Exile after proscription
Carnot fled to Switzerland after being removed from the Directory and proscribed during the Fructidor upheaval.
Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
1797 in France — Page 4
Explore 206 historical events and records for France in 1797.
Historical records for France in 1797
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Exile of Lazare Nicholas Marguerite Carnot
Flees to Switzerland & Germany during the coup of Fructidor
Fall of the Venetian Republic Bonaparte
Bonaparte's intervention helped bring the independent Venetian Republic to an end amid French and local political pressure. Venetian territory subsequently became a bargaining element in peace negotiations.
Foreign ministry oversees European peace initiatives
Talleyrand worked in a diplomatic environment transformed by French victories and negotiations with Austria. He sought arrangements that could protect France's strategic gains.
Foreign Secretary of France
Appointed Foreign Secretary
Foreign Secretary of France
Appointed Foreign Secretary
Former Director Leaves French Territory
Carnot escaped across the frontier, joining the growing number of political exiles produced by the Directorys purge.
Francois de Neufchateau Enters Directory
Francois de Neufchateau became a Director after the coup, filling an executive seat made vacant by the proscription.
Freedom of Press Suspended
After the coup the Directors received powers restricting press activity, weakening the newspapers that had supported the conservative opposition.
Fructidor coup backed by Barras Barras
Barras helped organize the coup of 18 Fructidor that removed royalist-associated deputies and hostile Directors. The intervention preserved his faction's control while undermining constitutional restraints.
Fructidor Coup Preserves His Office
The armed intervention on 18 Fructidor removed hostile deputies and Directors while keeping La Revelliere Lepeaux in executive power.
Fructidor coup receives diplomatic justification
After the anti-royalist coup of Fructidor, Talleyrand communicated the government's account to foreign audiences. His ministry sought to present domestic repression as a necessary defense of republican stability.
Fructidor Intervention Begins in Capital
On 4 September Barras and his allies launched the operation known as the coup of 18 Fructidor to defeat their elected opponents.
Fructidor Proscription Measures
Following the antiroyalist coup, Sieyes was associated with measures proscribing opposition deputies, showing his willingness to accept exceptional action against perceived threats.
Fructidor troops enter legislative quarter Council of Five Hundred
Armed forces supporting the Directors surrounded the legislative institutions on 18 Fructidor. Their intervention deprived opposition deputies of the ability to conduct parliamentary resistance.
Head of State
Appointed Head of the Directory
Head of State
Appointed Head of the Directory
Invasion of England
Trys to weaken England by invading Egypt then allying with Turkey
Invasion of England
Wishes to weaken England by threatening India overland or by completing the Suez Canal
Italian Army Becomes Source of Political Influence
Bonapartes victories gave his officers considerable prestige, which the Directors increasingly expected to use in their struggle with the councils.
Italian campaign propaganda network Bonaparte
The Army of Italy sponsored publications that celebrated Bonaparte and publicized its victories. Their political messaging helped construct a personal reputation independent of routine military reporting.
Jourdan elected to Five Hundred Council of Five Hundred
General Jourdan entered the Council of Five Hundred after election from Haute-Vienne. He brought military prestige and firsthand knowledge of army administration into legislative debates.
Jupiter-Saturn Inequality
Explains the long-period inequality in the motions of Jupiter and Saturn through gravitational perturbations.
La Revelliere Challenges Clerical Restorations
La Revelliere Lepeaux warned that concessions to religious and royalist opposition could restore institutions defeated earlier in the Revolution.
La Revelliere Remains in Executive Office
La Revelliere Lepeaux retained his seat after Fructidor and helped direct the policies of a government more dependent on military coercion.
Legislative election results annulled Barras
Following Fructidor, the surviving legislative councils invalidated contested electoral returns and approved deportations. Barras gained political security through measures that curtailed the independence of elected representatives.
Legislative response to royalist electoral gains Council of Five Hundred
Deputies elected in Year V strengthened conservative influence in the lower chamber. Supporters of the Directory suspected that their opponents intended to weaken laws protecting the republic.
Ligurian political reorganization Bonaparte
French influence supported the overthrow of Genoa's old oligarchic constitution and the formation of the Ligurian Republic. Bonaparte's campaign thus produced lasting institutional changes along the Italian coast.
Ligurian Republic
Napoleon establishes his 2nd Italian state. Burns the "Libro dOro", a book of blue blood
Lower council endorses election cancellations Council of Five Hundred
After Fructidor, deputies approved exceptional measures that overturned results from departments judged politically suspect. The actions kept the legislature aligned with the victorious Directors at the cost of electoral independence.
Merlin Selected as Replacement Director
Merlin de Douai entered the reconstituted Directory after the expulsion of members opposed to the Fructidor intervention.
Military Occupation Prevents Normal Sessions
Augereaus troops controlled access to key legislative buildings, preventing many conservative deputies from meeting or organizing a coordinated defense.
Military Pressure Forces Legislative Compliance
The presence of Augereaus soldiers enabled a minority of compliant deputies to enact exceptional measures while excluded members could not vote.
Military Reputation Becomes Political Currency
Bonapartes indirect role in supporting Fructidor demonstrated how successful generals could shape the balance of power in the capital.
Negotiations With Britain Disrupted
The purge contributed to the collapse of peace talks at Lille as the Directory adopted a harder international stance after securing its domestic position.
Opposition to Fructidor intervention
Carnot resisted plans by fellow Directors to use force against electoral gains by political opponents.
Pichegru Arrested During Coup
Pichegru was arrested after soldiers secured the legislative quarter, removing a leading figure of the conservative Council of Five Hundred.
Pichegru assumes lower-council presidency Council of Five Hundred
Pichegru became president of the Council of Five Hundred after a wave of conservative electoral victories. His position dramatized the challenge a royalist-leaning majority posed to republican Directors.
Pichegru Opposition Network Dismantled
The arrests broke the political alliance built around Pichegru, and its remaining members faced exclusion from representative office.
Pichegru proscribed following Fructidor Council of Ancients
After the coup, leading royalist-associated deputies including Pichegru were arrested or proscribed. The purge removed prominent opposition voices from the legislature without ordinary electoral replacement.
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.