Coup of 18 Brumaire

Coup d'état of 18th Brumaire
Coup d'État du 18e Brumaire
General Bonaparte during the coup d'état of 18 Brumaire in Saint-Cloud, painting by François Bouchot, 1840
Date9 November 1799
LocationChâteau de Saint-Cloud
Participants
Outcome
  • Coup successful
  • Consulate established
  • Adoption of a constitution under which the First Consul, a position Bonaparte was to hold, had the most power in the French government

The Coup of 18 Brumaire brought Napoleon Bonaparte to power as First Consul of France. In the view of most historians, it ended the French Revolution and would soon lead to the coronation of Napoleon as emperor. This bloodless coup d'état overthrew the Directory, replacing it with the French Consulate. This occurred on 9 November 1799, which was 18 Brumaire, Year VIII under the short-lived French Republican calendar system.