Coup of 18 Fructidor
The April 1797 legislative elections returned a royalist majority to France's Corps législatif. This outcome threatened the existence of the First French Republic and its revolutionary gains. Eighty-seven seats had been gained by royalist candidates in the previous year's vote. A third of all seats were at stake during that earlier election cycle. The new majority repealed laws against priests who refused to take the oath of the Civil Constitution of the Clergy. They also demanded the removal of four Jacobin government ministers from their posts. Marquess Barthélemy, a known monarchist, was elected member of the Directory by the chambers. He replaced the leaving director Letourneur. François Barbé-Marbois became president of the Council of the Ancients. Jean-Charles Pichegru, widely assumed to be sympathetic to monarchy restoration, led the Council of Five Hundred.
Three directors conspired with foreign minister Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord to annul the election results. Paul Barras, Jean-François Rewbell, and Louis Marie de La Révellière-Lépeaux formed this alliance. Their goal was to oust the monarchists from the legislature before they could restore the ancien régime. General Napoleon Bonaparte supplied documentation of Pichegru's activities to these republican leaders. This intelligence allowed them to accuse the entire legislative body of plotting against the Republic. The group moved quickly to cancel the elections after receiving this evidence. They targeted specific individuals for arrest based on the information provided. The coup d'état was staged to prevent a royalist takeover of the government structure.
At dawn the 4th of September 1797 Paris was declared under martial law. A decree asserted that anyone supporting royalism or the Constitution of 1793 would be shot without trial. General Lazare Hoche arrived in the capital with troops from the Army of Sambre-et-Meuse. He commanded forces to enforce the new military order within the city limits. Bonaparte sent additional troops under Charles-Pierre Augereau to support the operation. These two generals coordinated their movements to secure key locations in Paris. The presence of armed soldiers created an atmosphere of immediate danger for political opponents. Martial law gave the Directory legal cover to use force against elected officials. The combination of Hoche and Augereau ensured total control over the capital during the seizure.
Twenty-one deputies were arrested following the successful seizure of power. Sixty-five individuals were subsequently exiled to Cayenne in French Guiana. This group included Pichegru, Ramel, Barthélemy, and Carnot who made good his escape. Election results in forty-nine departments were annulled by the victorious directors. One hundred sixty recently returned émigrés were sentenced to death in the aftermath. Around 1320 priests accused of conspiring against the Republic faced deportation. Philippe Merlin de Douai and François de Neufchâteau filled the two newly vacant places in the Directory. The post-coup government structure was reshaped through these mass removals. The ship Foudroyant was briefly named Dix-huit fructidor after the event to commemorate the victory.
General Napoleon Bonaparte gathered intelligence on Jean-Charles Pichegru's activities before the coup. He supplied documentation of these actions to the republican Directors. This information allowed them to accuse the entire legislative body of plotting against the Republic. Bonaparte sent troops under Charles-Pierre Augereau to support the military intervention. His contribution ensured the success of the coup d'état that annulled election results. The general used his influence within the army to deploy forces where needed most. Without this intelligence gathering the Directory might have failed to act quickly enough. Bonaparte's involvement demonstrated his growing political power during the revolutionary period.
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Common questions
What caused the Coup of 18 Fructidor in France?
The April 1797 legislative elections returned a royalist majority to France's Corps législatif. This outcome threatened the existence of the First French Republic and its revolutionary gains.
Who organized the Coup of 18 Fructidor against the royalists?
Three directors conspired with foreign minister Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord to annul the election results. Paul Barras, Jean-François Rewbell, and Louis Marie de La Révellière-Lépeaux formed this alliance.
When did the Coup of 18 Fructidor take place in Paris?
At dawn the 4th of September 1797 Paris was declared under martial law. A decree asserted that anyone supporting royalism or the Constitution of 1793 would be shot without trial.
How many people were exiled after the Coup of 18 Fructidor?
Sixty-five individuals were subsequently exiled to Cayenne in French Guiana. This group included Pichegru, Ramel, Barthélemy, and Carnot who made good his escape.
Why did General Napoleon Bonaparte support the Coup of 18 Fructidor?
General Napoleon Bonaparte supplied documentation of Pichegru's activities to these republican leaders. His contribution ensured the success of the coup d'état that annulled election results.