Council Demands Explanation of Defeats
Legislators pressed the executive to account for battlefield reverses and the perceived failure of the governments military strategy.
Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
1799 in France — Page 5
Explore 244 historical events and records for France in 1799.
Historical records for France in 1799
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Council Opposition Demands Executive Changes
The legislative councils increasingly challenged the Directors after military setbacks, threatening those members considered responsible for failed policy.
Council opposition to old constitutional design Council of Ancients
Sieyès regarded the Constitution of Year III as unable to provide a stable executive. His ambitions depended on overcoming resistance within the same bicameral legislature that the constitution had created.
Council proposes replacement Director candidates Council of Five Hundred
As the executive changed during Prairial, the Five Hundred exercised its constitutional role in proposing potential Directors. The Ancients made the selections that reconstituted the government.
Coup
Overthrown by Napoleon's coup
Coup
Assists Napoleon's takeover of power
Coup
Napoleon's younger brother, Lucien Bonaparte, & Talleyrand-Perigord are instrumental in the coup of 18 Brumaire
Crisis of 30 Prairial weakens regime Barras
The councils forced changes in the Directory following military defeats and legislative dissatisfaction. Barras survived the Prairial confrontation but lost reliable partners and faced an increasingly fractured executive.
Departure from Egyptian command Bonaparte
Bonaparte left Egypt and entrusted his remaining army to General Kléber. He returned without that army, calculating that political conditions in France offered a new opportunity.
Disorderly address to senior deputies Council of Ancients
Bonaparte appeared before the Ancients and struggled to justify the coup's extraordinary measures. His speech increased uncertainty over whether the constitutional pretext would withstand parliamentary scrutiny.
Ducos selected for the Directory Council of Ancients
Roger Ducos joined the Executive Directory as leadership changed amid military reverses and parliamentary opposition. He later aligned himself with Sieyès in preparations for the overthrow of the regime.
Effects of forced loans on citizens disputed Council of Five Hundred
The government's mounting expenses generated arguments about extraordinary contributions by wealthier residents. Legislators debated the fairness and enforceability of revenue demands needed for national defense.
Emergency declaration sought after defeats Council of Five Hundred
Jourdan pressed for acknowledgment that the homeland was in danger as France faced new coalition advances. The debate raised fears that a return to emergency politics might destabilize the Directory.
Entry Into Executive Directory
Sieyes accepted election to the Directory in 1799, obtaining the executive leverage that he had declined four years earlier.
Excommunication
The Pope also releases Talleyrand-Perigord from the ban of excommunication
Fatherland in danger motion debated Council of Ancients
Facing new military setbacks, Jourdan supported renewed emergency mobilization and argued that the homeland was in danger. The legislative councils debated how far republican defense should override ordinary administration.
Five Hundred ordered to Saint-Cloud Council of Five Hundred
A decree of the Council of Ancients transferred both chambers to Saint-Cloud under an alleged security threat. Members of the Five Hundred were confronted with a relocation they had not initiated.
Forced loan debated by new majority Council of Five Hundred
Neo-Jacobin deputies supported extraordinary financial measures to fund national defense. Opposition to the forced loan revealed the division between wartime egalitarian demands and the concerns of property owners.
Foreign Secretary of France
Appointed Foreign Minister by Naoleon
Former Director Watches Brumaire Upheaval
The fall of the Directory in November ended the institution La Revelliere Lepeaux had helped govern, though he was no longer in office during the coup.
French Naval Patterns Continue Through Consulate
Warship production under the emerging Consulate benefited from the standard forms developed before the Revolution. It enhanced the technical organisation of fleet construction.
General
Appointed General of Division by Menou
General
Appointed General of Division by Menou
General
Appointed General of the Brigade
General
Appointed General of the Brigade
General
Appointed General of the Division
General
Appointed General of the Division
Gohier elected to executive office Council of Ancients
The Council of Ancients participated in the selection of Louis-Jérôme Gohier as a Director following political upheaval. Its choice formed part of an attempted reconstruction of the weakened executive.
Gohier Selected for Executive Vacancy
Louis Jerome Gohier entered the Directory during the political upheaval, becoming part of the revised executive that emerged in 1799.
Gohier Works With New Executive Colleagues
Gohier participated in the reconstructed Directory, whose members still disagreed about how to stabilize the republic.
Grenadiers disperse Five Hundred Council of Five Hundred
Troops under officers including Murat cleared the chamber after deputies resisted the coup. The intervention replaced constitutional debate with force and ended the council's effective independence.
Jourdan Criticizes Directory Military Failures
General Jourdan and legislative allies condemned the Directors handling of military reverses as the Second Coalition advanced on French positions.
Land victory at Aboukir Bonaparte
French troops defeated an Ottoman landing force at Aboukir, temporarily securing their hold on Egypt. The victory gave Bonaparte a final military success before his departure for France.
Legacy of Republican Religious Experiment
His years in office showed how the Directory had attempted to encourage civic morality through nontraditional worship while struggling to protect freedom of conscience.
Legislative Victory Reveals Constitutional Weakness
Jourdans criticism and the forced resignations showed that separate branches of government could overpower one another despite formal legal safeguards.
Lepeaux Faces Pressure to Resign
La Revelliere Lepeaux was blamed for government failures and pressed by legislators to surrender his seat in the executive.
Lepeaux Resigns During Government Crisis
La Revelliere Lepeaux resigned under pressure on 30 Prairial, ending his long service as one of the original Directors.
Lepere Surveys Ancient Canal Traces
Engineer Jacques Marie Le Pere explored traces of ancient waterways while studying possible routes through the Isthmus of Suez.
Loss of Executive Authority
His departure removed one of the longest serving original Directors and marked a significant weakening of the governments older republican leadership.
Lower chamber meets in Orangerie Council of Five Hundred
Deputies assembled in the Orangerie at Saint-Cloud on 19 Brumaire. Suspicion about the transfer made proceedings increasingly hostile to the conspirators seeking to replace the constitution.
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.