The Death of the Duke D'Enghien(La mort du duc d'Enghien en 1804)

The incidents in this picture took place in 1803-4 when Napoleon was First Consul. In August, 1803, Napoleon discovered a conspiracy hatched in England in which three Englishmen were implicated. The aim of the conspirators was to restore to the throne of France one of the Bourbons. The Prince de Conde, father of the Duke D'Enghien, was in England at this time and he probably was associated with the conspirators. The Duke D'Enghien had already borne arms against the French Republic in the Austrian army, but there was no particular reason for supposing that he was interested in this particular conspiracy against Napoleon Bonaparte, except that it had been learned through some of the conspirators, that had already been arrested, that a Prince of the Bourbon family was about to come on French soil and take active measures towards regaining the throne.