Battle of Rivoli
Massena's troops marched hard and fought at Rivoli, helping defeat the final Austrian attempt to relieve Mantua.
Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
1797 in France
Explore 206 historical events and records for France in 1797.
Historical records for France in 1797
Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 40 of 206 unique records.
206Unique records
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35Named events on this page
16Named people on this page
16Places on this page
January
Battle of Rivoli
Napoleon defeated the Austrian relief army at Rivoli, breaking the final major attempt to relieve Mantua.
Battle of Rivoli
Fights at the Battle of Rivoli
Battle of La Favorita
Massena fought at La Favorita after Rivoli as French forces completed the defeat of the Austrian relief effort around Mantua.
February
Capitulation of Mantua
Mantua capitulated to Napoleon's forces, completing a decisive phase of the Italian campaign against Austria.
Capture of Mantua
Wurmser surrenders his Army of Italy & Mantua to Bonaparte
Vendome High Court Hears Babeuf Case
The special court at Vendôme heard the case arising from the Conspiracy of Equals. Babeuf's trial brought arguments about property and popular sovereignty into open conflict with the Directory.
March
Battle of Tagliamento
Defeats the Austrians under Archduke Charles
Battle of Tagliamento
Commands a cavalry brigade under General Ney
April
Armistice
The armistice of Judenbourg is concluded after the Battle of Tagliamento
Treaty of Leoben
The Treaty of Loeben is concluded after the armistice of Judenbourg
Assassination Attempt
An attacker shot Sieyes in the wrist during an assassination attempt, but he survived the attack.
Election to Council of Five Hundred
Jourdan was elected to the Council of Five Hundred for Haute-Vienne after returning to political life.
Hoche Leads Spring Offensive across Rhine
Hoche crossed the river in April as French armies resumed attacks against Austrian positions. The campaign unfolded shortly before news of armistice arrangements arrived.
Invasion of Germany
Hoche crosses the River Rhine
Preliminaries of Leoben
Napoleon agreed preliminary peace terms with Austria at Leoben after advancing toward the Habsburg heartlands.
Victory at Neuwied Opens German Advance
Hoche's forces defeated Austrian troops near Neuwied and pressed eastward. The success strengthened France's bargaining position at the close of the campaign.
Moreau Crosses Rhine at Kehl Again
French troops crossed near Kehl during the resumed 1797 operations. The offensive aimed to regain military pressure against Austria before diplomatic negotiations concluded.
Peace Preliminaries Halt Rhine Operations
Military action slowed after diplomatic agreements between France and Austria altered the strategic situation. Hoche's spring advance consequently did not develop into a long campaign.
Royalist Election Crisis
Barras confronted a legislature strengthened by royalist electoral gains and increasingly feared a reversal of the republican settlement.
May
Constitution of France
Executed for advocating the Constitution of 1793. Death of Francois Noel Babeuf, executed for advocating the Constitution of 1793
Death of Francois Noel Babeuf
Death of Francois Noel Babeuf, executed for advocating the Constitution of 1793
Execution
Executed for advocating the Constitution of 1793
June
First Division Command
Massena was appointed commander of the First Division during the reorganisation of the Army of Italy.
Cisalpine Rep
Creates the Cisalpine Republic
July
Minister of Foreign Relations
Talleyrand became Minister of Foreign Relations with support from Barras, despite opposition from Carnot and Barthelemy.
August
Opposition to Fructidor Coup
Carnot opposed plans for an anti-royalist coup by fellow Directors as conflict intensified between the executive and elected councils.
Peace Policy
As foreign minister, Talleyrand promoted peace while seeking to strengthen French commercial and strategic influence.
September
Arrest of Royalist Deputies
During the Fructidor coup, forces supporting Barras arrested leading royalist deputies and Director Barthelemy.
Committee of Public Safety
Removed from the Committee of Public Safety
Coup
Carries through the coup of 18 Fructidor, putting into place the Directory
Coup
Royalist movements are banished & many deputies move to Cayenne
Coup
Supports the Coup of 18th Fructidor
Coup of 18 Fructidor
Barras backed the coup of 18 Fructidor and used troops under Augereau to remove royalist opponents from political power.
Dismissal
Removed from the Committee of Public Safety
Escape from Paris
Carnot escaped arrest during the Fructidor coup and went into hiding before leaving France.
Fructidor Moderation
After the coup of Fructidor, Tallien attempted to moderate the treatment of some politicians targeted by the victorious Directory.
Proscription of Carnot
The coup of 18 Fructidor included Carnot in the proscription because he had opposed the action taken by Barras and allied Directors.
Support for Coup of Fructidor
Napoleon sent General Augereau to support the Directory during the anti-royalist coup of 18 Fructidor.
Support for Fructidor Coup
La Revelliere-Lepeaux helped drive the anti-royalist coup of 18 Fructidor after electoral gains threatened the republican Directory.
How these records were prepared
Generated from the World History Database historical_events table. Identical display records are collapsed; descriptions otherwise retain the stored text. Coverage and source quality vary. Check primary and specialist sources before citing individual historical claims.