Although Daniel Auber gave birth to French grand opera with the premiere of his La Muette de Portici, he was mostly known during his career as a composer of fine opéras comiques; in these works, his energetic orchestral textures, spicy harmonies, and tuneful melodies all found their ideal outlet. Of his comic operas, Fra Diavolo was among the biggest successes, and it lasted in the repertoire of Paris' Opéra Comique until the beginning of the twentieth century. Some of the songs remained in the popular repertoire long after the complete opera had fallen out of fashion, and Eugène Scribe's plot was even parodied in a 1933 movie starring Laurel and Hardy.

The drama was inspired by the historical figure of Fra Diavolo—an Italian rebel whose real name was Michele Pezza—who waged bitter warfare against the occupying French forces in his native Naples around the turn of the nineteenth century. However, Scribe's libretto has little, if any, of history in it; in this comedic treatment, the character of Fra Diavolo, already legendary in both France and Italy for his fearsome and bloodthirsty character, becomes a charismatic hero. Romantic revisions of history were popular in the early part of the nineteenth century, as can be seen in the incredible popularity of Rossini's opera Le Comte Ory; however Auber and Scribe's new work, full of amorous intrigue, rascally henchmen, and earthy humor, was a dramatic masterstroke.

As well as an excellent libretto, Fra Diavolo has a lively score with brilliant, deftly textured vocal characterizations. The overture and ensembles are skillfully written and the action of the drama quickly paced. The opera premiered in 1830, the same year as La Muette de Portici, and it became an instant sensation in Paris.

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