4. THE EMPIRE. As the fear of social ism helped to found the consulate in 1799, so the royalist plot of 1804 precipitated the foun dation of the empire. Much as France ab horred the execution of the Duc d'Enghein, she was still more aghast at the prospect of the turmoils which would ensue, should Napoleon be suddenly removed from the head of affairs. "The need of repose and stability," says Miot de Melito, "was so pressing, the future so dis quieting, the fear of terrorism so great, the re turn of the Bourbons so formidable that people quickly grabbed at any expedient which might save them from those dangers." Seven days after the Duke's murder, Fouche appealed to the Senate to establish hereditary government. The idea was taken up on every side. Carnot alone opposed it in the tribunate; the Senate, the council of state, reported on its favor and after a brief period of affected hesitation Na poleon complied with the general desire. On 18 May 1804, a constitution which had been -elaborated by Fouche and Talleyrand was adopted in the Senate with three dissentent voices. It decreed to Napoleon the title of emperor of the French and settled the succes sion to the throne on his direct male issue, natural and legitimate. It enabled a childless emperor to adopt the children or grandchildren of his brothers, and designated Joseph and Louis Bonaparte (Napoleon's brothers) to the succession, in case the emperor should die with out natural or adopted children. The civil list was fixed at 25,000,000 francs, a sum estab lished in the constitution of 1791; and other provisions were added with the design of add ing brilliance and authority to the throne. Six grand dignitaries of the empire, irresponsible, irremovable, enjoying the status and preroga tives of princes, were to support the new em peror. Cambaceres was made archchancellor, Lebrun, archtreasurer. The office of grand elector — a title borrowed from the nomencla ture of the Holy Roman Empire—was conferred on Napoleon's elder brother Joseph; the office of constable was given to the younger brother Louis. The remaining two dignities were ulti mately conferred upon connections by marriage, and while Napoleon's stepson, Eugene Beau harnais, became archchancellor of state, his brother-in-law, Murat, was given the rank of high admiral. Another provision in the Senate's constitution of 18 May 1804 was designed to conciliate the army. There were to be 16 mar shals of the empire, and the marshal's baton henceforward became the chief prize of mili tary ambition. At the same time the court was
furnished with decorative officials, with a grand almoner (Cardinal Fesch), a grand marshal of the palace (Duroc), a grand chamberlain (Talleyrand), a grand equerry (Caulaincourt), a grand master of ceremonies (De Segur), and with numerous prefects and ladies of the pal ace. The changes made in the mechanism of the government were even more significant of absolutist tendencies. The restriction placed upon the numbers of senators was removed and their nomination conferred upon the emperor. The tribunate was divided into three sections, dealing respectively with legislation, home af fairs and finance, a measure which effectually destroyed its potency as an organ of protest; and though the legislative body was given the power of discussing measures in a general com mittee, the discussions, unless invited by the council, were neither to be published nor printed. As a matter of fact both tribunate and legislative ceased to be working parts of the machinery. As the powers of the tribunes expired, no fresh nominations were made, and so the body vanished from the constitution. more expeditious method of legislation was dis covered. The emperor governed by means of Settatus Consulta or decrees of the council of state.
The French people acclaimed the constitu tional revolution by more than three and a half million votes; that is to say, by a larger major ity than was given for the consulate or the consulate for life. Of the opponents, Carnot was the most conspicuous; and it is noticeable that almost all the barristers of Paris were against the establishment of monarchy; but the army was flattered by the elevation of its leader, and the peasantry saw in the change a fresh guarantee for the stability of revolu tionary land settlement. That he might reassure the Catholics, and win the royalists, Napoleon summoned the Pope to preside over the coro nation. Pius VII undertook the journey, but was destined to receive a lesson upon the re lations of the spiritual to the temporal power. After he had anointed the emperor and empress with the holy oil and as he was proceeding to perform the act of coronation, Napoleon seized the crown and placed it on his head with his own hands. The sword and insignia of Charle magne were brought from Aix to give signifi cance to the occasion, as if the ceremony of Notre Dame betokened nothing less than a revival of the great Frankish empire.