{"id":54875,"date":"2025-01-18T06:44:16","date_gmt":"2025-01-18T06:44:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bharatduniya.org\/?p=54875"},"modified":"2025-01-18T12:13:49","modified_gmt":"2025-01-18T12:13:49","slug":"18-brumaire-sieyes-planned-napoleon-rule","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bharatduniya.org\/18-brumaire-sieyes-planned-napoleon-rule\/","title":{"rendered":"18 Brumaire: When Siey\u00e8s Planned, but Napoleon Took It All"},"content":{"rendered":"

History is often shaped by the minds of schemers, but it is rarely they who seize the moment. The Coup of 18 Brumaire which was conceived by Emmanuel-Joseph Siey\u00e8s, executed by Napoleon Bonaparte, and saved by Lucien Bonaparte. It was supposed to be an elegant restructuring of power. Instead, it became a chaotic, theatrical seizure of authority.<\/p>\n

Siey\u00e8s, the revolutionary thinker, had long dreamed of dismantling the crumbling Directory and replacing it with a strong but controlled government\u2014one in which he would quietly hold the reins. But he never wanted Napoleon as his champion.<\/p>\n

Siey\u00e8s\u2019 Original Choice: The General He Never Got<\/strong><\/p>\n

Siey\u00e8s understood that a coup without military backing was doomed. He needed a general\u2014one popular enough to command loyalty, yet pliable enough to remain under his influence. Napoleon Bonaparte was not his first choice.<\/p>\n

\"Emmanuel
Emmanuel Joseph Siey\u00e8s<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Initially, Siey\u00e8s had considered General Barth\u00e9lemy Catherine Joubert, a respected but relatively subdued military leader. Joubert, unlike Napoleon, lacked political ambitions and had the temperament of a soldier rather than a statesman. For Siey\u00e8s, this was ideal\u2014a strong arm, not a strong mind.<\/p>\n

\"Barth\u00e9lemy
Barth\u00e9lemy Catherine Joubert<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But fate intervened. Joubert was killed in battle at Novi on August 15, 1799. This left Siey\u00e8s with no immediate alternative, and the pressure to act was growing. The Directory was collapsing, France was restless, and a power vacuum was forming.<\/p>\n

It was then that Talleyrand and other political insiders persuaded Siey\u00e8s to consider Napoleon. Though Siey\u00e8s distrusted the young general’s ambition, Napoleon had three undeniable advantages:<\/p>\n

1. Immense Popularity<\/strong> \u2013 His victories in Italy and Egypt had made him a national hero.<\/p>\n

2. Loyalty of the Army<\/strong> \u2013 The military would follow him unquestioningly.<\/p>\n

3. Political Na\u00efvet\u00e9 (or so Siey\u00e8s believed)<\/strong> \u2013 Having spent much of his time on foreign campaigns, Napoleon was expected to be politically inexperienced, making him easier to control.<\/p>\n

Reluctantly, Siey\u00e8s agreed. He believed he could use Napoleon as his instrument. But Napoleon was never an instrument\u2014he was a force.<\/p>\n

_________<\/p>\n

Phase One: Siey\u00e8s Clears the Board<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

On 18 Brumaire (November 9, 1799), the first act of the coup unfolded.<\/p>\n

The Council of Ancients, already manipulated by Siey\u00e8s, declared a state of emergency due to a fabricated Jacobin threat. This allowed the government to be relocated to Saint-Cloud, removing the deputies from Paris and their usual sources of support. It was a masterstroke\u2014isolate the legislature, control the narrative, eliminate opposition.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Siey\u00e8s and his allies neutralized the Directory from within. Barras, corrupt and self-serving, was bribed into resigning. Siey\u00e8s and Roger Ducos stepped down voluntarily, leaving only two remaining Directors: Gohier and Moulin. When they refused to resign, Napoleon\u2019s troops placed them under arrest.<\/p>\n

By the evening of 18 Brumaire, the Directory was dead. Siey\u00e8s’ plan was unfolding exactly as intended.<\/p>\n

\"General
General Bonaparte during the coup of 18 Brumaire in Saint-Cloud, painting by Fran\u00e7ois Bouchot, 1840<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

——<\/p>\n

Phase Two: When Napoleon Nearly Lost It All<\/strong><\/p>\n

If Siey\u00e8s envisioned a smooth transition of power, Napoleon was about to turn it into an outright takeover.<\/p>\n

On 19 Brumaire (November 10, 1799), the Council of Ancients, still under Siey\u00e8s\u2019 influence, accepted the coup with little resistance. The real test was the Council of Five Hundred, the lower house of the legislature.<\/p>\n

Napoleon, expecting an easy reception, walked into the chamber of the Five Hundred unannounced. It was a mistake. The deputies immediately recognized what was happening, and chaos erupted.<\/p>\n

Cries of “Down with the tyrant!” filled the air. Some deputies even physically attacked Napoleon. Startled, uncertain, and unprepared for this level of resistance, Napoleon panicked. He stammered, failed to control the room, and was physically pulled out by his own guards.<\/p>\n

For the first time, the coup was in danger. The political machinery Siey\u00e8s had built so carefully was slipping out of control. Napoleon had failed in the chamber, and the coup was on the brink of collapse.<\/p>\n

Lucien Bonaparte: The Brother Who Saved the Coup<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Lucien
Lucien Bonaparte<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This was the moment that Lucien Bonaparte, Napoleon\u2019s younger brother, changed history.<\/p>\n

Lucien, the President of the Council of Five Hundred, saw the situation spiraling into disaster. But instead of retreating, he acted. Stepping outside, he mounted a horse, turned to the soldiers, and declared:<\/p>\n

“My brother is in danger! The Council of Five Hundred has been infiltrated by assassins!”<\/em><\/p>\n

This was a complete fabrication, but it worked. Napoleon\u2019s soldiers, fiercely loyal to him, stormed the chamber with fixed bayonets. The deputies screamed, fled, and jumped out of windows. The Council of Five Hundred, once the last obstacle, was broken by sheer force.<\/p>\n

The Aftermath: Napoleon Takes It All<\/strong><\/p>\n

By nightfall, a small, handpicked group of deputies was gathered to “legally” approve the formation of a new government. The Consulate was born. But while Siey\u00e8s had expected to rule from the shadows, Napoleon had other plans.<\/p>\n

Within days, Siey\u00e8s was outmaneuvered. The new constitution placed Napoleon as First Consul, a position of near-total control. Siey\u00e8s, the supposed mastermind of the coup, was pushed into irrelevance.<\/p>\n

He had spent years shaping France\u2019s revolutionary ideals, but in the end, he had merely paved the way for a new dictatorship. He was rewarded with a grand estate, but his dream of guiding France\u2019s future was gone.<\/p>\n

Conclusion: The Coup That Became a Takeover<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Coup of 18 Brumaire was meant to be Siey\u00e8s\u2019 revolution. He had designed it, orchestrated it, and set every piece in place. But the moment he brought Napoleon into the equation, he lost control of his own creation.<\/p>\n

Siey\u00e8s had sought a controlled transition\u2014Napoleon delivered a military seizure. Siey\u00e8s wanted a constitutional balance\u2014Napoleon gave France an autocrat.<\/p>\n

In the end, Siey\u00e8s planned the coup, but Napoleon took the throne.<\/p>\n

\"Bonaparte,
Bonaparte, First Consul, by Ingres. Posing the hand inside the waistcoat was often used in portraits of rulers to indicate calm and stable leadership.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

History is often shaped by the minds of schemers, but it is rarely they who seize the moment. The Coup of 18 Brumaire which was conceived by Emmanuel-Joseph Siey\u00e8s, executed by Napoleon Bonaparte, and saved by Lucien Bonaparte. It was supposed to be an elegant restructuring of power. Instead, it became a chaotic, theatrical seizure […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":54878,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4425],"tags":[4951,4958,4957,4955,4953,4952,4956,4954],"class_list":["post-54875","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-history","tag-18-brumaire","tag-coup-of-18-brumaire","tag-french-directory","tag-french-revolutions","tag-lucien","tag-napoleon","tag-napoleon-coup","tag-sieyes"],"yoast_head":"\n18 Brumaire: When Siey\u00e8s Planned, but Napoleon Took It All ~ Bharat Duniya<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"18 Brumaire , Napoleon, Lucien, Sieyes, French Revolutions, Napoleon Coup, French Directory, Coup of 18 Brumaire\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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