Conversation so far:
What was the Consulate?
Chateaubriand took advantage of the amnesty issued to emigres to return to France in May 1800 (under the French Consulate).
Why did he do this?
In 1802, he won fame with Genie du christianisme ("The Genius of Christianity"), an apology for the Catholic Christian faith.

Question: What happened to the empire?
Self-contained rewrite: What happened to the French Catholic empire?