Napoleon Seizes Power in the Coup of 18 Brumaire

On 9 November 1799, corresponding to 18 Brumaire in Year VIII under the French Republican calendar, General Napoleon Bonaparte and a circle of political allies initiated a coup d'etat that dismantled the French Directory. France had faced foreign war since 1792, alongside financial crisis, political instability and a loss of public confidence in the Directory. Within the executive Directory itself, Emmanuel Joseph Sieyes had sought an overhaul of the Constitution of 1795, which he viewed as functionally paralyzed. Looking for military support to enforce constitutional revision, Sieyes had initially favored General Joubert, but Joubert's death in battle at Novi in August led him to form an uneasy partnership with Bonaparte.

Planning for the seizure of power took shape in the weeks before the coup. Alongside Bonaparte and Sieyes, key figures in the conspiracy included Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand, Joseph Fouche, and Roger Ducos. The conspirators agreed that following the overthrow of the sitting executive, designated legislative commissions would draft a replacement constitution.