What was the name of the coup that brought Napoleon to power in 1799?

The coup that brought Napoleon to power in 1799 was the Coup of 18 Brumaire. It took place on 9–10 November 1799, dates expressed as 18–19 Brumaire in Year VIII of France's Revolutionary calendar.

The coup targeted the Directory, France's unstable five-man executive government. Political leaders such as Emmanuel-Joseph Sieyès wanted a stronger constitution, while Napoleon supplied the military prestige and force needed to make the plan succeed. The legislative councils were moved from Paris to the Château de Saint-Cloud under the pretext of protecting them from a supposed Jacobin uprising.

The operation did not unfold smoothly. Deputies in the Council of Five Hundred resisted Napoleon, and soldiers eventually entered the chamber and dispersed them. Napoleon, Sieyès and Roger Ducos were then appointed provisional consuls. A new constitution soon concentrated power in Napoleon's hands as First Consul.

The event is often described as ending the French Revolution, although it was presented as a constitutional rescue rather than an outright military takeover. It should not be confused with the Coup of 9 Thermidor, which overthrew Maximilien Robespierre in 1794, or with the later coup that helped Napoleon III seize power in 1851.