French cavalry seized the Duc d'Enghien after crossing into foreign territory, and he was then subjected to a military trial and executed. His alleged connection to a conspiracy was unsupported by evidence. His earlier service against France had also ended with a peace settlement, so treating it as a current offence challenged accepted limits on postwar retribution. The episode offended European expectations about sovereignty and the conduct of war. It helps explain why opposition to Napoleon drew political and moral force as well as strategic interest.
Notable Point · 6:19-11:25
The Duc d'Enghien and coalition politics
The arrest and execution of the Duc d'Enghien shows how political actions outside the fleet campaign helped harden opposition to Napoleon.