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The Consulate (Consulat) (1799-1804)

Q: Under the Consulate, who is given executive power?

To three consuls. During the Consulate, executive power is given to three consuls.

Q: In what year does the Consulate end?

In 1804. The Consulate ends on 18 May 1804, when Napoléon proclaims the First Empire.

Q: Under the Consulate, which power is the strongest?

Executive power. Legislative power is shared between several assemblies. So executive power is stronger.

Written by the Hexaciv editorial team · Ministry sheet read on 23 October 2026, still identical on 25 October 2026 · Our method

Read in: Français · العربية

In short

This sheet presents the period of the Consulate (Consulat). It helps you understand what the different political regimes brought to our current system.

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Key points of the sheet

The Consulate (Consulat) is the regime set up on 13 December 1799, after Napoléon Bonaparte's coup d'état. Executive power is given to three consuls.
Napoléon Bonaparte is named First Consul. He holds most of the power: executive, military and diplomatic, and he can even propose laws.
The Consulate ends on 18 May 1804. On that day, Napoléon proclaims the First Empire.
Legislative power is weakened, because it is shared between several assemblies. So executive power is stronger.
The Consulate keeps the départements but creates a centralised administration. In 1800, it creates the prefect (préfet). Today's system inherits this organisation.

Words to know

Consulate (Consulat): It is the regime set up on 13 December 1799, after Napoléon Bonaparte's coup d'état.
First Consul (Premier Consul): It is Napoléon Bonaparte: he has executive, military and diplomatic authority and can propose laws.
legislative power (pouvoir législatif): Under the Consulate, it is weakened because it is shared between several assemblies.
prefect (préfet): It is a post created in 1800: the prefect runs each département and represents the government.
centralised administration (administration centralisée): The Consulate sets it up, and today's system is its heir.
First Empire (Premier Empire): Napoléon proclaims it on 18 May 1804, and this ends the Consulate.

Test yourself: 3 questions

Under the Consulate, who is given executive power?

In French, the language of the exam: Sous le Consulat, à qui est confié le pouvoir exécutif ?

During the Consulate, executive power is given to three consuls.

In what year does the Consulate end?

In French, the language of the exam: En quelle année le Consulat prend-il fin ?

The Consulate ends on 18 May 1804, when Napoléon proclaims the First Empire.

Under the Consulate, which power is the strongest?

In French, the language of the exam: Sous le Consulat, quel pouvoir est le plus fort ?

Legislative power is shared between several assemblies. So executive power is stronger.

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Source

Sheet “Le Consulat (1799-1804)” of the French Ministry of the Interior: formation-civique.interieur.gouv.fr. Content published under the Etalab Open Licence 2.0. This page is a plain-language adaptation made by Hexaciv, which is not an official site: if in doubt, the ministry's text is the one that counts.

Ministry sheet read on 23 October 2026, still identical on 25 October 2026.

Hexaciv is an independent tool for preparing the French civic exam. It is not an official site, is not linked to any administration and gives no legal advice. For your file, the authoritative source is the Ministry of the Interior's, cited on this page.