After Robespierre died, the French carved these words onto his tombstone: "Passersby! I, Robespierre, sleep here. Do not mourn for me. If I were alive, you would not be."
When the guillotine blade fell, that once all-powerful figure died, and the cheers continued for a full fifteen minutes.
Victory at the Battle of Toulon allowed Napoleon to emerge from obscurity, and his reward was a promotion to brigadier general. Yet Napoleon was not promoted the fastest. Ney rose from lieutenant to general in only five years, mainly because the Jacobins' Reign of Terror had caused a severe loss of regular army officers. That was why amateur generals such as painters and doctors appeared. Napoleon's promotion had also benefited from the patronage of the Robespierre brothers, yet it was precisely that patronage that nearly cost Napoleon his life.
With Robespierre's downfall, Napoleon was arrested as well. In a moment of impulsiveness, Junot had nearly tried to break him out of prison.
Fortunately, the Thermidorians were not extremists. After an investigation revealed that Napoleon had no direct connection with Robespierre, he was released a week later.
After leaving prison, Napoleon was not trusted. The Ministry of War transferred him away from his original unit, but Napoleon refused to obey. He simply claimed illness and went to Paris to live off unemployment benefits.
Bonaparte believed that without opportunity, ability had no value.
Bonaparte searched everywhere in Paris for new opportunities. In order to return to the Italian artillery corps, he submitted a bold plan to the Ministry of War for an advance into northern Italy. The commander of the Army of Italy called it "a madman's plan."
At the same time, he considered other options, including going to Turkey to train artillerymen, going to Russia to help fight Turkey, or even joining Britain's