1799
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1 January 1799 Elisca, ou L’amour maternel, a drame lyrique by André-Ernest-Modeste Grétry (57) to words of Favières, is performed for the first time, at the Opéra-Comique, Paris.
2 January 1799 French troops enter Lucca.
3 January 1799 Worried about French advances towards the Adriatic and the Balkans, Russia and the Ottoman Empire sign an alliance to oppose France.
Falstaff, ossia Le tre burle, a dramma giocoso by Antonio Salieri (48) to words of Defranceschi after Shakespeare, is performed for the first time, in the Kärntnertortheater, Vienna. Almost immediately, Ludwig van Beethoven (28) begins writing a set of variation on the duet “La stessa, la stessissima” WoO73.
5 January 1799 Great Britain joins the Russia-Ottoman alliance against France.
4 January 1799 Publication of Three Duos for cellos B.532-534 by Ignaz Pleyel (41) is announced in the Frankfurter Ristretto.
9 January 1799 Royal Assent is granted to an income tax as proposed by British Prime Minister William Pitt to pay for the war against France.
12 January 1799 The Wiener Zeitung announces publication of Ludwig van Beethoven’s (28) three violin sonatas op.12.
14 January 1799 Publication of a Symphony in B flat B.150 and Six Duos for violins B.532-537 by Ignaz Pleyel (41) is announced in the Journal typographique et bibliographique, Paris.
17 January 1799 53 Maltese are executed in Palace Square, Valletta for fomenting rebellion against the French occupiers of the islands. Among them is their leader Dun Mikiel Xerri.
19 January 1799 Jan Ladislav Dussek’s (38) six harp sonatinas C.160-5 are entered at Stationers’ Hall, London.
An overture to Kelly’s play Feudal Times by Jan Ladislav Dussek (38) is performed for the first time, in Drury Lane Theatre, London.
22 January 1799 French troops defeat the Egyptians at Samhud, south of Asyut.
23 January 1799 A French army enters Naples. A group of Neapolitan aristocrats, under French protection, forms the Parthenopean Republic. Carlo Lauberg heads the provisional government.
30 January 1799 The Royal Swedish Musical Academy grants honorary membership to Joseph Haydn (67), Johann Georg Albrechtsberger (63) and Antonio Salieri (48). It is the first time that this honor is extended to foreigners.
Die Piccolomini by Friedrich von Schiller is premiered in Weimar.
31 January 1799 French forces march out of Cairo and proceed north.
1 February 1799 The Island of St. John is renamed Prince Edward Island.
4 February 1799 The Republic of Lucca is created by the French. A five-man directory is established.
6 February 1799 The French advance guard leaves Katia making for Acre (Akko).
7 February 1799 John Field’s (16) Piano Concerto no.1 is performed for the first time, in King’s Theatre, London by the composer.
9 February 1799 French troops storm the Turkish defenders of El Arish, but to no avail.
USS Constellation captures the French L’Insurgente off Guadeloupe. The captive is taken to St. Kitts. French Governor-General Étienne Borne Desfourneaux of Guadeloupe orders the seizure of all US ships in the Caribbean.
Publication of three fugues for piano op.7 by Johann Nepomuk Hummel (20) is advertised in the Wiener Zeitung.
16 February 1799 Karl Theodor, Elector Palatine and Elector of Bavaria, dies in Munich and is succeeded by his brother, Maximilian IV. The Duchy of Palatinate-Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld becomes part of Bavaria.
19 February 1799 After a furious ten-day battle, El Arish falls to the French.
Ignazio Ciaja replaces Carlo Lauberg as head of the provisional government of Naples.
21 February 1799 Maximilian Joseph Graf von Montgelas replaces Matthäus Graf von Vieregg as Minister of State for Bavaria.
Mariano Luis de Urquijo y Muga replaces Francisco de Saavedra y Sangronis as First Secretary of State of Spain ad interim.
22 February 1799 Begin the noble song, also known as Ode to St. Cecilia for chorus and orchestra by Samuel Wesley (32) to words of his grandfather of the same name, is performed for the first time, at Covent Garden. It is the first important work by Wesley to be performed in London.
23 February 1799 The French army crosses into Syria.
La punition, an opéra comique by Luigi Cherubini (38) to words of Desfaucherets, is performed for the first time, in Théâtre Feydeau, Paris. It is not well received, will be reworked and presented again with more successful results.
25 February 1799 French troops capture Gaza without opposition.
Jean Nicolas Paul François Barras replaces Louis Marie de La Revellière, dit La Revellière-Lépeaux as President of the Executive Directory of France.
1 March 1799 Jan Ladislav Dussek’s (39) three piano sonatas C.166-8 are entered at Stationers’ Hall, London.
A combined Russian and Turkish force captures the Ionian Islands from the French. They set up a republic under Turkish protection.
2 March 1799 French forces capture El Ramle (Ramla, Israel) and are welcomed by the Christian population.
3 March 1799 The French garrison at Corfu surrenders to a combined force of Russians and Turks.
7 March 1799 General Bonaparte sends a truce officer into Jaffa (Yafo, Israel) to arrange a surrender of the town. He receives back the officer’s head on a pike, courtesy of the Turkish commander. Bonaparte orders an immediate attack and by nightfall they invest the city. The general reports “We were masters of the city, which for the next 24 hours was pillaged by us and subject to all the horrors of war in their most hideous forms.”
Leading British scientists found the Royal Institution in London to educate the public about science.
8 March 1799 French troops defeat the Egyptians at Abnub, 300 km south of Cairo.
10 March 1799 General Bonaparte orders the execution of 4,400 prisoners taken at Jaffa.
12 March 1799 Austria declares war on France.
15 March 1799 British naval forces appear off Acre (Akko) and encourage the Turkish commander not to evacuate the town.
16 March 1799 French forces easily capture Haifa.
18 March 1799 General Bonaparte arrives at Acre (Akko) and finds it armed to the teeth. On the same day, the British capture a French flotilla carrying half of the French siege guns.
Fire destroys the Théâte de l’Odéon, Paris.
19 March 1799 Die Schöpfung, an oratorio by Franz Joseph Haydn (66) to words of the Bible and van Swieten after Milton, is performed publicly for the first time, in the Burgtheater, Vienna, to tumultuous applause. See 29 April 1798.
21 March 1799 Dankgefühl einer Geretteten, a monodrama by Johann Nepomuk Hummel (20) is performed for the first time, in Vienna.
25 March 1799 Austrian forces defeat the French at Stockach, near Lake Constance.
27 March 1799 The Etruscan Republic is set up by the French in Tuscany.
28 March 1799 A French attack on Acre (Akko) is thrown back with heavy losses by the Turkish defenders.
29 March 1799 The state of New York adopts a law allowing the gradual emancipation of slaves.
30 March 1799 Hymne pour la fête de la Jeunesse for tenor and chorus by Luigi Cherubini (38) to words of Parny is performed for the first time, in Paris.
5 April 1799 Austrian forces defeat the French at Magnano, 50 km northeast of Turin.
8 April 1799 The publication of two works by Jan Ladislav Dussek (39) is announced in The Times, London: Piano Sonata C.169 and Harp and Piano Duet C.170.
The Conference at Rastatt, which opened 16 December 1797 to settle the dispute between France and the Empire, adjourns without result.
10 April 1799 Pope Pius VI, a prisoner of the French since February 1798, is removed to France and will be housed at Valence.
11 April 1799 French forces rout the Turks near Canaan, north of Nazareth.
12 April 1799 The Society for Missions to Africa and the East (now called the Church Missionary Society) is founded in London.
13 April 1799 Twelve Pieces for piano by Leopold Kozeluch (51) are entered at Stationers’ Hall, London.
15 April 1799 Ercole D’Agnese becomes President of the Executive Commission of the Parthenopean Republic (Naples).
16 April 1799 Near Mt. Tabor, French troops attack a Turkish force outnumbering them 17-1. They are soon overwhelmed but are saved by the timely arrival of General Bonaparte and a relief force. The Turks are scattered.
17 April 1799 Viktor Pavlovich Kochubey replaces Prince Alyeksandr Andreyevich Bezborodko as State Chancellor of Russia.
18 April 1799 Les méprises espagnoles, an opéra-comique by Adrien Boieldieu (23) to words of Saint-Just, is performed for the first time, in Théâtre Feydeau, Paris.
25 April 1799 Jan Ladislav Dussek’s (39) Piano Quintet op.41 C.172 is performed at the debut of the composer’s sister, Veronika Cianchettini, in King’s Theatre, London.
27 April 1799 Russian and Austrian forces are victorious at Cassano. They occupy Turin and put an end to the Cisalpine Republic.
28 April 1799 The Duchy of Milan is restored by the Austrians and Russians.
28 April 1799 Johann Nepomuk Hummel (20) gives a musical academy at the Augarten, Vienna to benefit victims of recent floods.
1 May 1799 The third set of A Select Collection of Original Scottish Airs for the Voice by Leopold Kozeluch (51) is entered at Stationers’ Hall, London.
Adelaide di Guesclino, a dramma per musica by Johann Simon Mayr (35) to words of Rossi after Voltaire, is performed for the first time, in Teatro La Fenice, Venice.
4 May 1799 Austrian forces enter Modena and Reggio.
Giovanni Paisiello (58) is appointed direttore di cappella nazionale to the Parthenopaean Republic in Naples. He will later claim that he does not want the post.
6 May 1799 After Sultan Tipu of Mysore refuses a British demand for half of his territory and £2,000,000, the British storm Seringapatam, capture the city and kill Tipu in the process. This brings Karnataka and Mysore under British domination.
7 May 1799 Die Jagd, a singspiel by Johann Baptist Schenk (45) to words after Weisse, is performed for the first time, in the Kärntnertortheater, Vienna.
10 May 1799 Over the last ten days, five desperate but futile assaults on the Turkish fortress of Acre (Akko) convince General Bonaparte that his siege is hopeless.
17 May 1799 General Bonaparte announces that he is raising the siege of Acre (Akko). His army will return to Egypt.
18 May 1799 Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais dies in Paris at the age of 67.
19 May 1799 After the occupation of Naples by republican forces, the royal flag is ceremonially burned accompanied by Domenico Cimarosa’s (49) Inno patriottico, to words of Rossi, composed for the event. Some music is also provided by Giovanni Paisiello (59).
20 May 1799 Salomon III Tekle Haymanot replaces Tekle Giyorgis I Yohannes as Emperor of Ethiopia.
The French army departs from Acre (Akko) making for Egypt.
21 May 1799 Three Piano Sonatas with violin and cello accompaniment op.43 by Leopold Kozeluch (51) are entered at Stationers’ Hall, London.
23 May 1799 Antonio Salieri’s (48) cantata Der Tyroler Landsturm to words of Ratschky is performed for the first time, in Vienna. It is in honor of “the little land which successfully and heroically resisted Napoléon.”
Giovanni Paisiello (59) conducts music at a religious service in Naples attended by members of the republican government.
24 May 1799 An Overture and Characteristic Pieces for Kelly’s play Pizarro by Jan Ladislav Dussek (39) are performed for the first time, in Drury Lane Theatre, London.
26 May 1799 Philippe Antoine Merlin, dit Merlin de Douai replaces Jean Nicolas Paul François Barras as President of the Executive Directory of France.
27 May 1799 Jacques-François-Fromental-Élie Levy is born in Paris, first of two children born to Elias Levy, scholar and poet, and Julie Meyer. The family name will become Halévy in 1808.
Austrian forces defeat the French at Winterthur, northeast of Zürich. The French retreat to Zürich.
29 May 1799 French forces capture Kosseir (Quseir) on the Red Sea, 160 km east of Qena, effecting the pacification of Upper Egypt.
Hymne pour la fête de la reconnaissance for solo voice, chorus and orchestra by Luigi Cherubini (38) to words of Mahérault is performed for the first time, in Paris. It is Cherubini’s last occasional work for the revolution.
3 June 1799 After over two weeks of brutal forced march, the French from Palestine reach Katia in Egypt. General Bonaparte has narrowly escaped mutiny several times along the way.
Jan Ladislav Dussek (39) appears at a benefit concert for Domenico Dragonetti, his last recorded appearance in London.
4 June 1799 Adrien, an opéra by Étienne-Nicolas Méhul (35) to words of Hoffman after Metastasio, is performed for the first time, at the Paris Opéra. The work has been changed since the early 1790s to appeal to republican sentiments. It is a great success.
5 June 1799 Alexander von Humboldt and Aimé Bonpland depart La Coruña, Spain on a five-year scientific mission to South America.
The Council of the Five Hundred sends an ultimatum to the Directory. They demand that the Directors explain their actions in policy both foreign and domestic.
7 June 1799 Austrian forces defeat the French at Zürich. The French retreat beyond the Limmat River.
9 June 1799 Joseph Boulogne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges dies of an “ulcerated bladder” in Paris, aged 53 years, five months and 15 days.
11 June 1799 At a dinner in Bath, geologist William Smith dictates to his friends Joseph Townsend and Benjamin Richardson a chart describing 23 strata of earth in the vicinity of Bath and what fossils are contained within each. It is the first such historical record free of theology.
12 June 1799 French forces retake Modena and Reggio from the Austrians.
13 June 1799 An army of Neapolitan peasants loyal to King Ferdinando enters Naples and overthrows the republic. Republican government members and the French take refuge in the fortress of Sant’Elmo.
Publication of the first three of the String Quartets op.76 by Joseph Haydn (67) is advertised in The Oracle and Daily Advertiser in London.
14 June 1799 The French army returns to Cairo, with only 75% of the force that left it in January.
15 June 1799 The Council of Ancients and the Council of Five Hundred, having had no reply to their ultimatum of 5 June, declare themselves in permanent session and not subject to orders from the Directory.
18 June 1799 The French Directory prepares for its third “coup” but is preempted by the legislature which purges the Directory. Emmanuel Joseph Sieyès replaces Philippe Antoine Merlin, dit Merlin de Douai as President of the Executive Directory.
19 June 1799 Russian forces defeat the French at the River Trebbia.
Alexander von Humboldt and Aimé Bonpland reach Tenerife in the Canary Islands. During the next six days they will climb an active volcano, noting the changes in vegetation with altitude, thus helping Humboldt found the science of plant geography. They will also descend into the volcano and have their clothes burned off by sulfurous vapors.
20 June 1799 Austrian forces retake Modena and Reggio and restore Duke Ercole III Reinaldo.
23 June 1799 The French and Neapolitan republicans surrender to the peasant army after a siege of ten days in the fortress of Sant’Elmo. The French are allowed to return to France. King Ferdinando IV, currently taking refuge in Palermo, is restored to the throne.
25 June 1799 As Beethoven’s (28) good friend Karl Amenda is leaving Vienna to return to his native Courland (Latvia), the composer gives him a copy of a string quartet “as a small memorial of our friendship.” It will be published as the first of the op.18.
4 July 1799 All children born to slaves after this date in the State of New York will become free when they reach the age of 28 for men, 25 for women.
7 July 1799 Forces of Ranjit Singh capture Lahore beginning a large Sikh state.
The Grand Duchy of Tuscany is restored under Grand Duke Ferdinando III.
8 July 1799 King Ferdinando IV returns to Naples and institutes a course of executions, imprisonments, exiles and a stripping of rank against members of the republic. Giovanni Paisiello (59) is removed as royal maestro di camera and his annual stipend from the king is ended.
11 July 1799 French troops reoccupy Rome.
15,000 Turkish troops, with British and Russian naval support, land in Abukir Bay, Egypt.
12 July 1799 Royal Assent is granted to the Unlawful Societies Act which outlaws all groups which use an oath not required by law. It is an attempt to stifle what the government deems seditious combinations. Royal Assent is also granted to the Combination Act which outlaws workers organizing for their own benefit.
15 July 1799 Because of the continued mental incapacity of Queen Maria, Príncipe João de Bragança (Dom João) is officially named regent.
While building fortifications with the French army at Rashid (Rosetta), engineer Pierre-François Bouchard discovers the Rosetta Stone.
16 July 1799 Carl Friedrich Gauss receives a Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Helmstedt in absentia. In his dissertation, he proved the fundamental theorem of algebra.
17 July 1799 The Wiener Zeitung announces the publication of Joseph Haydn’s (67) String Quartets op.76/1-3.
The Commune of Lucca is restored by the Austrians.
18 July 1799 Turkish forces capture Abukir Castle from the French.
19 July 1799 Tsar Pavel creates the Russian-American Company with a monopoly on settlement in Russian territories in North America (principally Alaska) and political power there.
22 July 1799 After four years of work, the first prototypes of the meter and the kilogram are deposited in the French National Archives, Paris.
25 July 1799 French forces rout the Turks at Abukir (Abu Qîr) in Egypt.
2 August 1799 Jacques-Étienne Montgolfier dies in Neuchâtel at the age of 54.
5 August 1799 US President John Adams receives a message from French Foreign Minister Talleyrand that any envoy sent by the United States would be received respectfully.
13 August 1799 Directors Sieyès, Barras and Ducos demand the suppression of all Jacobin clubs.
14 August 1799 Three Capriccios for piano op.44 by Leopold Kozeluch (52) are entered at Stationers’ Hall, London.
15 August 1799 Allied forces defeat the French at Novi, regaining control of the Po Valley.
18 August 1799 Under the ruse of an inspection tour, General Bonaparte and a small number of trusted officers depart Cairo with the intention of returning to France.
20 August 1799 The Dutch governor of Surinam surrenders to the Royal Navy.
22 August 1799 General Bonaparte and several high-ranking Frenchmen board ship in Egypt and make for France, leaving 30,000 men behind.
By this day, all important places in Surinam are occupied by British troops.
27 August 1799 A British fleet lands 7,000 men at Den Helder in the northern Netherlands, in hopes of arousing support among the Dutch against the French.
29 August 1799 Giovanni Angelo Braschi, Pope Pius VI, dies in Valence, a prisoner of the French.
30 August 1799 After pro-Orangist mutinies aboard his ships, Rear Admiral Samuel Story of the Batavian Navy surrenders his twelve ships to the British off the island of Texel.
3 September 1799 Alois Senefelder is granted an exclusive license to print lithographs in Bavaria. Senefelder invented the process last year.
8 September 1799 This is the probable date of the first performance of the Theresienmesse by Joseph Haydn (67) in the Eisenstadt Burgkirche for the name day of Princess Marie Hermenegild Esterházy.
9 September 1799 British forces invade Malta.
12 September 1799 Emma, ou La prisonnière, an opéra-comique by Luigi Cherubini (39) and Adrien Boieldieu (23) to words of de Jouy, Saint-Just and Longchamps, is performed for the first time, in Théâtre Montansier, Paris. It achieves some success.
13 September 1799 Thousands of Russian troops arrive in the Netherlands to join the British against the French.
14 September 1799 While Jacobin General Jean-Baptiste Jourdan is speaking to the Council of the Five Hundred in the Bourbon Palace, loyal troops just manage to keep mobs from breaking into the building.
16 September 1799 Cher aux amours, a funeral hymn in memory of General Barthélemy Catherine Joubert by Luigi Cherubini (39) to words of Chaussard, is performed for the first time, in Paris. The music is a reworking of his music in honor of General Hoche of two years ago. General Joubert died a last month at the Battle of Novi. See 1 October 1797.
18 September 1799 An alliance is concluded between Portugal and Russia.
19 September 1799 Russian and British troops take Bergen, Netherlands but can not hold off a French/Dutch counterattack.
23 September 1799 Louis-Jérôme Gohier replaces Emmanuel Joseph Sieyès as President of the Executive Directory of France.
The infant Wilhelm Friedrich Karl August replaces Karl Ludwig Wilhelm Theodor as Count of Salm-Grunbach under regency.
Domenico Cimarosa’s (49) cantata beginning No che più lieto giorno to words of Barbarotta for three solo voices and chorus, is performed for the first time, in Naples for the return of King Ferdinando IV. The composer, a member of the republican government, is attempting to ingratiate himself with the royal family.
26 September 1799 French forces crush the Austrians and Russians at Zürich, reestablishing French control of Switzerland.
28 September 1799 Philippe Lebon receives a French patent for his thermolampe, a device which creates light from gas distilled from wood.
30 September 1799 Neapolitan forces retake Rome.
2 October 1799 British and Russian forces battle the French and Batavians at Alkmaar. The outcome slightly favors the British and Russians.
6 October 1799 French and Batavian forces defeat the British and Russians at Castricum. The British and Russians lose twice as many casualties as their foes and retreat hastily.
Nikita Petrovich Graf Panin is named acting State Chancellor of Russia.
8 October 1799 The last dispatch of General Bonaparte from Egypt reaches Paris, telling of the victory at Abukir Bay on 25 July. General celebrations are ordered throughout the city.
9 October 1799 General Bonaparte reaches French soil at Fréjus where he is greeted by cheering throngs who know nothing of the ignominious defeats in Egypt.
HMS Lutine, carrying £1,200,000 in gold and a complement of about 240, goes down in a storm off the island of Terschelling in the Batavian Republic. All hands, save one, are lost.
Johann Simon Mayr’s (36) farsa Labino e Carlotta to words of Rossi is performed for the first time, in Teatro San Benedetto, Venice.
11 October 1799 Étienne-Nicolas Méhul’s (36) drame mêlé de musique Ina to words of Hoffman after Ariosto, is performed for the first time, in Théâtre Favart, Paris. It will later be called Ariodant. It will be performed 70 times during the composer’s life.
13 October 1799 News of General Bonaparte’s return to France reaches the Directory in Paris.
Two String Quartets op.77 by Joseph Haydn (67) are performed for the first time, at Eisenstadt Castle.
16 October 1799 General Bonaparte enters Paris a hero, owing to the victory over the Turks at Abukir.
17 October 1799 In action off Vigo, Spain, the Royal Navy captures a Spanish treasure convoy. The cargo will be valued at about £618,000 (equivalent to over £50,000,000 today).
18 October 1799 A cease fire is agreed to at Alkmaar by the military leaders of Britain, Russia, France, and the Batavian Republic. Britain and Russia agree to evacuate their forces from Batavian territory.
21 October 1799 The British begin a blockade of the Dutch coast.
22 October 1799 Russia, unhappy with the performance of its Austrian allies, quits the anti-France coalition.
Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf (59) completes dictating his autobiography to his son.
24 October 1799 Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf dies at Cervená Lhota, a small castle owned by Ignaz Freiherr von Stillfried in Neuhof (Novy Dvur) near Sobeslav, Bohemia, in poverty, aged 59 years, eleven months and 22 days. His earthly remains will be buried in the village of Deschen (Destná) near Neuhaus (Jindrichuv Hradec).
25 October 1799 Lucien Bonaparte is elected President of the Council of Five Hundred. Unbeknownst to the electors, he is six years under the requisite minimum age.
28 October 1799 Napoléon Bonaparte is called before the Directory to answer charges of embezzlement during his command of the army in Italy.
1 November 1799 After a dinner in Paris given by Lucien Bonaparte, General Napoléon Bonaparte and Director Emmanuel Joseph Sieyès concoct a coup d’état.
4 November 1799 His firm already in trouble, Jan Ladislav Dussek (39) signs a publishing contract with Longman, Clementi (47) & Co in London.
5 November 1799 HMS Sceptre is blown ashore in a gale in Table Bay, South Africa and shattered. About 350 men are killed. 42 men survive the wreck on the beach.
9 November 1799 The Coup of 18-19 Brumaire begins. Collaborators Emmanuel Joseph Sieyès and Roger Ducos effect a coup d’etat over their fellow directors. They receive the resignation of Paul Barras. Louis Jerome Gohier and Jean François August Moulin are arrested. Loyal troops control the Tuileries and the Luxembourg. No opposition is encountered. The Council of Elders appoints Napoléon Bonaparte “executor” of a new constitution and nominates him, Sieyès and Roger Ducos as Provisional Consuls.
10 November 1799 A debate begins at Saint-Cloud in the Council of the Five Hundred on the events of yesterday. Impatient, General Bonaparte enters and gives fire and brimstone in speeches to both houses. The Five Hundred shout him down, some brandishing daggers. He retires. Soldiers loyal to the General then enter the chamber as legislators flee. In the evening, those remaining approve the abolishment of the Directory and the setting up of a provisional consulate. Jean Jacques Régis de Cambacérès, duc de Parme is named Archchancellor.
12 November 1799 General Napoléon Bonaparte announces to his country that the constitution of the Year III is abolished.
American astronomer Andrew Ellicott Douglass first documents the Leonid meteor shower from a ship off the Florida Keys.
13 November 1799 Austrian forces occupy Ancona.
21 November 1799 William Crotch (24) receives the degree of DMus from Oxford University. At the occasion, his Ode to Fancy on words of Warton, is performed for the first time.
23 November 1799 The poet Luigi Rossi, who provided the words for Domenico Cimarosa’s (49) Inno patriotico, is beheaded for his part in the Parthenopean Republic.
28 November 1799 Acapulco is incorporated as a city, by decree of the King of Spain.
2 December 1799 The Sixth Congress of the United States convenes in Philadelphia. Voting for the House of Representatives took place between April 1798 and August 1799. The Federalists made modest gains and retain their majority. They also retain a majority in the Senate.
9 December 1799 An arrest warrant is issued in Naples for Domenico Cimarosa (49), by order of King Ferdinando, for his part in the Parthenopean Republic. After hiding for several days, he will be arrested. He will spend four months in prison and miss a death sentence probably through the intervention of powerful friends. Upon release he will be banished from Naples.
10 December 1799 The metric system is made mandatory in France.
14 December 1799 The results of a plebiscite having been announced yesterday, the Constitution of the Year VIII, creating the Consulate, enters into force in France.
George Washington dies at Mount Vernon, Virginia at the age of 67.
20 December 1799 The Septet op.20 by Ludwig van Beethoven (28) is performed for the first time, privately, in the Vienna palace of Prince Schwarzenburg.
21 December 1799 The Wiener Zeitung announces publication of Ludwig van Beethoven’s (29) two piano sonatas op.14.
In the old academy of architcture at the Louvre, Jacques-Louis David puts on exhibition The Sabine Women.
22 December 1799 The French Council of State is inaugurated.
25 December 1799 Napoléon Bonaparte assumes the permanent post of First Consul. He sends letters to King George III of Great Britain and Emperor Franz that calls for peace. At the same time he issues a proclamation “To the French Soldiers” calling on them to prepare for war beyond the borders of France.
Hugues Bernard Maret becomes Secretary of State (chief minister) of France.
27 December 1799 Emanuel Joseph Sieyès and Roger Ducos give up their posts as consuls and are replaced by Jean Jacques Régis de Cambacérés and Charles François Lebrun. The French Senate is inaugurated.
28 December 1799 A decree by King Carlos IV forbids any theatrical performance in Spain in any language other than Spanish.
29 December 1799 The French close the port of Genoa. Without work, Antonio Paganini moves to Livorno, taking his son Nicolò (17) with him.
31 December 1799 A Duet for harp and piano by Jan Ladislav Dussek (39) is entered at Stationers’ Hall, London.
©2004-2016 Paul Scharfenberger
5 June 2016
Last Updated (Sunday, 05 June 2016 04:32)