First Consul
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First Consul (French: Premier Consul) was a title used by Napoleon Bonaparte following his seizure of power in France.
The French people saw that their nation was in turmoil and badly needed a leader that could overthrow the inefficient government of the Council of Elders and the Assembly of Five Hundred, which made laws for the Directory to uphold. They chose a young general named Napoleon Bonaparte who worked with Sieyès to plot the overthrow, which succeeded on (November 9, 1799). The events of (November 9, 1799) set up the success of the Coup d’État of 18 Brumaire which occurred on the following day of November 10, 1799. Napoleon proceeded to walk into the Consul of Elders threatening them to hand over their power, but the Consul and the Assembly of Five Hundred were well aware of Napoleon's plot to overthrow the Directory and refused to give in so easily to his demands. A flustered Napoleon took a step outside of the palace (located in Paris, France) to regain his sanity and rally his troops. When Napoleon and his troops, armed with bayonets, returned to storm the palace there was nothing the Assembly members could do but flee for self preservation. The Coup d’État of 18 Brumaire had succeeded and a new constitution was put into action with the support of the French people. Napoleon Bonaparte became the First Consul and the recently overthrown Directory was replaced by a new three-member Consulate Consulate.
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[edit] History of the term
The term consul was as part of Bonaparte's attempt to liken himself to a Roman ruler of ancient times. He later strengthened his ties with Rome by constructing triumphal arches (such as the Arc de Triomphe) and monuments in the style of ancient Rome.
This was the most important of the three consuls. It was established by the French Constitution of 1800. The title was givien to Napoleon Bonaparte, which was taken from the ancient Roman republic. As the leader, Bonaparte promised to be a man above party and will try to restore order to the republic. [1]
The title of consul was used in Rome by the two most powerful magistrates in the government. The consuls ran the Republic (along with the Senate) and were the highest ranking military figures. Both consuls had equal authority and could veto each other. This was supposed to combat the onset of a tyranny. However in times of crisis the Senate could appoint one figure as a dictator.
The French system, installed during the breakdown of the government of the First French Republic, was similar except that there were three consuls instead of two. Bonaparte, by far the most ambitious and charismatic of the three, rose to become the most prominent. A fixed referendum later invested him with the title of "First Consul for Life", which was similar to being elevated to the position of dictator in ancient Rome, except that in the Roman system a dictator's term was limited to just six months. Napoleon stayed on for much longer, eventually proclaiming himself Emperor of the French.
[edit] Other Consuls
The Second Consul was Jean Jacques Régis de Cambacérès; the third was Charles-François Lebrun.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Hunt, Lynn. The Making of the West. 3rd ed. Vol. C. United States of America: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2009.
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