He was executed by firing squad, six days after staging a failed republican coup d'état as Napoleon I returned from the disastrous Russian campaign in 1812.

[1] In 1790 Malet's family disinherited him for supporting the French Revolution, when he became commander of his home town's National Guard and celebrated the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille.

Malet was relegated to Bordeaux, then to Les Sables d'Olonne, as his opposition to Bonaparte became even more vehement, although he became Commander of the Légion d'honneur during these years.

Eugène de Beauharnais expelled him on allegations of black market activities and propaganda, and he was interned in the La Force Prison from July 1, 1807, to May 30, 1808.

This preliminary work was immense, since it was necessary to give each accomplice an important role, specific instructions, and forged copies of the senatus consultum and the proclamations.

According to the "orders" in the forged documents, Malet had the troops take up their weapons and dispatched detachments of the 10th Cohort in columns to various locations to make arrests.

A third column went to the town hall of Paris and, while the troops took positions in place de Grève, the commanders took the key of the Midsummer's Day alarm bell, called the prefect Frochot and prepared the room for a provisional government.

[1] The death of the Emperor was believed throughout Paris, and Malet settled into the offices of the district general of the Place Vendôme, which offered the facilities necessary to play his part of commander.

When General Pierre-Augustin Hulin, commander of the Paris Garrison, requested verification of the senatorial documents, Malet shot and injured him.