Malet conspiracy

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The Malet Conspiracy was an attempted coup to overthrow Napoleon in 1812 . On October 23, General Claude-François de Malet and his co-conspirators attempted to overthrow Napoleon. They spread the rumor that Napoleon had fallen during the Russian campaign and wanted to use a forged Senate resolution to establish a provisional government. The conspiracy did not represent a really serious danger or threat to the Empire , but was rather an expression of public opinion in France and at the same time revealed the weakness of the Napoleonic dynasty.

prehistory

Claude-François de Malet was a staunch supporter of the republic and was given a leave of absence from military service in 1805. Immediately after this leave of absence - due to the Third Coalition War - he was sent to Italy in the same year , where he held the command post in Pavia . In 1807 he was dismissed and charged with excessive fee collection in Paris .

In the French capital he gathered a small group of members of the opposition with whom he was preparing a coup. When Napoleon left for Bayonne in May 1808 , they planned to disseminate a false decision of the Senate, which would declare Napoleon an outlaw and replace him with a nine-member board of directors. However, the conspiracy was discovered before it could even be carried out, so Malet and the main conspirators were arrested. Malet benefited from the replacement of Police Minister Joseph Fouché , who was replaced by Anne-Jean-Marie-René Savary in 1810 , as the new minister had him sent to Doctor Dubuisson's mental hospital in eastern Paris, where Malet was in close contact with opposition members .

Involved

Claude-François de Malet

Contrary to Napoleonic propaganda, which portrayed Malet as an isolated conspirator after the failed coup in 1812, Malet found himself in the midst of a network of royalists, supporters of the republic and opposition military. Within the Napoleonic army , numerous soldiers and officers kept their nostalgic memories of the revolution and the republic and were accordingly ready to putsch against the Empire. Malet was in connection with these circles, especially with the "Société des Philadelphes" founded by Charles Nodier in 1797 . However, the exact influence of this secret society cannot be reconstructed. Furthermore, Malet had contact with the royalist opposition both during his imprisonment and later in the house of Dubuisson. Since 1810 the brothers Armand and Jules de Polignac , who had already been involved in the Cadoudal conspiracy in 1804, also stayed in the house of Dubuisson. Both in turn had connections to the brothers Bénigne and Ferdinand de Bertier , who had founded the secret society Chevaliers de la Foi in 1810 . The "Chevaliers de la Foi" were a royalist secret society with the aim of restoring Bourbon rule . Ferdinand de Bertier's memories leave no doubt about the royalist-republican alliance to overthrow Napoleon, nor about the participation of the royalist party in the Malet coup.

Furthermore, Abbé Jean-Baptiste Lafon (1766-1836), who in 1809 had participated in the dissemination of the bull of excommunication against Napoleon, was still in Dubuisson's house . Only his name remained associated with the Malet conspiracy and remembered, since he was the only one who managed to escape besides Abbé Cajamano and he was therefore able to publish the "Histoire de la Conspiration de Malet" in 1814. Thanks to the relative freedom of visiting the mental hospital, Malet stayed in touch with his wife, who was also a driving force in the preparations for the coup. Because of this freedom, Abbé Lafon was able to get in touch with the Spanish Abbé Cajamano , who was supposed to quietly seek accommodation for the conspirators in Paris.

Corporal Rateau and the lawyer Boutreux were also involved in the conspiracy. Alexandre-André Boutreux met Abbé Lafon during his studies and met him again in the mental hospital in Dubuisson. There he was also introduced to General Malet, who exerted a strong influence on Boutreux. Although Malet moved in the vicinity of royalist, republican and military opposition to Napoleon, who also supported him in preparing the coup, the coup itself was only initiated by a total of five men: Malet, Abbé Lafon, Abbé Cajamano, Rateau and Boutreux .

course

Course of the Malet conspiracy in 1812
Execution of Malets

After the announcement of Napoleon's death, the coup was supposed to be carried out with a forged decision of the Senate, which proclaimed a provisional government. The Senate decision in particular revealed Malet's precise knowledge of public opinion in France: in this, peace with foreign countries, the end of the conflict with Spain and the granting of independence for Italy and Holland were promised. The resolution also provided for reconciliation with the Pope. The high dignitaries of the Empire were deposed by the Senate resolution. However, at the same time, in order not to lose the support of the army, the Legion of Honor was retained. The occupation of the provisional government reflected the different currents of opposition to Napoleon: General Moreau was to become president, Lazare Carnot vice-president. General Augereau and various senators belonging to the group of "Idéologues" such as Destutt de Tracy, Garat and Volney also appeared on the list of the Provisional Government .

On the evening of October 22nd, Malet and Abbé Lafon escaped from the mental hospital and, like Rateau and Boutreux, found themselves in the accommodation provided by Cajamano in the Marais. In the early hours of the morning of October 23, Malet, Rateau and Boutreux went to the barracks in Popincourt and informed Colonel Soulier, commander of the Municipal Guard of Paris , that Napoleon had fallen in Russia and that they needed troops to enforce the Senate decision . These were also granted to the conspirators. Malet also freed Generals Emmanuel-Maximilien-Joseph Guidal and Victor-Claude-Alexandre Fanneau de Lahorie from La Force prison in Paris. Guidal had been arrested in Marseille on January 21, 1812 and taken to La Force prison in Paris because he had been in contact with the English Mediterranean squadron since 1810. Lahorie had left France during the trial of Moreau in 1804, returned from exile in 1808, and was arrested in 1810. Malet had him freed because he was considered a close confidante of Moreau. The two generals were supposed to bring the police ministry and the police prefecture under their control: both the police minister Savary and the police prefect Étienne-Denis Pasquier were surprised in their sleep and taken to La Force prison. The Prefect of the Seine Frochot department escaped arrest because it was hoped that he could be drawn to the side of the conspirators. Meanwhile, Malet went to Colonel Rabbe, the commander of the first regiment of the Imperial Guard , who was also convinced by Malet and thereupon blocked all exits from Paris. In the first hours of the coup, Malet and his co-conspirators controlled the approaches to Paris, the police ministry, the police prefecture and the prefecture of the Seine department.

While trying to convince the commander of Paris, General Pierre Augustin Hullin , of Napoleon's death and the establishment of the provisional government, Malet was recognized by an officer of Hullin and was overwhelmed, so that the coup failed around nine o'clock. A few hours later, all the conspirators - with the exception of the Abbés Lafon and Cajamanos - were caught. On October 27, the three main conspirators Malet, Rateau and Boutreux, Generals Guidal and Lahorie, Colonel Soulier, and a dozen other officers who had followed Malet's orders without review, were indicted before a military commission . Twelve of them were fusilized on October 29, 1812 . Only Rateau and Rabbe were spared thanks to the protection of their families.

aftermath

Napoleon, who had left Moscow on October 19th and was returning, learned of the coup on November 6th. He received the news with great anger, as three of the highest officials of the state had been caught by surprise and a fourth, Cambacérès , shone by his absence. Several officers were convinced of Malet's orders. In addition, the news of Napoleon's death was not in doubt. What weighed more heavily, however, was that this coup uncovered the weakness of the Napoleonic hereditary monarchy: Napoleon's son Napoleon II , the proclaimed King of Rome, was not proclaimed his successor by anyone . Furthermore, the plot clearly showed that there was an opposition in the Empire that could not be completely suppressed and that part of the public opinion in the Empire also enjoyed sympathy. Furthermore, representatives of the Empire were treated with scorn and ridicule. For example, the Minister of Police, Savary, was referred to as the "Duke of La Force". The aftermath of the coup in the departments could be suppressed quickly. Since little rebellious unrest was registered in the provinces in the wake of the coup, order was quickly restored.

literature

  • G. De Bertier De Sauvigny: Chevaliers De La Foi. In: Dictionnaire Napoléon. Paris 1987, ISBN 2-213-02035-3 , p. 417.
  • Jacques-Olivier Boudon: La France et l'Europe de Napoléon. Paris 2006, ISBN 2-200-26533-6 .
  • Jacques-Olivier Boudon: Histoire du Consulat et de l'Empire. Paris 2003, ISBN 2-262-02005-1 .
  • Jacques Garnier: Guidal. In: Dictionnaire Napoléon. Paris 1987, ISBN 2-213-02035-3 , p. 855.
  • Jacques Garnier: Hulin. In: Dictionnaire Napoléon Paris 1987, ISBN 2-213-02035-3 , p. 898.
  • Louis Garros: Le Général Malet. Conspirateur, Paris 1936.
  • Thierry Lentz : La Conspiration du Général Malet. Premier Ébranlement du Trône de Napoléon, Paris 2012, ISBN 978-2-262-03238-8 .
  • Natalie Petiteau: Les Français et l'Empire 1799–1815. Paris 2008, ISBN 978-2-910828-46-2 .
  • Jean Tulard : Boutreux. In: Dictionnaire Napoléon. Paris 1987, ISBN 2-213-02035-3 , p. 294.
  • Jean Tulard: Lafon. In: Dictionnaire Napoléon. Paris 1987, ISBN 2-213-02035-3 , p. 1019.
  • Jean Tulard: Lahorie. In: Dictionnaire Napoléon. Paris 1987, ISBN 2-213-02035-3 , p. 1021.
  • Jean Tulard: Malet. In: Dictionnaire Napoléon. Paris 1987, ISBN 2-213-02035-3 , pp. 1120-1121.

Web links

Commons : Claude François de Malet  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Jacques-Olivier Boudon: La France et l'Europe de Napoléon. Paris 2006, p. 266.
  2. ↑ Jacques-Olivier Boudon: Histoire du Consulat et de l'Empire. Paris 2003, p. 367.
  3. ↑ Jacques-Olivier Boudon: Histoire du Consulat et de l'Empire. Paris 2003, p. 367.
  4. ^ Jacques-Olivier Boudon: La France et l'Europe de Napoléon. Paris 2006, p. 266.
  5. ↑ See: Jacques-Olivier Boudon: Histoire du Consulat et de l'Empire. Paris 2003, p. 368; for the person of Jean-Baptiste Lafon see: Jean Tulard: Lafon. In: Dictionnaire Napoléon. P. 1019.
  6. ↑ jean tulard: Boutreux. In: Dictionnaire Napoléon. P. 294.
  7. ↑ Jacques-Olivier Boudon: Histoire du Consulat et de l'Empire. Paris 2003, p. 369.
  8. ^ Louis Garros: Le Général Malet. Conspirateur, Paris 1936, pp. 117-120.
  9. ↑ Jacques Garnier: Guidal. In: Dictionnaire Napoléon. Paris 1987, p. 855.
  10. ↑ Jean Tulard: Lahorie. In: Dictionnaire Napoléon. Paris 1987, p. 1021.
  11. ^ Jacques-Olivier Boudon: La France et l'Europe de Napoléon. Paris 2006, p. 267.
  12. ↑ Jacques-Olivier Boudon: Histoire du Consulat et de l'Empire. Paris 2003, p. 370.
  13. ↑ Jacques-Olivier Boudon: Histoire du Consulat et de l'Empire. Paris 2003, p. 371.
  14. ↑ Jean Tulard: Malet. In: Dictionnaire Napoléon. Paris 1987, p. 1121.
  15. ^ Natalie Petiteau: Les Français et l'Empire. 1799-1815, Paris 2008, p. 212.