1799 30th October
Dinner with Bonaparte
Barras hosted Bonaparte for dinner as political manoeuvring intensified shortly before the coup of Brumaire.
French Revolution · permanent subject timeline
Coup of 18 Brumaire
9–10 November 1799 and the end of the Directory. This page combines historical context with 7 matching records drawn directly from the World History Database French Revolution archive.
Historical context
Coup of 18 Brumaire: overview and significance
What happened?
On 18 and 19 Brumaire Year VIII, corresponding to 9 and 10 November 1799, Napoleon Bonaparte and political allies displaced the Directory and forced a constitutional transfer of power. A provisional Consulate emerged with Bonaparte, Sieyès and Roger Ducos as consuls.
Why was it important?
Brumaire is commonly used as the endpoint of the French Revolution because it replaced the Directory with a new executive order dominated by Bonaparte. The coup transformed the political system while retaining some revolutionary institutions and language.
World History Database records
Coup of 18 Brumaire timeline
The records below are selected from the 814-record French Revolution archive using this page's subject criteria and are ordered chronologically.
1799
1799 3rd November
Meeting with Bonaparte
Fouche met Bonaparte shortly before Brumaire and positioned the police ministry to accommodate the coming change of government.
1799 3rd November
Meeting with Fouche
Napoleon met Joseph Fouche during preparations for the political operation that became the coup of Brumaire.
1799 9th November
Coup of 18 Brumaire
Napoleon joined Sieyes and allied politicians in the coup that began on 18 Brumaire and transferred the councils away from Paris.
1799 9th November
Resignation after Brumaire
Barras resigned as the coup of Brumaire destroyed the Directory and ended his central role in revolutionary government.
1799 10th November
Provisional Consulate
The coup of Brumaire ended the Directory, and Napoleon became a provisional consul alongside Sieyes and Roger Ducos.
1799 22nd November
Return to Foreign Ministry
After Brumaire, Talleyrand returned to the Ministry of Foreign Relations and aligned himself closely with Bonaparte's new government.
Editorial provenance
Sources and editorial review
Compiled and edited by World History Database
Historical context is editorial material; the chronology is generated from the World History Database French Revolution records.
Last reviewed: September 2026.
Reference points: Assemblée nationale — Révolution française · Archives nationales — 1789
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