after all, here was a man who had delivered economic prosperity, the
peace of Amiens, a religious settlement and a new deal for the emigres.
Royalists, moderates and the bourgeoisie flocked to him, but there was an
ominous undertow in that most of the 'noes' came from the Army. In
military circles, where Jacobinism was rife, intimidation was the order of
the day. One soldier wrote in his memoirs: 'One of our generals
summoned the soldiers in his command and said to them: "Comrades, it
is a matter of nominating General Bonaparte consul for life. You are free
to hold your own opinion; nevertheless, I must warn you that the first
man not to vote for the Consulate for life will be shot in front of the
regiment." '
The ratification by the Senate in August r8o2 increased Napoleon's
powers. He could now decide on peace treaties and alliances, designate
the other consuls, nominate his own successor and had the right of
reprieve (droit de grace). As an apparent quid pro quo the Senate was given
the power to dissolve the Legislature or the Tribunate. But Napoleon
could now bring the Senate to heel whenever he wished as he also had
unlimited powers to swamp it with new members. He had other powers
to constrain the Senate. He allowed senators to hold other public offices
simultaneously - previously forbidden - and had the right to distribute
senatoreries - endowments of land for life together with a house and an
income of zo-zs,ooo francs. As Napoleon confided to Joseph, his vision
of the Senate was that 'it was destined to be a body of old and tired men,
incapable of struggling against an energetic consul.'
The most enduring monument from the years of the First Consulate was
the Code Napoleon. It appealed to Napoleon to think that he could be not
just a great general like Caesar, Alexander and Hannibal but also a great
law-giver like those other famous names of the Ancient World: Lycurgus,
Hammurabi, So lon. Starting in r8oo, for four years he summoned
councils to oversee a drastic revision of the Civil Code. He began by
appointing two separate law reform commissions, then combined them
and put them under Cambaceres's direction. The joint commission's
proposals would then be considered by the Judicial Committee of the
Council of State before going to the First Consul for final approval.
Altogether Napoleon attended fifty-seven out of 109 meetings to discuss
the Code; these were exhaustive and exhausting affairs that would often
go on until 4 a.m. The First Consul surprised everyone with his lucidity,
knowledge and depth of insight. He had done his homework well and
devoured a number of mammoth tomes given him by Cambaceres.
Napoleon was beginning to impress even the sceptics as a man who could