#greenbeens

This makes sense to me and I think I definitely understand the situation better !!! Thank you so much! I knew I was right to ask you hahah :D though I was wondering, were there any more Jacobin plots after this or was it just royalists???

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I’m glad this was helpful! 

Napoleon experienced many assassination attempts during his life so the man had a bit of a wild ride in that regard. I would say that the post-Brumaire attempts were a healthy mix of Jacobin, Royalist and Other. 

Juvenot: Jacobin-ish Infernal Plot: Royalist  Daggers: Jacobin-kind-of-but-also-it-was-a-set-up Cadoudal/Enghien: Royalist with one obligatory angry Republican  Staps: Angry German 

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The Juvenot plot was an assassination attempt at Malmaison, also in 1800. Juvenot planned to block the road to Malmaisain and when Napoleon’s carriage was forced to stop the conspirators were going to shoot him. There was also a loose plan to set fire to some cottages around Malmaison to have Napoleon’s staff run to help leaving him alone and vulnerable. Obviously nothing of the sort came to fruition. Fouche rounded him and his accomplices up but never managed to get a confession. 

Juvenot was the former aide-de-camp of Francois Hanriot, a former Jacobin leader who was executed during the Thermidorian reaction. So yes Juvenot was a Jacobin, or at least had Jacobin sympathies, but I’m not sure I’d call his attempt a Jacobin plot in particular. 

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As mentioned in the previous post, the Conspiracy of the Daggers (Conspiration des poignards) (also in 1800) was presented as a Jacobin plot by Napoleon and certainly some of the participants were Jacobin/Jacobin sympathisers. But as this was also partly rigged by Fouche and Napoleon to ensnare those given to conspiring and skullduggery I wouldn’t call it a full on plot. 

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1804 saw the Cadoudal Affair/Pichegru Conspiracy, more famously known as That Time Napoleon Had The Duke d'Enghien Executed Oopsie. Cadoudal is our friend who escaped to England after the Infernal Machine Plot fell apart and Fouche started closing in on him. 

Cadoudal’s intention was to assassinate Napoleon and restore the Bourbon kings to France (Louis XVIII to be precise). Joining forces with Jean Pichegru, the plot was also supported by the Count d’Artois (future Charles X of France, Louis XVIII’s brother). 

Pichegru thought he had Jean Moreau’s support but when they met in person Moreau was like “so, I’m here for Napoleon’s death but not so much into this restoration of the monarchy business. I’m thinking republic? You into a republic? No? Aight.”  

Fouche caught wind of the Cadoudal plot in the early part of 1804 and Moreau and Pichegru were arrested in February, Cadoudal in March. Napoleon also thought that the Duke d'Enghien* was involved and had him picked up in March and the poor sod (who was most likely innocent) was executed the next morning. That particular outcome was a PR nightmare for Napoleon. C'est pire qu'un crime, c'est une faute etc. 

Pichegru died strangled by his own tie in his cell and it was ruled a “suicide.” Cadoudal, Moreau, and others, were brought to trial in May. Cadoudal alonside eleven others was executed. Moreau, who was pretty popular, was sentenced to two years in jail. Napoleon, who didn’t want Moreau kicking around too much in France, changed the sentence to exile to America. Moreau waltzed on back to join with Napoleon’s opponents but died at the Battle of Dresden. 

So this one was a Royalist plot with Moreau-the-obligatory-Republican-who-felt-the-enemy-of-your-enemy-is-your-friend. 

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*d'Enghien was the last of the house of Conde and as Napoleon was prepping to make himself Emperor there were very strong political reasons for wanting to lump the Duke in with the conspirators as a means to secure his future throne. So, I don’t think Napoleon actually thought d’Enghien was involved with Cadoudal but merely used it as an excuse. Also, as a note, the House of Conde was a cadet branch of the House of Bourbon. 

D’Enghien’s execution was a mess for Napoleon to clean up public-image wise after. But it did result in less resistance to him on his home turf so as a means of securing calm in France, and the future of his not-yet-taken throne, his calculations were what they were. 

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Then we have the 1809 assassination attempt which is one of my favourites other than the Poignards one.

In October, while Napoleon et al were occupying Vienna, a young university student Frederich Staps tried to assassinate Napoleon in the middle of a fucking military parade. Like bold move. Staps was very, go big or go home.

Staps did the traditional, ‘excuse me kind sir I have a petition for you, OH WAIT JOKES, it’s a knife.’ Napoleon was all, ‘why are all you Germans like this?’ 

Though seriously, before Staps could confront Napoleon General Rapp became suspicious of him and had him stopped. It was then found the Staps had been carrying a knife on him and admited to his plan to kill Napoleon.  

Napoleon though, in an unusual change, wanted to interview Staps. (Napoleon generally kept the appearance of an arm’s length distance between him and the police and justice system.) 

Napoleon wanted to speak to Staps directly. The prisoner was brought to the Emperor’s office with his hands tied behind his back. Using Rapp as an interpreter, Napoleon asked Staps a series of questions.

Rapp’s memoirs have the exchange as the following: 

Napoleon: ‘Where were you born? Staps: In Naumburgh. Napoleon: What is your father? Staps: A Protestant minister. Napoleon: How old are you?  Staps: I’m eighteen years old.  Napoleon: What did you intend to do with the knife? Staps: I intended to kill you.  Napoleon: You are mad, young man; you are an illuminato. Staps: I am not mad; and I know not what is meant by an illuminato. Napoleon: You are sick then.  Staps: I am not sick; on the contrary, I am in good health. Napoleon: Why did you want to assassinate me?  Staps: Because you have caused the misfortunes of my country. Napoleon: Have I done you any harm? Staps: You have done harm to me as well as to all Germans. Napoleon: Who sent you? Who instigated you to this crime? Staps: Nobody. I determined to take your life from the conviction that I should thereby render the highest service to my country and to Europe. [...]

Napoleon: You are a wild enthusiast and you will ruin your family. I am willing to grant your life, if you ask pardon for the crime which you intended to commit, and for which you ought to be sorry. Staps: I want no pardon. I feel the deepest regret for not having executed my design.  Napoleon: You seem to think very lightly of the commission of a crime!  Staps: To kill you would not have been a crime but a duty. [...] I would notwithstanding seize the first opportunity of taking your life.

Staps was executed by firing squad. 

This attempt, though, was neither Jacobin nor Royalist as Staps was a (very devout) German man wishing to end his country’s occupation by the French. 

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So there you go! These are some of the more famous attempts on Napoleon’s life. A nice, balanced diet of Jacobins and Royalists trying to kill him.