This bibliography forms part of our close-up on the proclamation of Empire.
Some primary sources (manuscript and printed) as well as a selective bibliography
Primary sources: manuscript (selection)
Primary sources: printed (selection)
Selective Bibliography:
– General
– Parlements and assemblées
– The Plebiscite of An XII
– The Constitution of An XII
Primary sources: manuscript
The subject is too large to allow an exhaustive treatment of all the primary manuscript documents. Here are some indications of what there is available.
Before starting, those wishing to perform further research should consult the ÉGÉRIE database of the French Archive Nationales.
Archives nationales, Paris, France
BII 472A to 671 Record of the votes for the Life Consulship (21 Floréal, An X – 11 May 1802; vote results
BII 672A to 853 Record of votes for the Hereditary Imperial title (28 Floréal, An XII – 18 May, 1804); vote results
C 599 at 634 Tribunat: notes and various minutes. An VIII-1807 (especially for An XII, the fifth session, C623 to 628)
C 635 to 653
Corps Législatif. An VIII – An XII
Primary sources: printed
Archives parlementaires: complete collection of the legislative and political debates in the French chambres from 1800 to 1860, Paris: Librairie administrative de Paul Dupont, 1862.
Vol. 1. (22 Frimaire, An VIII to 29 Frimaire An, IX). 1862. 775 p.
Vol. 2. Du 29 Frimaire, An IX to 8 Frimaire, An X. 1873. 781 p.
Vol. 3. Du 9 Frimaire, An X to 29 Pluviôse, An XI. 1867. 810 p.
Vol. 4. Du 2 Ventôse, An XI (21 February, 1803) to 28 Ventôse, An XI (19 March, 1803). 1864. 784 p.
Vol. 5. Du 7 Floréal, An XI (27 April, 1803) to 17 Pluviôse, An XII (7 February, 1804). 1865. 796 p.
Vol. 6. Du 16 Ventôse, An XII (7 March, 1804) to 3 Germinal, An XII (24 March, 1804). 1865. 788 p.
Vol. 8. Du 20 Nivôse, An XII to 30 December, 1805. 1866. 821 p.
– AULARD (F. A.), “La question des Archives parlementaires”, in La Révolution Française, 1889, p. 194-208
– GUIFFREY (Jules), “Etude sur la collection publiée sous le titre de Archives parlementaires”, in La Révolution Française, 1889, p. 5-29
– Procès-verbal des séances du Corps Législatif de 1800 à 1806, Paris: Imprimerie Nationale, 1800, 31 volumes.
– Procès-verbal des séances du Tribunat depuis 11 Nivôse an VIII jusqu’à Floréal an XI, Paris: Imprimerie Nationale, 1803, 75 volumes.
– Manuel Impérial, ou Répertoire historique. Contenant les senatus-consultes et décrets impériaux, relatifs à la dignité impériale, Paris, Rondonneau, 1804, 296 p.
– FAURIEL (Claude), Les Derniers jours du Consulat, Paris: Calmann-Levy, 1886, 503 p. 2nd édition, 1889, 502 p.
According to the Bibliographie critique des mémoires sur le Consulat et l’Empire (ed. Tulard, Droz, 1971): “occasionally suspect evidence of one of Fouché’s secretaries, future member of the Institut, concerning the police and the state of public opinion in 1804.”
– ISNARD (Maximin), Réflexions relatives au sénatus-consulte du 28 floréal an XII, Draguignan: les f. Guichard, 1804, 56 p.
– CAMBACERES (Jean-Jacques de), Mémoires inédits: éclaircissements publiés par Cambaceres sur les principaux événements de sa vie politique. Presentation and notes by Laurence Chatel de Brancion, Paris: Perrin, 1999, 2 vol.
Vol. 1, La Révolution et le Consulat, p.699-756 for Cambacérès’ account of the events surrounding the proclamation of Empire.
Selective Bibliography:
– General
Accounts of the circumstances of the proclamation of Empire have been written many times. Of recent (and some less so) works, the following could be cited:
– BOUDON (Jacques-Olivier), Le Consulat et de l’Empire, Paris: Perrin, 2001, 498 p.
– DHOMBRES (Jean) and DHOMBRES (Nicole), Lazare Carnot, Paris: Fayard, 1997, p. 490-513.
On Carnot’s opposition to the proclamation of Empire and the ensuing events, see the chapter entitled “L’Impossible entente”.
– LENTZ (Thierry), Le Grand Consulat (1799-1804), Paris: Fayard, 1999, 627 p.
For the proclamation of Empire, see the final chapter, “La dernière marche”, p. 559-586.
– LENTZ, (Thierry), ed., Le sacre de Napoléon: 2 décembre 1804, (with Emilie Barthet, Pierre Bontemps, Irène Delage, Peter Hicks, Karine Huguenaud, Chantal Lheureux-Prévot), Paris : Fondation Napoléon: Nouveau Monde, 2003
– MASSON (Frédéric), Le Sacre et le couronnement de Napoléon, preface by Jean Tulard, Paris: Tallandier, 1978, 298 p.
Some useful information regarding the path towards the Empire
– SAGNAC (Philippe), “L’avènement de Bonaparte à l’Empire”, in Revue des études napoléoniennes, 1925, pp. 133-154 and 193-211.
– THIERS (Adolphe), Histoire du Consulat et de l’Empire, faisant suite à l’Histoire de la Révolution française, Paris: Paulin, 1845-1862, 20 volumes.
Especially, T. 5. 1845. p 74-137, for an “old”, but detailed view of the circumstances of the proclamation.
– THIRY (Jean), L’avènement de Napoléon, Paris: Berger-Levrault, 1959, 303 p.
Especially chapter 10, p. 207-232, on the accession to Empire.
– TULARD (Jean), Napoleon: the Myth of the Saviour, London: Weidenfield & Nicolson, 1985, 470 p.
– TULARD (Jean), Dictionnaire Napoléon, Paris: Fayard, 1999 (2nd edition).
Especially Claude Goyard, for the article: “Constitution de l’an X”, “Constitution de l’an XII”, Jean-Louis Halperin for the articles : “Sénat”, “Tribunat”, “Corps législatif”.
– WOLOCH, (Isser), Napoleon and his collaborators : the making of a dictatorship, New York; London : Norton & Comp., 2001, 280 p.
– Parlements and assemblées
– COLLINS (Irene), Napoleon and his Parliaments, New York: Saint Martin’s Press, 1979, 193 p.
“Discussion of Napoleon and his relations with the Assemblées, using primary sources. The best work in English.” (Caldwell 1991)
– DURAND (Charles), L’exercice de la fonction législative de 1800 à 1814, Paris / Aix-en-Provence: Imprimerie des Croix Provençales, 1955, 188 p.
DUTRUCH (Roger), Le Tribunat sous le Consulat et l’Empire, Paris: Rousseau, 1921, 174 p. Doctoral thesis.
– GOBERT (Adrienne), Des assemblées pendant le Consulat, 1800-1804, Paris: E. Sagot, 1925, 418 p.
“Though old, this study remains one of the most important contributions to the history of politics of the Consulate”. (Caldwell 1991)
– THIRY (Jean), Le Sénat de Napoléon (1800-1814), Paris: Berger Levrault, 1931, 427 p.
“key work, erudite and well documented. Fundamental work on the history of Napoleonic politics”. (Caldwell 1991)
– The Plebiscite of An XII
– BLUCHE (Frédéric), Le Bonapartisme: aux origines de la droite autoritaire, 1800-1850, Paris: Nouvelles Editions Latines, 1980, 366 p.
Esp. p. 92, map of the results of the plebiscites of An X and An XII.
– FLORY (Maurice), “L’appel au peuple Napoléonien”, in Revue internationa