Council of Five Hundred
The Constitution of Year III arrived on the 24th of September 1795 after a public referendum. This document created the Council of Five Hundred as the lower house of the French First Republic. The first elections took place between 12 and the 21st of October 1795 to fill its seats. Voting rights were restricted to citizens owning property that generated income equal to 150 days of work. Each elected member had to be at least 30 years old and meet residency qualifications. They also needed to pay taxes to qualify for service. The constitution allowed the council to meet in closed sessions to avoid pressure from the sans-culottes. A third of the members would be replaced every year to ensure continuity.
Deputy Jean-Baptiste Desmolin wore an official uniform featuring robes, a cape, and a hat during his tenure. These garments distinguished him from other citizens and marked his status within the legislature. The council proposed a list of names from which the Council of Ancients selected five Directors. These directors jointly held executive power over the nation. Boissy d'Anglas described the body as the imagination of the Republic under the Thermidorean constitution. He contrasted this role with the Council of Ancients, which served as the reason of the state. This division of labor defined how laws were created and executed during the Directory period.
Elections held in April 1797 resulted in a strong showing for Royalist tendencies despite voting irregularities. Turnout remained very low across many districts during that cycle. Newly elected deputies formed the Club de Clichy faction within the council chamber. Jean-Charles Pichegru was elected President of the Council of Five Hundred after these votes. Documentation supplied by Napoleon Bonaparte later accused Pichegru of monarchist activities. The Directors used this evidence to claim the entire body plotted against the Revolution. They moved quickly to annul the elections and arrest royalist members before the year ended.
General Lazare Hoche arrived in the capital with troops from the Army of Sambre-et-Meuse to support the coup. Napoleon sent an army under Pierre Augereau to assist the operation on 18 Fructidor. Deputies were arrested and 53 were exiled to Cayenne in French Guiana. Death from tropical disease was likely for those sent there, earning the punishment the nickname dry guillotine. The 42 opposition newspapers were closed immediately following the intervention. Chambers were purged and elections were partly cancelled to secure Republican control. This event marked a violent shift in the balance of power within the legislature.
On the 18th of June 1799 the Council of Five Hundred forced the resignations of three Directors. Merlin de Douai, La Révellière-Lépeaux, and Treilhard stepped down under pressure from the chamber. This event became known as the Coup of 30 Prairial VII in historical records. The action removed the most anti-Jacobin members from executive leadership before the Directory collapsed. It demonstrated the growing power of the legislative body over the executive branch at that moment.
Lucien Bonaparte was appointed President of the Council of
Five Hundred in October 1799. He presided over the final days of the institution before its violent end. Napoleon led a group of grenadiers into the council chambers on 18 Brumaire Year VIII. These soldiers drove the council out of their meeting rooms to install him as First Consul. This military dispersal ended the existence of both the Council of Five Hundred and the Council of Ancients. The Directory itself ceased to function after this
single day of intervention.
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Common questions
When was the Council of Five Hundred established by the Constitution of Year III?
The Council of Five Hundred was created on the 24th of September 1795 after a public referendum. This document formed the lower house of the French First Republic.
What were the eligibility requirements to become a member of the Council of Five Hundred?
Each elected member had to be at least 30 years old and meet residency qualifications. They also needed to own property generating income equal to 150 days of work and pay taxes to qualify for service.
How did Napoleon Bonaparte use evidence against Jean-Charles Pichegru in 1797?
Documentation supplied by Napoleon Bonaparte later accused Pichegru of monarchist activities. The Directors used this evidence to claim the entire body plotted against the Revolution and moved quickly to annul the elections.
What happened to deputies exiled to Cayenne during the Coup of 18 Fructidor?
Deputies were arrested and 53 were exiled to Cayenne in French Guiana. Death from tropical disease was likely for those sent there, earning the punishment the nickname dry guillotine.
Who forced the resignations of three Directors on the 18th of June 1799?
The Council of Five Hundred forced the resignations of Merlin de Douai, La Révellière-Lépeaux, and Treilhard under pressure from the chamber. This event became known as the Coup of 30 Prairial VII in historical records.
When and how did the Council of Five Hundred cease to exist?
Napoleon led a group of grenadiers into the council chambers on 18 Brumaire Year VIII to drive the council out of their meeting rooms. This military dispersal ended the existence of both the Council of Five Hundred and the Council of Ancients.