#Plot of the rue Saint-Nicaise

[empirearchives]

An interesting historical anecdote about political assassinations is how Napoleon survived a British-backed assassination attempt because the person who was driving his carriage was super drunk and swerved so quickly around the street corner that they got away before the explosion even went off.

It’s an ironic case of when drunk driving literally saved their lives.

Unfortunately a few dozen innocent bystanders did get blown up by the assassins

[nesiacha]

The jacobins executed by Bonaparte

The plot of the rue Saint-Nicaise 24 december 1800 who kill 22 people and 56 injured

Warning:

As always I could be wrong as a history buff so feel free to correct me. Special dedication to @aedesluminis without whom I would never have been able to have so much information on Bernard Medge.

Alexandre-Joachim Chevalier

It is frustrating to have so little information about the Jacobins executed by the First Consul Bonaparte. Among them was the artificer Alexandre-Joachim Chevalier, arrested in December 1800 before he and his group could kill Bonaparte. He was executed on January 11, 1801, along with Veycer, who had not manufactured the infernal machine of Saint Nicaise (even though they had intended to kill Bonaparte). When he learned he was condemned to death, he reportedly shouted "Long live the Republic" but was immediately taken away by the gendarmes.

According to the author Jean Louis Vissières, though this should be taken with caution, as this book imagines what Alexandre Joachim Chevalier might have said if they let him talk after he learned the death sentence , this man worked in Year II at the artillery workshop in Meudon to improve the weapons intended for the soldiers of the Republic. Outraged by the Coup of Brumaire, he became part of a group of Sans-Culottes opposed to Bonaparte, including Desforges, a former member of the Cordeliers Club; Juvenot, a former aide-de-camp to General Rossignol; Gombaut-Lachaise, an officer struck from the ranks by Bonaparte, who deemed him excessive; Didier, and others.

Fouché's police, comprising a large number of informers, quickly foiled the plot, and the group was arrested at the end of December 1800. Again, according to Jean Louis Vissières' book, it seems Chevalier knew he was convincing no one by asserting his innocence but amused himself by exasperating the police and magistrates. This strategy was all the more effective because it allowed him to deny the involvement of other Jacobins. For example, "You wrote on a piece of paper: I am going to kill Bonaparte." Chevalier replied, "It was just to try a pen. I wrote the first sentence that came to mind."

It seems that once incarcerated, he got along well with the royalists as companions in misfortune, given that they shared a common hatred for Bonaparte. This information should also be taken with caution, but it reminded me of the touching anecdote about the friendship that developed between Marie Françoise Goupil and Lucile Desmoulins (their husbands were enemies and they likely would have been too if not for the misfortune that struck them, allowing them to bond in the face of the horrific parody of justice that led these two women to their deaths).

Of course, it seems clear that he was involved in the plot to kill Bonaparte in reaction to Bonaparte's coup and the rise of dictatorship. However, it is important to note that he never built the infernal machine on Saint Nicaise Street as he was accused (the work of the royalists).

Bernard Medge

He was born on September 3, 1753, in Carcassonne. At 17, he joined the naval artillery in Toulon. In 1787, he was involved in a case of stealing a cup, experienced imprisonment, and left to establish himself as a tanner before rejoining the army in 1792. In 1793, Metge was appointed principal administrator by the representative on mission Richou, where he came into conflict with Roussel. During the Thermidorian Convention, while Roussel was rising in rank, Metge wanted to resume military life and sought a lieutenant's commission in the Gendarmerie, which was refused by the Committee of Public Safety and the Directory. His position was precarious, especially as he was now considered a soldier without regular leave and risked punishment as a deserter.

He came to Paris in November 1795 to assert his rights and grievances. He had not forgotten his goals regarding his military career.

In the winter of 1795-1796, Metge became increasingly politically left-leaning, engaging in public debates, particularly in pamphlets, including one printed by René-François Lebois, considered the New Friend of the People, titled "Dialogue between a Representative of the People and a Former Administrator." In this pamphlet, Metge criticized the Council of Five Hundred for disregarding citizens' opinions and appeared in a public hearing on the same day the Directory announced the discovery of the Conspiracy of Equals. Consequently, Metge was arrested upon leaving and incarcerated. He wrote to the Minister of Police, Cochon de Lapparent, asserting he had no connection with the Babouvists, was appalled by their ideals, and said, "Indeed, preach the sharing and equality of goods, and you will have the lazy."

In March 1798, he published his work titled "Project of a General Bank of Agriculture and Commerce." It was primarily addressed to "farmers, merchants, manufacturers, fabricators, bankers, and brokers." Here is an excerpt: "Guided by the example of trading nations, I thought the best way to lift commerce from the lethargy in which it languished was to provide all citizens, without distinction, the means to invest their funds advantageously, securely, and with honest profit without any risk; and to allow others to easily obtain the sums or advances necessary for the type of work or industry they practice, paying only the most modest interest" (page 1).

He praised free commercial contracts and insisted that the government should be independent of finances, aligning more with capitalism and liberalism, as Metge adhered to the Constitution of Year III. In August 1799, he once again attacked Sieyes (the first time being in 1796) and contested the validity of the election that allowed Sieyes to become a director. He wrote a pamphlet titled "Panegyric of Sieyes," which established Metge's notoriety but also marked the beginning of his downfall. He was considered one of the 34 anarchist leaders and was arrested along with the 20 deputies seen as the neo-Jacobin opposition faction on November 11, 1799, shortly after Bonaparte's coup, Sieyes, and Ducos.

For the fifth time, Metge was arrested on October 4, 1800. What sealed his fate was simply his opinion. He authored a text "The Turk and the French Soldier," which justified the Egyptians' right to resist Bonaparte and called for a new "Brutus." His printer, Delrue, was also arrested. Here is the incriminating excerpt from the text:

"The Turk: You French call us slaves, while you are so dull that you don't even realize you are a hundred times more enslaved than us. In my country, a general who committed even a thousandth of the crimes Bonaparte has defiled himself with would have paid with his head... Where is the man who, knowing his rights and dignity, would want to live under such a government? Yet they dare to speak of liberty and equality; what a derision! Governments know well that they are dealing with fools and cowards, for there isn't a single Brutus.

The Soldier: There will be thousands.

The Turk: So be it."

This offense of opinion became conflated with the "Opera Plot" and the "Dagger Conspiracy." Consequently, Jean-Louis Humber, Denis Chapelle, and Etienne Jallabert were arrested for the opera plot. For the dagger conspiracy, Ceracchi, Arena, Topino-Lebrun, Demerville, etc., were arrested. Madeleine Fumey and Flamant were also arrested, with Flamant seen as dangerous by the police because, according to them, he was "the confidant of the conspiratorial leaders, and he was also responsible for printing and distributing pamphlets against the government at the Jacobins on Rue de Bacq."

The confusion was orchestrated by Fouché and Prefect Dubois, especially regarding Chapelle, who founded a secret society, and Metge. The case was handed over to a government commissioner, Gauthier-Biauzat, who was perplexed by the lack of material evidence for planning Napoleon's assassination. The accusation was based only on threatening words, polemical writings, meetings, and worse, there had been resort to torture—yes, torture. In addition to Bonaparte reinstating the punishment of branding, Fouché's police committed illegal acts of torture, rolling back reforms even Louis XVI had abolished. Despite threats from Fouché, Commissioner Gauthier-Biauzat, a scrupulous jurist, to continue to dissociate the cases.

Nevertheless, Bernard Medge was executed with two others, following this parody of justice on January 20, 1801, just after the arrest of the royalist François-Joseph Carbon, one of the main instigators of the Rue Saint Nicaise attack on January 18, 1801. Ceracchi, Arena, Demerville, and Topino-Lebrun were executed on January 30, 1801.

What is interesting about Medge is how political alignments shift over time. He was a neo-Jacobin, a fervent republican, an early opponent of Bonaparte, and an admirer of Brutus, yet clearly opposed to the Babouvists. Instead, he claimed allegiance to the Constitution of Year III. While his ideas appeared more conservative for a political class in 1793-1794 (even extreme leftists could be quite lukewarm on property rights), he is considered to belong to the left wing in the political class 1795-1799 and was classified as an anarchist by the Brumairians. In "The Turk and the French Soldier," we see another dimension of Medge: he can be interpreted as opposing expansionist and conquest wars, especially in defending the Egyptians, but also as glorifying the right to resistance.

My reflections and interpretations: To me, this is proof that Bonaparte was more deceitful from the start than even the revolutionaries in their worst moments. While we often, and rightly so, speak of the parodies of justice carried out by the Committee of Public Safety (CPS) supported by the majority of the Convention against the Enragés, the Hébertists, the Indulgents (although we often forget that Thermidor was not as bright, especially the execution of the last Montagnards like Charles Gilbert Romme, Goujon, and others), with very dubious amalgamations and sometimes fabricated evidence; in popular films, we only talk about the assassination of the Duke of Enghien (again, rightly so) concerning Bonaparte. Yet he committed far worse. As I said, although there were horrible figures during the French Revolution and the CSP committed questionable acts in an infernal internal and external situation to save the revolution, Bonaparte committed unforgivable acts in a much better situation just a month later, aiming to consolidate his power. Worst of all, he was a Jacobin And it truly took very little time for him to betray his former comrades—whereas the revolutionaries took longer to engage in internal struggles—for power. Not to mention the use of torture, an unforgivable act, and one abolished by Louis XVI. It is truly a step backward and more than unforgivable that Fouché's police practiced it on someone regardless of their convictions, whether royalist or republican.

Regarding the Jacobin Alexandre Joachim Chevalier, there was likely an attempt to murder Bonaparte. But didn't Napoleon himself say, "If I am treacherous, let all be Brutus," during the coup d'état? Wasn't he treacherous by betraying everything the French had given their lives for, and consequently, didn't the Jacobins have good reason to resent him? So, technically, he shouldn't be angry with the Jacobins who saw through his game from the start. Let us not forget that Medge was executed for the offense of opinion against Bonaparte. This demonstrates that ultimately, the 18 Brumaire was not as well-received as it seemed, whether by royalists or republicans.

The parodies of justice were worse under the CSP and led to the enactment of rather horrific laws: on January 5, 1801, without trial, 130 Jacobins were accused of complicity in the Rue de Saint Nicaise attack and were deported to the Seychelles without trial (including Felix Lepeletier), half of whom would die there (it was seen as worse than execution). Not to mention the arrests and detentions suffered by Marie Anne Babeuf and Simone Evrard after so much misfortune had already befallen these two militant women.

When it came time to draw up a list, Bonaparte called upon his former colleagues, the Septembrists. Did he forget that he was one of them (of the Jacobins, not the September Massacres) to deport them? Several state counselors said the assembly would never authorize this and that it had no competence. Talleyrand and Cambacérès then appealed to the Senate under "defense of the Constitution" measures as I understand it.

On February 7, 1801, the crimes of seditious assembly, rebellion, assassination, and brigandage became punishable by special tribunals; these courts did without juries and were not subject to appeal or cassation*. It was even worse than the justice of the revolutionary tribunal.

I strongly condemn assassination attempts, even against a figure I dislike as much as Bonaparte, for obvious moral reasons. If some Jacobins wanted to do it, it was the wrong way; even if they had succeeded, it would have opened the door to another dictatorship in my opinion. It was necessary to rally the masses again and start a new revolution. But I must point out that the movements were full of informants and often fabricated cases.

It is clear that Napoleon did not care whether they were truly guilty of the Rue de Saint Nicaise attack; he wanted to get rid of them, probably to further discredit Fouché in the eyes of the Jacobins (though Fouché needed no help in discrediting himself) and perhaps to provide assurances to the right and maybe tell his opponents, "This is what awaits you if ever…." In any case, he struck on all sides and eventually found himself alone, so when he really needed help, few allies were there for him (compared to Marat, who was arrested, and all of Paris rushed to his aid, or even when Robespierre, Saint-Just, Couthon, and Le Bas were arrested, 17 out of 49 sections wanted to help them without them asking for anything). Karma is harsh and finds its origin in this tragic affair, which would only be the beginning of a long list of grievances against him. Thats why I think Bonaparte didn’t care to save the revolution when he make the coup, it was above all for power.

I am not saying that Napoleon was a bloodthirsty man as often depicted by English propaganda. It is a black legend that needs to be combated, but I want to emphasize that while we often spend time condemning the acts of the revolutionaries (often rightly so, I am not absolving them), we exonerate Napoleon and his acts, which I believe were ten times worse.

Finally, I urge everyone who wishes to find more information about these Jacobins who were shot or died in deportation because it is always interesting to learn more about these forgotten figures of history and I can be wrong.

*https://www.napoleon-empire.net/chronologie/chronologie-1801.php

Sources  :

Excerpt from Bernard Gainot's text Un itinéraire démocratique post Thermidorien Bernard Medge

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 12.24

502 – Chinese emperor Xiao Yan names Xiao Tong his heir designate. 640 – Pope John IV is elected, several months after his predecessor's death. 759 – Tang dynasty poet Du Fu departs for Chengdu, where he is hosted by fellow poet Pei Di. 1144 – The capital of the crusader County of Edessa falls to Imad ad-Din Zengi, the atabeg of Mosul and Aleppo. 1294 – Pope Boniface VIII is elected, replacing St. Celestine V, who had resigned. 1500 – A joint Venetian–Spanish fleet captures the Castle of St. George on the island of Cephalonia. 1737 – The Marathas defeat the combined forces of the Mughal Empire, Rajputs of Jaipur, Nizam of Hyderabad, Nawab of Awadh and Nawab of Bengal in the Battle of Bhopal. 1777 – Kiritimati, also called Christmas Island, is discovered by James Cook. 1800 – The Plot of the rue Saint-Nicaise fails to kill Napoleon Bonaparte. 1814 – Representatives of the United Kingdom and the United States sign the Treaty of Ghent, ending the War of 1812. 1818 – The first performance of "Silent Night" takes place in the church of St. Nikolaus in Oberndorf, Austria. 1826 – The Eggnog Riot at the United States Military Academy begins that night, wrapping up the following morning. 1846 – British acquired Labuan from the Sultanate of Brunei for Great Britain. 1865 – Jonathan Shank and Barry Ownby form The Ku Klux Klan. 1868 – The Greek Presidential Guard is established as the royal escort by King George I. 1871 – The opera Aida premieres in Cairo, Egypt. 1906 – Reginald Fessenden transmits the first radio broadcast; consisting of a poetry reading, a violin solo, and a speech. 1913 – The Italian Hall disaster in Calumet, Michigan results in the deaths of 73 striking workers families at a Christmas party participants (including 59 children) when someone falsely yells "fire". 1914 – World War I: The "Christmas truce" begins. 1918 – Region of Međimurje is captured by the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes from Hungary. 1920 – Gabriele D'Annunzio surrendered the Italian Regency of Carnaro in the city of Fiume to Italian Armed Forces. 1924 – Albania becomes a republic. 1929 – Assassination attempt on Argentine President Hipólito Yrigoyen. 1929 – A four alarm fire breaks out in the West Wing of the White House in Washington, D.C. 1939 – World War II: Pope Pius XII makes a Christmas Eve appeal for peace. 1941 – World War II: Kuching is conquered by Japanese forces. 1941 – World War II: Benghazi is conquered by the British Eighth Army. 1942 – World War II: French monarchist, Fernand Bonnier de La Chapelle, assassinates Vichy French Admiral François Darlan in Algiers, Algeria. 1943 – World War II: U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower is named Supreme Allied Commander for the Operation Overlord. 1944 – World War II: The Belgian Troopship Leopoldville was torpedoed and sank with the loss of 763 soldiers and 56 crew. 1945 – Five of nine children become missing after their home in Fayetteville, West Virginia, is burned down. 1951 – Libya becomes independent. Idris I is proclaimed King of Libya. 1952 – First flight of Britain's Handley Page Victor strategic bomber. 1953 – Tangiwai disaster: In New Zealand's North Island, at Tangiwai, a railway bridge is damaged by a lahar and collapses beneath a passenger train, killing 151 people. 1964 – Vietnam War: Viet Cong operatives bomb the Brinks Hotel in Saigon, South Vietnam to demonstrate they can strike an American installation in the heavily guarded capital. 1964 – Flying Tiger Line Flight 282 crashes after takeoff from San Francisco International Airport, killing three. 1966 – A Canadair CL-44 chartered by the United States military crashes into a small village in South Vietnam, killing 111. 1968 – Apollo program: The crew of Apollo 8 enters into orbit around the Moon, becoming the first humans to do so. They performed ten lunar orbits and broadcast live TV pictures. 1969 – Nigerian troops capture Umuahia, the Biafran capital. 1971 – LANSA Flight 508 is struck by lightning and crashes in the Puerto Inca District in the Department of Huánuco in Peru, killing 91. 1973 – District of Columbia Home Rule Act is passed, allowing residents of Washington, D.C. to elect their own local government. 1974 – Cyclone Tracy devastates Darwin, Australia. 1994 – Air France Flight 8969 is hijacked on the ground at Houari Boumediene Airport, Algiers, Algeria. Over the course of three days three passengers are killed, as are all four terrorists. 1996 – A Learjet 35 crashes into Smarts Mountain near Dorchester, New Hampshire, killing both pilots on board. 1997 – The Sid El-Antri massacre in Algeria kills between 50 and 100 people. 1999 – Indian Airlines Flight 814 is hijacked in Indian airspace between Kathmandu, Nepal, and Delhi, India. The aircraft landed at Kandahar in Afghanistan. The incident ended on December 31 with the release of 190 survivors (one passenger is killed). 2003 – The Spanish police thwart an attempt by ETA to detonate 50 kg of explosives at 3:55 p.m. inside Madrid's busy Chamartín Station. 2005 – Chad–Sudan relations: Chad declares a state of belligerence against Sudan following a December 18 attack on Adré, which left about 100 people dead. 2008 – The Lord's Resistance Army, a Ugandan rebel group, begins a series of attacks against civilians in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, massacring more than 400. 2018 – A helicopter crash kills Martha Érika Alonso, first female Governor of Puebla, Mexico, and her husband Rafael Moreno Valle Rosas, former governor.

[shannonselin]

24 December 1800:  Napoleon was heading to the opera to see Joseph Haydn’s oratorio The Creation when a cart exploded in the street shortly after his carriage had passed. The attack was carried out by royalists linked to the Chouan leader Georges Cadoudal, who was in the pay of the British government. The conspirators bought a horse and cart from a Parisian grain dealer. They attached a large wine cask to the cart, and loaded the cask with shrapnel and gunpowder. They drove this “infernal machine” to Rue Saint-Nicaise (which no longer exists), near the intersection with Rue Saint-Honoré, on Napoleon’s route to the opera. One of the plotters paid 14-year-old Marianne Peusol, whose mother sold buns nearby, twelve sous to hold the horse and guard the cart while the would-be assassin stood at some distance with the fuse.

The conspirators expected Napoleon’s carriage to be preceded by a cavalry escort. The escort’s appearance would be the signal to light the powder. However, Napoleon’s coachman was driving very fast (some accounts say he was drunk), and the carriage appeared without warning. As noted in evidence at the subsequent trial:

“The person who was to have executed the plan, not being properly instructed, was not aware of the arrival of the carriage of the First Consul until he saw it. It was not, as he had been told, preceded by an advanced guard; however he prepared to execute his plan. At that moment the horse of a grenadier drove him against the wall and deranged him. He returned, and set fire to the machine; but the powder not being good, its effect was two or three seconds too late. Otherwise the First Consult must inevitably have perished.”

The explosion killed the horse, young Marianne, and as many as a dozen bystanders. Some 40 others were wounded. Several buildings were damaged or destroyed.

Napoleon’s wife Josephine, her daughter Hortense de Beauharnais, and Napoleon’s sister Caroline Murat (pregnant with Achille) were travelling in a carriage behind Napoleon’s. They might have been killed had they not been delayed by fiddling with Josephine’s shawl, as described by General Jean Rapp, who accompanied the ladies.

“The police had intimated to Napoleon that an attempt would be made against his life, and cautioned him not to go out. Madame Bonaparte, Mademoiselle Beauharnais, Madame Murat, Lannes, Bessières, the aide-de-camp on duty, and lieutenant Lebrun, now duke of Placenza, were all assembled in the saloon, while the First consul was writing in his closet. Haydn’s Oratorio was to be performed that evening: the ladies were anxious to hear the music, and we also expressed a wish to that effect. The Escort piquet was ordered out; and Lannes requested that Napoleon would join the party. He consented; his carriage was ready, and he took along with him Bessières and the aide-de-camp on duty. I was directed to attend the ladies.

“Josephine had received a magnificent shawl from Constantinople, and she that evening wore it for the first time. ‘Allow me to observe, Madame,’ said I, ‘that your shawl is not thrown on with your usual elegance.’ She good humouredly begged that I would fold it after the fashion of the Egyptian ladies. While I was engaged in this operation, we heard Napoleon depart. ‘Come, sister,’ said Madame Murat, who was impatient to get to the theatre; ‘Bonaparte is going.’

“We stepped into the carriage: the First Consul’s equipage had already reached the middle of the Place Carrousel. We drove after it; but we had scarcely entered the Place when the machine exploded. Napoleon escaped by a singular chance. Saint-Regent [one of the conspirators], or his French servant, had stationed himself in the middle of the Rue Nicaise. A grenadier of the escort, supposing he was really what he appeared to be, a water-carrier, gave him a few blows with the flat of his sabre, and drove him off. The cart was turned round, and the machine exploded between the carriages of Napoleon and Josephine.

“The ladies shrieked on hearing the report; the carriage windows were broken, and Mademoiselle Beauharnais received a slight hurt on her hand. I alighted and crossed the Rue Nicaise, which was strewed with the bodies of those who had been thrown down, and the fragments of the walls that had been shattered by the explosion. Neither the Consul nor any individual of his suite sustained any serious injury. When I entered the theatre Napoleon was seated in his box, calm and composed, and looking at the audience through his opera-glass. Fouché was beside him. ‘Josephine,’ said he, as soon as he observed me. She entered at that moment, and he did not finish his question. ‘The rascals,’ said he, very coolly, ‘wanted to blow me up. Bring me a book of the Oratorio.’ "

Though Police Minister Fouché believed that royalists were behind the attack, Napoleon was initially convinced that his Jacobin enemies were responsible. He used the explosion as an excuse to exile 130 Jacobins from France. Meanwhile, police assembled the remains of the cart and horse and tried to find the owner. This led them to François Carbon, the man who made the bomb. Carbon confessed the names of fellow conspirators Pierre Robinault de Saint-Régent and Joseph de Limoëlan, as well as others. Carbon and Saint-Régent were executed on April 20, 1801. Limoëlan fled to the United States, where he became a priest. He died in Charleston in 1826.

Click here to read more about assassination attempts on Napoleon.

[thiswaycomessomethingwicked]

hi!! so ive started reading more about Napoleon, tho I really don't know anything tbh lol but i have a super random question and i thought to ask you cuz you are a great knower of things. but i was reading about the infernal machine plot and I was kinda confused by the fact that he punished like all the jacobins but only kinda sorta punished the royalists even tho it was a royalist plot, and i just wanted to know why he hated the jacobins so much, at least in comparison? (sorry if this is dumb)

So two things: 

1) Napoleon convinced himself that the attempt was made by the remainders of more extremist Revolutionaries (particularly the Jacobins) and had over one hundred suspects rounded up. He expressed feeling betrayed by the Revolutionaries and that they were “ungrateful” for all he had done. But, this is Napoleon who was a) super melodramatic and b) a great political manipulator. 

2) Fouche, head of police, went after the Royalists. He found François Carbon, the man who made the bomb who then gave up the names of his compatriots: Pierre Robinault de Saint-Régent, Joseph de Limoëlan, Georges Cadoudal, Jean-Baptiste Coster, Joyaux d’Assas, Jérôme Pétion de Villeneuve, and La Haye-Saint-Hilaire.

Carbon and Saint-Régent were executed on April 20, 1801. Limoëlan fled to the United States where he died in Charleston in 1826. Caduodal fled to England and maintained commitment to his anti-Bonapartist plotting (there were a few other plans he was part of including a ridiculous kidnapping plot that went nowhere). 

(Pierre Robinault de Saint-Régent, a royalist officer, igniting the wick of the infernal machine)

So, where does this leave us? 

If you believe Napoleon truly thought the Jacobins were guilty then it’s just a very plain reading of a man who got the wrong end of the stick. 

With Napoleon, though, I am cautious about reading things too literally. I think Napoleon very much was aware of the opportunity the Plot presented to rid himself of the vocal remaining more-left, more-Republican Jacobins. 

The Plot and its aftermath was therefore a convenient opportunity to round up and frighten anti-Bonapartists (of all stripes). 

Prior to the attempt, several Jacobins had published pamphlets calling Napoleon a tyrant, comparing him to Caesar and other less than favourable accusations. Napoleon was a great believer in nipping problems in the bud and clamping down on insurrection before it got too big. So to this end, the Plot fell right into his lap and was used accordingly. 

Innocent people had died! Innocent people had been wounded! It was a threat to the government! He had all the politically emotional leverage he needed to eradicate whoever he felt was a threat to him, his allies and the government. 

Early January 1801 Napoleon exiled 130 Jacobins (the “remains of Robespierre”) and four were executed. 

A side effect of the Plot was the increase of consular powers. Intended? Untinended? I would hedge bets on the latter but Napoleon certainly took advantage of the opportunity to consolidate more power into the hands of the first consul position and weaken the other organs of government. 

The other thing to remember is that Napoleon in these years was attempting to unify a fractured country. Going after the Royalists could have been read, at the time, of a continuation of Revolutionary extremism which was something Napoleon was attempting to distance himself from (especially as a former Jacobin). Whereas targeting the remaining vocal Jacobins was not only a means of showing that the current government was more centre and moderate but also a means of procuring some credit with the royalists. 

Napoleon was trying to balance two very disparate views in French society and that affected much of his early policy and navigation of events. 

The Infernal Device Plot also occurred only months after the “Conspiration” des poignards which happened in September/October 1800. That one is a fun, very Vetinari-ish, plot. Basically, the police infiltrated an anti-Bonapartist group and facilitated their schemes then “caught” them red handed when they tried to stab Napoleon at the theatre (Napoleon just get Netflix, stop going to the theatre). 

The “Conspiration” des poignards was also presented as a Jacobin plot. The reason I mention it is that (it’s a fucking hilarious plot and I love it) it lends credence to the idea that Napoleon was just cleaning house of the more extremist revolutionaries left over from those heady Thermidorian days. 

Thank you for the ask! :D I hope this helps (and makes sense). 

[illustratus]

The attack on Rue Saint-Nicaise in Paris on 24 December 1800

The coach of the First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte went to gallop and avoids the bomb.

by Jacques Marie Gaston Onfray de Bréville

[josefavomjaaga]

Rue St.Nicaise

As @tairin and @usergreenpixel were so kind to translate the manga version of the infernal machine plot for us, I thought maybe somebody is interested in the sources behind it. This is another one of those occasions where there’s different reports from different witnesses.

This is taken from Rapp’s memoirs:

The affair of the infernal machine has never been properly understood by the public. The police had intimated to Napoleon that an attempt would be made against his life, and cautioned him not to go out. Madame Bonaparte, Mademoiselle Beauharnais, Madame Murat, Lannes, Bessières, the aide-de-camp on duty, and lieutenant Lebrun, now duke of Placenza, were all assembled in the saloon, while the First Consul was writing in his closet. Haydn's Oratorio was to be performed that evening: the ladies were anxious to hear the music, and we also expressed a wish to that effect. The escort picquet was ordered out; and Lannes requested that Napoleon would join the party. He consented; his carriage was ready, and he took along with him Bessières and the aide-de-camp on duty. I was directed to attend the ladies. Josephine had received a magnificent shawl from Constantinople, and she that evening wore it for the first time. "Allow me to observe, Madame," said I, "that your shawl is not thrown on with your usual elegance." She good humouredly begged that I would fold it after the fashion of the Egyptian ladies. While I was engaged in this operation, we heard Napoleon depart. "Come, sister," said Madame Murat, who was impatient to get to the theatre; "Bonaparte is going." We stepped into the carriage: the First Consul's equipage had already reached the middle of the Place Carrousel. We drove after it; but we had scarcely entered the Place when the machine exploded. Napoleon escaped by a singular chance. Saint-Regent, or his French servant, had stationed himself in the middle of the Rue Nicaise. A grenadier of the escort, supposing he was really what he appeared to be, a water-carrier, gave him a few blows with the flat of his sabre, and drove him off. The cart was turned round, and the machine exploded between the carriages of Napoleon and Josephine. The ladies shrieked on hearing the report; the carriage windows were broken, and Mademoiselle Beauharnais received a slight hurt on her hand. I alighted, and crossed the Rue Nicaise, which was strewed with the bodies of those who had been thrown down, and the fragments of the walls that had been shattered by the explosion. Neither the Consul nor any individual of his suite sustained any serious injury. When I entered the theatre Napoleon was seated in his box, calm and composed, and looking at the audience through his opera-glass. Fouché was beside him. "Josephine," said he, as soon as he observed me. She entered at that moment, and he did not finish his question. "The rascals," said he, very coolly, "wanted to blow me up. Bring me a book of the Oratorio."

And this is the same story from Hortense’s memoirs and perspective:

An oratorio by Haydn had long been announced, the music of which was to produce the most beautiful effect. The day of the performance arrived and we prepared to go to the Opera. The Consul, who had been sitting by the fire after dinner, did not seem inclined to go out. We were all dressed up and waiting impatiently for him to make up his mind. My mother urged him: "It will distract you, you are working too hard". The Consul closed his eyes and answered nothing. Finally, he told us that we had only to leave, that he would stay. Then my mother wanted to keep him company; it was a contest between them which ended with the horses being put to the carriages. A moment before getting into his coach, the Consul criticised my mother's toilet, and this criticism saved our lives. Having wanted to communicate it to Caroline and the aide-de-camp Rapp, she allowed some time to elapse, so that our carriage, which always followed immediately after that of the Consul, was this time separated from it by a small distance. As we entered the Rue Saint-Nicaise, a violent commotion was felt. The carriage seemed to get lifted off. The windows broke and fell on us. "It is against Bonaparte," cried my mother, and she fainted. Our horses, frightened by the noise, suffocated by the gunpowder, had reared up, taken the reins and carried us to the gate of the Tuileries. Caroline, though far along in her pregnancy, kept her wits about her. She tried to reassure my mother. She had seen a very big fire. A house had collapsed. It couldn't have been against her brother. But my mother kept repeating: "It is against Bonaparte". I also tried to calm her down! I explained to her that our carriage alone had been attacked, that the strength of the concussion was proof of this and that the mistake had saved the Consul. A piece of the glass hurt my hand slightly. Rapp was the first to rush into the Rue Saint-Nicaise. He saw men, women, children, dead or wounded, scattered limbs, rubble ready to bury him, but the cries of the unfortunate expiring people could not stop him. He wanted to reach the Consul and trembled to find him. One of the guards of the escort, sent to us, allayed our fears by informing us that the fire had only broken out as the Consul was leaving the street and that he had arrived at the Opera without accident. We went there by another street. My mother was not master of her strong emotion on seeing her husband again, but he, calm and tranquil, to deceive her alarm: "What have you," he said. "What has happened? It is nothing." And all this with as much composure as if he had not guessed that it was yet another blow directed against him.

So, it remains unclear who had had the good idea to critisize Josephine’s shawl.

[thevideogamehistorian-blog]

New Video Coming Soon

It's been a few weeks since I made a new video. They have been crazy weeks and I haven't had the time. Hopefully tomorrow or even tonight I can begin crafting a new video to get it up tomorrow night. I have a few topics ready to go, but the one I've been itching to do for a while now is the Plot of the Rue Saint-Nicaise as seen in Assassin's Creed Unity. I'm hoping to have this one up tomorrow night at the earliest but Thursday at the latest. Also been a while since I've done an Assassin's Creed video.

[nesiacha]

Topino Lebrun, a revolutionary Jacobin close to Babeuf, executed under Bonaparte, is either forgotten or demonized

François Jean-Baptiste Topino-Lebrun, La Mort de Caius Gracchus (1798 Marseille, musée des Beaux-arts)

Topino Lebrun is an interesting revolutionary, though often overshadowed by other revolutionary artists like Jacques Louis David. According to the Annales Historiques de la Révolution Française, he was a lifelong patriot, whether as a student of Jacques Louis David or in Rome. Then, in 1793, he became a juror of the Revolutionary Tribunal, a position he maintained even after 9 Thermidor.

Although a democrat and a staunch Jacobin, close to the revolutionary Antonelle (who is featured in a post here: Antonelle), and a subscriber to the Tribun du Peuple, he may have transmitted a text written in prison that became issue 34 of Tribun du Peuple. While he sympathized with Babeuf, he was by no means a Babouvist, at least not involved in the Conspiracy, contrary to popular belief. However, he was part of the "Société du Manège," where former Jacobins gathered at the Manège Hall of the Tuileries (according to the website Les Amis de Gracchus Babeuf, this society had 3,000 members, including former Babouvists like Drouet, Félix Lepeletier, etc.). Claude Mazauric places Topino Lebrun in the Directorial Left, close to Marc-Antoine Jullien and Antonelle, but not within Babouvism.

Now, where there is uncertainty is in understanding Topino Lebrun's true intentions when painting La mort de Caius Gracchus translate in english The Death of Caius Gracchus (which he began in 1792). Was he aiming, by the time of its completion, to make the painting a tribute to Babeuf, who had recently been executed by guillotine? Claude Mazauric believes it is not a Babouvist propaganda painting but "a sort of specific contribution to the maintenance of the revolutionary myth in the national consciousness," though there is a tribute to the revolutionary tribune. According to the Amis de Gracchus Babeuf, Topino Lebrun intended for this painting to allude to Babeuf's death, making it a homage.

In 1800, following the royalist-led attack on Rue Saint-Nicaise, Bonaparte seized the opportunity to eliminate the Jacobins (as discussed here: The Jacobins Executed by Bonaparte). Topino Lebrun's artist friend, Giuseppe Ceracchi, was implicated in the so-called "Opera Dagger Plot" (a fabricated scheme) and was tortured. To stop the pain, the poor Ceracchi gave up Topino Lebrun's name (or perhaps he was forced to mention him, given Topino Lebrun's association with the republican and Jacobin opposition). Through torture, a role was fabricated for Topino Lebrun, who was falsely accused of supposedly supplying twelve daggers to conspirators. Thus, a dark legend arose about him as an assassin, or in the words of Claude Mazauric, "an unaltered blood-drinker." Bonaparte said of him and his comrades, "these craftsmen, reinforced by these painters (presumably referring to Ceracchi and Topino Lebrun, among others), have a fiery imagination, a bit more education than the people, they live among the people and exert influence over them."

Thus, five years after Babeuf, Topino Lebrun joined him on the scaffold.

Sources:

Claude Mazauric: Annales Historiques de la Révolution Française, report on the painter Topino Lebrun.

Exhibition by the Association Les Amis de Gracchus Babeuf.

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 12.24 (before 1950)

502 – Chinese emperor Xiao Yan names Xiao Tong his heir designate. 640 – Pope John IV is elected, several months after his predecessor's death. 759 – Tang dynasty poet Du Fu departs for Chengdu, where he is hosted by fellow poet Pei Di. 1144 – The capital of the crusader County of Edessa falls to Imad ad-Din Zengi, the atabeg of Mosul and Aleppo. 1294 – Pope Boniface VIII is elected, replacing St. Celestine V, who had resigned. 1500 – A joint Venetian–Spanish fleet captures the Castle of St. George on the island of Cephalonia. 1737 – The Marathas defeat the combined forces of the Mughal Empire, Rajputs of Jaipur, Nizam of Hyderabad, Nawab of Awadh and Nawab of Bengal in the Battle of Bhopal. 1777 – Kiritimati, also called Christmas Island, is discovered by James Cook. 1800 – The Plot of the rue Saint-Nicaise fails to kill Napoleon Bonaparte. 1814 – Representatives of the United Kingdom and the United States sign the Treaty of Ghent, ending the War of 1812. 1818 – The first performance of "Silent Night" takes place in the Nikolauskirche in Oberndorf, Austria. 1826 – The Eggnog Riot at the United States Military Academy begins that night, wrapping up the following morning. 1846 – British acquired Labuan from the Sultanate of Brunei for Great Britain. 1865 – Jonathan Shank and Barry Ownby form The Ku Klux Klan. 1868 – The Greek Presidential Guard is established as the royal escort by King George I. 1871 – The opera Aida premieres in Cairo, Egypt. 1906 – Reginald Fessenden transmits the first radio broadcast; consisting of a poetry reading, a violin solo, and a speech. 1913 – The Italian Hall disaster in Calumet, Michigan results in the deaths of 73 striking workers families at a Christmas party participants (including 59 children) when someone falsely yells "fire". 1914 – World War I: The "Christmas truce" begins. 1918 – Region of Međimurje is captured by the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes from Hungary. 1920 – Gabriele D'Annunzio surrendered the Italian Regency of Carnaro in the city of Fiume to Italian Armed Forces. 1924 – Albania becomes a republic. 1929 – Assassination attempt on Argentine President Hipólito Yrigoyen. 1929 – A four alarm fire breaks out in the West Wing of the White House in Washington, D.C. 1939 – World War II: Pope Pius XII makes a Christmas Eve appeal for peace. 1941 – World War II: Kuching is conquered by Japanese forces. 1941 – World War II: Benghazi is conquered by the British Eighth Army. 1942 – World War II: French monarchist, Fernand Bonnier de La Chapelle, assassinates Vichy French Admiral François Darlan in Algiers, Algeria. 1943 – World War II: U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower is named Supreme Allied Commander for Operation Overlord. 1944 – World War II: The Belgian Troopship Leopoldville was torpedoed and sank with the loss of 763 soldiers and 56 crew. 1945 – Five of nine children become missing after their home in Fayetteville, West Virginia, is burned down.

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 12.24

502 – Chinese emperor Xiao Yan names Xiao Tong his heir designate. 640 – Pope John IV is elected, several months after his predecessor's death. 759 – Tang dynasty poet Du Fu departs for Chengdu, where he is hosted by fellow poet Pei Di. 820 – Emperor Leo V is assassinated in the Hagia Sophia at Constantinople and is succeeded by Michael II. 1144 – The capital of the crusader County of Edessa falls to Imad ad-Din Zengi, the atabeg of Mosul and Aleppo. 1294 – Pope Boniface VIII is elected, replacing St. Celestine V, who had resigned. 1500 – A joint Venetian–Spanish fleet captures the Castle of St. George on the island of Cephalonia. 1601–1900 1737 – The Marathas defeat the combined forces of the Mughal Empire, Rajputs of Jaipur, Nizam of Hyderabad, Nawab of Awadh and Nawab of Bengal in the Battle of Bhopal.[citation needed] 1777 – Kiritimati, also called Christmas Island, is discovered by James Cook. 1800 – The Plot of the rue Saint-Nicaise fails to kill Napoleon Bonaparte. 1814 – Representatives of the United Kingdom and the United States sign the Treaty of Ghent, ending the War of 1812. 1818 – The first performance of "Silent Night" takes place in the church of St. Nikolaus in Oberndorf, Austria. 1826 – The Eggnog Riot at the United States Military Academy begins that night, wrapping up the following morning. 1846 – British acquired Labuan from the Sultanate of Brunei for Great Britain. 1865 – Jonathan Shank and Barry Ownby form The Ku Klux Klan. 1868 – The Greek Presidential Guard is established as the royal escort by King George I. 1871 – The opera Aida premieres in Cairo, Egypt. 1906 – Reginald Fessenden transmits the first radio broadcast; consisting of a poetry reading, a violin solo, and a speech. 1913 – The Italian Hall disaster in Calumet, Michigan results in the deaths of 73 Christmas party participants (including 59 children) when someone falsely yells "fire". 1914 – World War I: The "Christmas truce" begins. 1918 – Region of Međimurje is captured by the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes from Hungary. 1920 – Gabriele D'Annunzio surrendered the Italian Regency of Carnaro in the city of Fiume to Italian armed forces. 1924 – Albania becomes a republic.[citation needed] 1929 – Assassination attempt on Argentine President Hipólito Yrigoyen.[citation needed] 1929 – A four alarm fire breaks out in the West Wing of the White House in Washington, D.C. 1939 – World War II: Pope Pius XII makes a Christmas Eve appeal for peace.[citation needed] 1941 – World War II: Kuching is conquered by Japanese forces. 1941 – World War II: Benghazi is conquered by the British Eighth Army.[citation needed] 1942 – World War II: French monarchist, Fernand Bonnier de La Chapelle, assassinates Vichy French Admiral François Darlan in Algiers, Algeria. 1943 – World War II: U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower is named Supreme Allied Commander for the Invasion of Normandy. 1944 – World War II: The Belgian Troopship Leopoldville was torpedoed and sank with the loss of 763 soldiers and 56 crew. 1945 – Five of nine children become missing after their home in Fayetteville, West Virginia, is burned down. 1951 – Libya becomes independent. Idris I is proclaimed King of Libya. 1952 – First flight of Britain's Handley Page Victor strategic bomber. 1953 – Tangiwai disaster: In New Zealand's North Island, at Tangiwai, a railway bridge is damaged by a lahar and collapses beneath a passenger train, killing 151 people. 1964 – Vietnam War: Viet Cong operatives bomb the Brinks Hotel in Saigon, South Vietnam to demonstrate they can strike an American installation in the heavily guarded capital. 1964 – Flying Tiger Line Flight 282 crashes after takeoff from San Francisco International Airport, killing three. 1966 – A Canadair CL-44 chartered by the United States military crashes into a small village in South Vietnam, killing 129. 1968 – Apollo program: The crew of Apollo 8 enters into orbit around the Moon, becoming the first humans to do so. They performed ten lunar orbits and broadcast live TV pictures. 1969 – Nigerian troops capture Umuahia, the Biafran capital. 1971 – LANSA Flight 508 is struck by lighting and crashes in the Puerto Inca District in the Department of Huánuco in Peru, killing 91. 1973 – District of Columbia Home Rule Act is passed, allowing residents of Washington, D.C. to elect their own local government. 1974 – Cyclone Tracy devastates Darwin, Australia. 1994 – Air France Flight 8969 is hijacked on the ground at Houari Boumediene Airport, Algiers, Algeria. Over the course of three days three passengers are killed, as are all four terrorists. 1996 – A Learjet 35 crashes into Smarts Mountain near Dorchester, New Hampshire, killing both pilots on board. 1997 – The Sid El-Antri massacre in Algeria kills between 50 and 100 people. 1999 – Indian Airlines Flight 814 is hijacked in Indian airspace between Kathmandu, Nepal, and Delhi, India. The aircraft landed at Kandahar in Afghanistan. The incident ended on December 31 with the release of 190 survivors (one passenger is killed). 2003 – The Spanish police thwart an attempt by ETA to detonate 50 kg of explosives at 3:55 p.m. inside Madrid's busy Chamartín Station.[citation needed] 2005 – Chad–Sudan relations: Chad declares a state of war against Sudan following a December 18 attack on Adré, which left about 100 people dead.[citation needed] 2008 – The Lord's Resistance Army, a Ugandan rebel group, begins a series of attacks against civilians in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, massacring more than 400. 2018 – A helicopter crash kills Martha Érika Alonso, first female Governor of Puebla, Mexico, and her husband Rafael Moreno Valle Rosas, former governor.

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 12.24

502 – Chinese emperor Xiao Yan names Xiao Tong his heir designate. 640 – Pope John IV is elected, several months after his predecessor's death. 759 – Tang dynasty poet Du Fu departs for Chengdu, where he is hosted by fellow poet Pei Di. 820 – Emperor Leo V is assassinated in the Hagia Sophia at Constantinople and is succeeded by Michael II. 1144 – The capital of the crusader County of Edessa falls to Imad ad-Din Zengi, the atabeg of Mosul and Aleppo. 1294 – Pope Boniface VIII is elected, replacing St. Celestine V, who had resigned. 1500 – A joint Venetian–Spanish fleet captures the Castle of St. George on the island of Cephalonia. 1737 – The Marathas defeat the combined forces of the Mughal Empire, Rajputs of Jaipur, Nizam of Hyderabad, Nawab of Awadh and Nawab of Bengal in the Battle of Bhopal. 1777 – Kiritimati, also called Christmas Island, is discovered by James Cook. 1800 – The Plot of the rue Saint-Nicaise fails to kill Napoleon Bonaparte. 1814 – Representatives of the United Kingdom and the United States sign the Treaty of Ghent, ending the War of 1812. 1818 – The first performance of "Silent Night" takes place in the church of St. Nikolaus in Oberndorf, Austria. 1826 – The Eggnog Riot at the United States Military Academy begins that night, wrapping up the following morning. 1846 – British acquired Labuan from the Sultanate of Brunei for Great Britain. 1851 – The Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., burns. 1865 – Jonathan Shank and Barry Ownby form The Ku Klux Klan. 1868 – The Greek Presidential Guard is established as the royal escort by King George I. 1871 – The opera Aida premieres in Cairo, Egypt. 1906 – Radio: Reginald Fessenden transmits the first radio broadcast; consisting of a poetry reading, a violin solo, and a speech. 1913 – The Italian Hall disaster in Calumet, Michigan results in the deaths of 73 Christmas party participants (including 59 children) when someone falsely yells "fire". 1914 – World War I: The "Christmas truce" begins. 1920 – Gabriele D'Annunzio surrendered the Italian Regency of Carnaro in the city of Fiume to Italian armed forces. 1924 – Albania becomes a republic. 1929 – Assassination attempt on Argentine President Hipólito Yrigoyen. 1929 – A four alarm fire breaks out in the West Wing of the White House in Washington, D.C. 1939 – World War II: Pope Pius XII makes a Christmas Eve appeal for peace. 1941 – World War II: Kuching is conquered by Japanese forces. 1941 – World War II: Benghazi is conquered by the British Eighth Army. 1942 – World War II: French monarchist, Fernand Bonnier de La Chapelle, assassinates Vichy French Admiral François Darlan in Algiers, Algeria. 1943 – World War II: U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower is named Supreme Allied Commander for the Invasion of Normandy. 1945 – Five of nine children become missing after their home in Fayetteville, West Virginia, is burned down. 1951 – Libya becomes independent. Idris I is proclaimed King of Libya. 1952 – First flight of Britain's Handley Page Victor strategic bomber. 1953 – Tangiwai disaster: In New Zealand's North Island, at Tangiwai, a railway bridge is damaged by a lahar and collapses beneath a passenger train, killing 151 people. 1964 – Vietnam War: Viet Cong operatives bomb the Brinks Hotel in Saigon, South Vietnam to demonstrate they can strike an American installation in the heavily guarded capital. 1964 – Flying Tiger Line Flight 282 crashes after takeoff from San Francisco International Airport, killing three. 1966 – A Canadair CL-44 chartered by the United States military crashes into a small village in South Vietnam, killing 129. 1968 – Apollo program: The crew of Apollo 8 enters into orbit around the Moon, becoming the first humans to do so. They performed ten lunar orbits and broadcast live TV pictures. 1969 – Nigerian troops capture Umuahia, the Biafran capital. 1971 – LANSA Flight 508 is struck by lighting and crashes in the Puerto Inca District in the Department of Huánuco in Peru, killing 91. 1973 – District of Columbia Home Rule Act is passed, allowing residents of Washington, D.C. to elect their own local government. 1974 – Cyclone Tracy devastates Darwin, Australia. 1980 – Witnesses report the first of several sightings of unexplained lights near RAF Woodbridge, in Rendlesham Forest, Suffolk, England, United Kingdom, an incident called "Britain's Roswell". 1994 – Air France Flight 8969 is hijacked on the ground at Houari Boumediene Airport, Algiers, Algeria. Over the course of three days three passengers are killed, as are all four terrorists. 1997 – The Sid El-Antri massacre in Algeria kills between 50 and 100 people. 1999 – Indian Airlines Flight 814 is hijacked in Indian airspace between Kathmandu, Nepal, and Delhi, India. The aircraft landed at Kandahar in Afghanistan. The incident ended on December 31 with the release of 190 survivors (one passenger is killed). 2003 – The Spanish police thwart an attempt by ETA to detonate 50 kg of explosives at 3:55 p.m. inside Madrid's busy Chamartín Station. 2005 – Chad–Sudan relations: Chad declares a state of war against Sudan following a December 18 attack on Adré, which left about 100 people dead. 2008 – The Lord's Resistance Army, a Ugandan rebel group, begins a series of attacks against civilians in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, massacring more than 400. 2018 – A helicopter crash kills Martha Érika Alonso, first female Governor of Puebla, Mexico, and her husband Rafael Moreno Valle Rosas, former governor.

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 12.24

502 – Chinese emperor Xiao Yan names Xiao Tong his heir designate. 640 – Pope John IV is elected. 759 – Tang dynasty poet Du Fu departs for Chengdu, where he is hosted by fellow poet Pei Di. 820 – Emperor Leo V is assassinated in the Hagia Sophia at Constantinople and is succeeded by Michael II. 1144 – The capital of the crusader County of Edessa falls to Imad ad-Din Zengi, the atabeg of Mosul and Aleppo. 1294 – Pope Boniface VIII is elected, replacing St. Celestine V, who had resigned. 1500 – A joint Venetian–Spanish fleet captures the Castle of St. George on the island of Cephalonia. 1737 – The Marathas defeat the combined forces of the Mughal Empire, Rajputs of Jaipur, Nizam of Hyderabad, Nawab of Awadh and Nawab of Bengal in the Battle of Bhopal. 1777 – Kiritimati, also called Christmas Island, is discovered by James Cook. 1800 – The Plot of the rue Saint-Nicaise fails to kill Napoleon Bonaparte. 1814 – Representatives of the United Kingdom and the United States sign the Treaty of Ghent, ending the War of 1812. 1818 – The first performance of "Silent Night" takes place in the church of St. Nikolaus in Oberndorf, Austria. 1826 – The Eggnog Riot at the United States Military Academy begins that night, wrapping up the following morning. 1846 – British acquired Labuan from the Sultanate of Brunei for Great Britain. 1851 – The Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., burns. 1865 – Jonathan Shank and Barry Ownby form The Ku Klux Klan. 1868 – The Greek Presidential Guard is established as the royal escort by King George I. 1871 – The opera Aida premieres in Cairo, Egypt. 1906 – Radio: Reginald Fessenden transmits the first radio broadcast; consisting of a poetry reading, a violin solo, and a speech. 1911 – Lackawanna Cut-Off railway line opens in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. 1913 – The Italian Hall disaster in Calumet, Michigan results in the deaths of 73 Christmas party participants (including 59 children) when someone falsely yells "fire". 1914 – World War I: The "Christmas truce" begins. 1920 – Gabriele D'Annunzio surrendered the Italian Regency of Carnaro in the city of Fiume to Italian armed forces. 1924 – Albania becomes a republic. 1929 – Assassination attempt on Argentine President Hipólito Yrigoyen. 1929 – A four alarm fire breaks out in the West Wing of the White House in Washington, D.C. 1939 – World War II: Pope Pius XII makes a Christmas Eve appeal for peace. 1941 – World War II: Kuching is conquered by Japanese forces. 1941 – World War II: Benghazi is conquered by the British Eighth Army. 1942 – World War II: French monarchist, Fernand Bonnier de La Chapelle, assassinates Vichy French Admiral François Darlan in Algiers, Algeria. 1943 – World War II: U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower is named Supreme Allied Commander for the Invasion of Normandy. 1945 – Five of nine children become missing after their home in Fayetteville, West Virginia, is burned down. 1951 – Libya becomes independent. Idris I is proclaimed King of Libya. 1952 – First flight of Britain's Handley Page Victor strategic bomber. 1953 – Tangiwai disaster: In New Zealand's North Island, at Tangiwai, a railway bridge is damaged by a lahar and collapses beneath a passenger train, killing 151 people. 1964 – Vietnam War: Viet Cong operatives bomb the Brinks Hotel in Saigon, South Vietnam to demonstrate they can strike an American installation in the heavily guarded capital. 1964 – Flying Tiger Line Flight 282 crashes after takeoff from San Francisco International Airport, killing three. 1966 – A Canadair CL-44 chartered by the United States military crashes into a small village in South Vietnam, killing 129. 1968 – Apollo program: The crew of Apollo 8 enters into orbit around the Moon, becoming the first humans to do so. They performed ten lunar orbits and broadcast live TV pictures. 1969 – Nigerian troops capture Umuahia, the Biafran capital. 1973 – District of Columbia Home Rule Act is passed, allowing residents of Washington, D.C. to elect their own local government. 1974 – Cyclone Tracy devastates Darwin, Australia. 1980 – Witnesses report the first of several sightings of unexplained lights near RAF Woodbridge, in Rendlesham Forest, Suffolk, England, United Kingdom, an incident called "Britain's Roswell". 1994 – Air France Flight 8969 is hijacked on the ground at Houari Boumediene Airport, Algiers, Algeria. Over the course of three days three passengers are killed, as are all four terrorists. 1997 – The Sid El-Antri massacre in Algeria kills between 50 and 100 people. 1999 – Indian Airlines Flight 814 is hijacked in Indian airspace between Kathmandu, Nepal, and Delhi, India. The aircraft landed at Kandahar in Afghanistan. The incident ended on December 31 with the release of 190 survivors (one passenger is killed). 2003 – The Spanish police thwart an attempt by ETA to detonate 50 kg of explosives at 3:55 p.m. inside Madrid's busy Chamartín Station. 2005 – Chad–Sudan relations: Chad declares a state of war against Sudan following a December 18 attack on Adré, which left about 100 people dead. 2008 – Lord's Resistance Army, a Ugandan rebel group, begins a series of attacks on Democratic Republic of the Congo, massacring more than 400. 2018 – A helicopter crash kills Martha Érika Alonso, first female Governor of Puebla, Mexico, and her husband Rafael Moreno Valle Rosas, former governor.

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 12.24

502 – Chinese emperor Xiao Yan names Xiao Tong his heir designate. 640 – Pope John IV is elected. 759 – Tang dynasty poet Du Fu departs for Chengdu, where he is hosted by fellow poet Pei Di. 820 – Emperor Leo V is assassinated in the Hagia Sophia at Constantinople and is succeeded by Michael II. 1144 – The capital of the crusader County of Edessa falls to Imad ad-Din Zengi, the atabeg of Mosul and Aleppo. 1294 – Pope Boniface VIII is elected, replacing St. Celestine V, who had resigned. 1500 – A joint Venetian–Spanish fleet captures the Castle of St. George on the island of Cephalonia. 1737 – The Marathas defeat the combined forces of the Mughal Empire, Rajputs of Jaipur, Nizam of Hyderabad, Nawab of Awadh and Nawab of Bengal in the Battle of Bhopal. 1777 – Kiritimati, also called Christmas Island, is discovered by James Cook. 1800 – The Plot of the rue Saint-Nicaise fails to kill Napoleon Bonaparte. 1814 – Representatives of Britain and the United States sign the Treaty of Ghent, ending the War of 1812. 1818 – The first performance of "Silent Night" takes place in the church of St. Nikolaus in Oberndorf, Austria. 1826 – The Eggnog Riot at the United States Military Academy begins that night, wrapping up the following morning. 1846 – British acquired Labuan from the Sultanate of Brunei for Great Britain. 1851 – The Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., burns. 1865 – Jonathan Shank and Barry Ownby form The Ku Klux Klan. 1868 – The Greek Presidential Guard is established as the royal escort by King George I. 1871 – The Opera Aida opens in Cairo, Egypt. 1906 – Radio: Reginald Fessenden transmits the first radio broadcast; consisting of a poetry reading, a violin solo, and a speech. 1911 – Lackawanna Cut-Off railway line opens in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. 1913 – The Italian Hall disaster in Calumet, Michigan results in the deaths of 73 Christmas party participants (including 59 children) when someone falsely yells "fire". 1914 – World War I: The "Christmas truce" begins. 1924 – Albania becomes a republic. 1929 – Assassination attempt on Argentine President Hipólito Yrigoyen. 1939 – World War II: Pope Pius XII makes a Christmas Eve appeal for peace. 1941 – World War II: Kuching is conquered by Japanese forces. 1941 – World War II: Benghazi is conquered by British forces. 1942 – World War II: French monarchist, Fernand Bonnier de La Chapelle, assassinates Vichy French Admiral François Darlan in Algiers, Algeria. 1943 – World War II: U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower is named Supreme Allied Commander for the Invasion of Normandy. 1945 – Five of nine children become missing after their home in Fayetteville, West Virginia, is burned down. 1951 – Libya becomes independent from Italy. Idris I is proclaimed King of Libya. 1952 – First flight of Britain's Handley Page Victor strategic bomber. 1953 – Tangiwai disaster: In New Zealand's North Island, at Tangiwai, a railway bridge is damaged by a lahar and collapses beneath a passenger train, killing 151 people. 1964 – Vietnam War: Viet Cong operatives bomb the Brinks Hotel in Saigon, South Vietnam to demonstrate they can strike an American installation in the heavily guarded capital. 1966 – A Canadair CL-44 chartered by the United States military crashes into a small village in South Vietnam, killing 129. 1968 – Apollo program: The crew of Apollo 8 enters into orbit around the Moon, becoming the first humans to do so. They performed ten lunar orbits and broadcast live TV pictures. 1969 – Nigerian troops capture Umuahia, the Biafran capital. 1973 – District of Columbia Home Rule Act is passed, allowing residents of Washington, D.C. to elect their own local government. 1974 – Cyclone Tracy devastates Darwin, Australia. 1980 – Witnesses report the first of several sightings of unexplained lights near RAF Woodbridge, in Rendlesham Forest, Suffolk, England, United Kingdom, an incident called "Britain's Roswell". 1994 – Air France Flight 8969 is hijacked on the ground at Houari Boumediene Airport, Algiers, Algeria. Over the course of three days three passengers are killed, as are all four terrorists. 1997 – The Sid El-Antri massacre in Algeria kills between 50 and 100 people. 1999 – Indian Airlines Flight 814 is hijacked in Indian airspace between Kathmandu, Nepal, and Delhi, India. The aircraft landed at Kandahar in Afghanistan. The incident ended on December 31 with the release of 190 survivors (one passenger is killed). 2003 – The Spanish police thwart an attempt by ETA to detonate 50 kg of explosives at 3:55 p.m. inside Madrid's busy Chamartín Station. 2005 – Chad–Sudan relations: Chad declares a state of war against Sudan following a December 18 attack on Adré, which left about 100 people dead. 2008 – Lord's Resistance Army, a Ugandan rebel group, begins a series of attacks on Democratic Republic of the Congo, massacring more than 400.

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 12.24

502 – Chinese emperor Xiao Yan names Xiao Tong his heir designate. 640 – Pope John IV is elected. 759 – Tang dynasty poet Du Fu departs for Chengdu, where he is hosted by fellow poet Pei Di. 820 – Emperor Leo V is assassinated in the Hagia Sophia at Constantinople and is succeeded by Michael II. 1144 – The capital of the crusader County of Edessa falls to Imad ad-Din Zengi, the atabeg of Mosul and Aleppo. 1294 – Pope Boniface VIII is elected, replacing St. Celestine V, who had resigned. 1500 – A joint Venetian–Spanish fleet captures the Castle of St. George on the island of Cephalonia. 1777 – Kiritimati, also called Christmas Island, is discovered by James Cook. 1800 – The Plot of the rue Saint-Nicaise fails to kill Napoleon Bonaparte. 1814 – Representatives of Britain and the United States sign the Treaty of Ghent, ending the War of 1812. 1818 – The first performance of "Silent Night" takes place in the church of St. Nikolaus in Oberndorf, Austria. 1826 – The Eggnog Riot at the United States Military Academy begins that night, wrapping up the following morning. 1846 – British acquired Labuan from the Sultanate of Brunei for Great Britain. 1851 – Library of Congress burns. 1865 – The Ku Klux Klan is formed. 1871 – Aida opens in Cairo, Egypt. 1906 – Radio: Reginald Fessenden transmits the first radio broadcast; consisting of a poetry reading, a violin solo, and a speech. 1911 – Lackawanna Cut-Off railway line opens in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. 1913 – The Italian Hall disaster in Calumet, Michigan results in the deaths of 73 Christmas party participants (including 59 children) when someone falsely yells "fire". 1914 – World War I: The "Christmas truce" begins. 1924 – Albania becomes a republic. 1929 – Assassination attempt on Argentine President Hipólito Yrigoyen. 1939 – World War II: Pope Pius XII makes a Christmas Eve appeal for peace. 1941 – World War II: Kuching is conquered by Japanese forces. 1941 – World War II: Benghazi is conquered by British forces. 1942 – World War II: French monarchist, Fernand Bonnier de La Chapelle, assassinates Vichy French Admiral François Darlan in Algiers, Algeria. 1943 – World War II: U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower is named Supreme Allied Commander for the Invasion of Normandy. 1945 – Five of nine children become missing after their home in Fayetteville, West Virginia, is burned down. 1951 – Libya becomes independent from Italy. Idris I is proclaimed King of Libya. 1952 – First flight of Britain's Handley Page Victor strategic bomber. 1953 – Tangiwai disaster: In New Zealand's North Island, at Tangiwai, a railway bridge is damaged by a lahar and collapses beneath a passenger train, killing 151 people. 1964 – Vietnam War: Viet Cong operatives bomb the Brinks Hotel in Saigon, South Vietnam to demonstrate they can strike an American installation in the heavily guarded capital. 1966 – A Canadair CL-44 chartered by the United States military crashes into a small village in South Vietnam, killing 129. 1968 – Apollo program: The crew of Apollo 8 enters into orbit around the Moon, becoming the first humans to do so. They performed ten lunar orbits and broadcast live TV pictures. 1969 – The oil company Phillips Petroleum made the first oil discovery in the Norwegian sector of North Sea. 1969 – Nigerian troops capture Umuahia, the Biafran capital. 1973 – District of Columbia Home Rule Act is passed, allowing residents of Washington, D.C. to elect their own local government. 1974 – Cyclone Tracy devastates Darwin, Australia. 1980 – Witnesses report the first of several sightings of unexplained lights near RAF Woodbridge, in Rendlesham Forest, Suffolk, England, United Kingdom, an incident called "Britain's Roswell". 1994 – Air France Flight 8969 is hijacked on the ground at Houari Boumediene Airport, Algiers, Algeria. Over the course of three days three passengers are killed, as are all four terrorists. 1997 – The Sid El-Antri massacre in Algeria kills between 50 and 100 people. 1999 – Indian Airlines Flight 814 is hijacked in Indian airspace between Kathmandu, Nepal, and Delhi, India. The aircraft landed at Kandahar in Afghanistan. The incident ended on December 31 with the release of 190 survivors (one passenger is killed). 2003 – The Spanish police thwart an attempt by ETA to detonate 50 kg of explosives at 3:55 p.m. inside Madrid's busy Chamartín Station. 2005 – Chad–Sudan relations: Chad declares a state of war against Sudan following a December 18 attack on Adré, which left about 100 people dead. 2008 – Lord's Resistance Army, a Ugandan rebel group, begins a series of attacks on Democratic Republic of the Congo, massacring more than 400.