison immediately. He ordered the 10th Cohort back to its barracks. The plan focused on weakness of Napoleon's imperial dictatorship government. It calculated consequences of French passive obedience despite failure. Nobody shouted Long Live Napoleon II during the chaos. The coup attempt exposed fatal weakness of French allegiance to Bonaparte family. Strained relations emerged between Ministry of War and Ministry of Police after events. Authorities moved quickly to restore order within Parisian military ranks. The initial spread of false news had created temporary confusion among soldiers. But recognition by Doucet shattered the illusion of imperial death. Soldiers realized they had been manipulated by forged papers and lies. The provisional government never took actual power beyond a few hours. Malet's vision of republican restoration collapsed under real-world resistance.
A total of 23 civilians and officers faced trial before council of war. They included Malet, Guidal and Lahorie charged with treason. Conviction occurred on the 29th of October 1812 for all participants. All but two were executed on plain of Grenelle on October 31. Public firing squad executions marked the end of the conspiracy. The event caused anger from Napoleon I due to exposure of dynasty weakness. Relations between ministries remained strained long after the trials concluded. References show Marc Allégret wrote about Malet in 2004. Dominique Contant and Robert Ouvrard published documents regarding the conspiracy. Nicolas Juncker created a comic strip based on Malet's coup d'état. These works preserve details of the failed uprising for future generations. The date of execution remains fixed at the 31st of October 1812. No other conspirator escaped the fate awaiting them that morning.
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Common questions
When and where was Claude François de Malet born?
Claude François de Malet entered the world on the 28th of June 1754 in Dole. He was born into an aristocratic family that expected him to follow traditional paths for nobility.
What role did Claude François de Malet hold during the French Revolution?
Malet became commander of his home town's National Guard in 1790 after supporting the revolutionary cause. He later served as a captain within the Army of the Rhine before rising through the ranks to become Chief of Staff of the Army of the Alps by 1799.
How did Claude François de Malet plan to overthrow Napoleon Bonaparte?
The plan relied on announcing the death of Napoleon while the Emperor remained absent on the Russian front. Malet decided to proclaim this death via forged documentation to convince military commanders that immediate action was necessary.
Who were the key figures involved in the provisional government proposed by Claude François de Malet?
His proposed provisional government included Mathieu de Montmorency, Alexis de Noailles, General Moreau, Lazare Carnot, Marshal Augereau, Count Frochot, and Vice-Admiral Truguet among others. These individuals formed the roster intended to replace the imperial dictatorship.
When was Claude François de Malet executed following his failed coup d'état?
All but two conspirators were executed on plain of Grenelle on October 31. The date of execution remains fixed at the 31st of October 1812 for all participants convicted of treason.