Seizure of power in Paris At 4a.m. on 23 October 1812, Malet escaped from his captivity, donning a general's uniform. He approached Colonel Gabriel Soulier, who commanded the 10th Cohort of the
French National Guard, informing the colonel that Napoleon had died while in Russia. Several forged documents convinced Soulier of the accuracy of Malet's claims, and the colonel, ill were convinced to join the coup. Malet sent Lahorie to arrest the
Duke of Rovigo, the
Minister of Police, while Guidal, with a company of National Guards, was to seize General
Henri Clarke (Duke of Feltre), the Minister of War, and Archchancellor
Cambacérès (Duke of Parma). Guidal, an enemy of Rovigo, insisted that he be allowed to accompany Lahorie. The two generals awoke Rovigo and placed him in La Force, neglecting to arrest the other two officials. Other senior officials, such as the
Paris prefect of police Étienne-Denis Pasquier, were arrested, and Lahorie was given the position of Minister of General Police. As this occurred, Malet confronted General
Pierre-Augustin Hulin, the commander of the Paris garrison, in the latter's home. The general listened to the conspirator, who informed him that he (Hulin) had been relieved of his garrison command and that he was to turn over the seal of the 1st Division, which was located in Paris. Hulin demanded to see the official papers that would authorize such actions, whereupon Malet shot him in the jaw.
Suppression of the coup Malet then proceeded to the military headquarters opposite Hulin's home. There, he met with the senior officer on duty there, Colonel . Doucet was suspicious, however, because the letters presented to him that referenced Napoleon's death stated that the Emperor had died on 7 October. Doucet had knowledge of letters written by Napoleon that had been sent after that date. The colonel also recognized Malet as a sanatorium inmate, and, once he was alone in his office with the general, overpowered him. Malet was placed under arrest, while Doucet ordered the National Guard's 10th Cohort to return to its barracks. He then released Rovigo and other officials imprisoned by the conspirators, and informed the Minister of War, Clarke, of these developments. Clarke, whose ministry was experiencing strained relations with that of Rovigo, sent a detachment of the
Imperial Guard to protect the Ministry of Police and set about restoring order to Paris and, at the same time, making an effort to portray Rovigo as incompetent. One of Clarke's first actions was to inform Archchancellor Cambacérès of the coup, urging the man to bring Empress
Marie-Louise and Napoleon's heir, the infant
King of Rome, to
Saint-Cloud.
Aftermath Malet, Lahorie, and Guidal were tried before a council of war and were
executed by firing squad on 29 October. Others, including Colonel Soulier, who had been tricked into enabling the coup, were shot on 31 October. Colonel , commander of the Paris Guard (which had also been fooled into supporting the conspirators) was spared execution. The 10th Cohort was sent to Bremen, and Minister of War Clarke began to investigate all general officers present in Paris on 23 October, suspending from service those who he thought had acted in a way that showed support for Malet. Napoleon, rushing back to Paris from Russia, did not punish Rovigo—to the disappointment of his rival, Clarke. Clarke had been spoken poorly of by Napoleon, who wondered why after hearing of his supposed death, the minister did not proclaim
Napoleon II as the new Emperor. == References ==