The Age of Napoleon Podcast

By 1812, the British had effectively won the war at sea. The French and their allies never stopped looking for ways to challenge the Royal Navy, but with each passing year, their struggle looked more and more futile. The last great war between wooden sailing ships was slowly drawing to a close.

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The Napoleonic Wars saw naval combat as far away as East Asia. The Royal Navy may have had the upper hand, but it struggled against the French corsairs, who waged an unorthodox form of privatized warfare on British trade.

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1810 saw a dangerous deterioration in Franco-Russian relations. Elsewhere in Europe, the Prussian and British royal families were struck by personal tragedies that would change the fates of their nations.

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During 1810, Napoleon made drastic changes to his Continental System. We check in on the economic war, and get to know the people who dared to violate Bonaparte's blockade.

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A little bonus material in honor of the 250th anniversary of America's Declaration of Independence: a conversation with Will Clark of Grey History and David Montgomery of The Siècle.

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After a humiliating military defeat by the Russians, Sweden found itself strategically isolated, politically unstable, and without an heir to the throne. Desperate to change course, the Swedes turned to an almost unbelievably unlikely savior.

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A guide to the artillery of the Napoleonic era... the artillery was a marvel of organization and logistics, and stood at the forefront of technical and doctrinal innovation. Its internal culture made a major impact on Napoleon's character and outlook.

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Late 1809 saw disaster after disaster for the Spanish Patriots. The French were ascendant in Iberia, but the Empire was struggling with the expense of constant warfare, and Wellington was preparing to fight on, even without his Spanish allies.

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1809 was another trying year for the Spanish Patriots. The will to resist remained strong, but the Spanish leadership seemed unable to come up with a winning strategy.

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The spring and summer of 1810 saw Napoleon enjoying life as a newlywed. Bonaparte was happy, but there were ominous signs of trouble ahead. He himself would later admit the Empire was headed towards "the edge of the abyss."

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Napoleon's search for a new wife eventually led to Vienna, where the new Austrian Foreign Minister, Klemens von Metternich, was preparing to take Austria in a new direction on the world stage.

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We interview David Serero of the Festival Napoléon and get a special message from Will Clark of Grey History.

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News of the Abdications of Bayonne shook Spanish colonial societies to their foundations. Within a few years, the nations of South and Central America would be on the road to independence.

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We examine Spanish America on the eve of the Wars of Independence.

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Josephine was the great love of Napoleon's life, but in late 1809, he had their marriage annulled -- how had it come to this?

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We examine Napoleon's private life, with a special focus on the most important person in it: the charming and controversial Empress of the French, Josephine.

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In the summer of 1809, General Sir Arthur Wellesley led a small British army into Spain. While the war raged on, Napoleon was also picking a political fight with a powerful enemy: the Roman Catholic Church.

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Iberia, 1809: the Aragonese capital of Zaragoza was under siege once again. To the west, the French prepared another invasion of Portugal. Meanwhile, in London, the British leadership debated a renewed commitment in this theater of the war.

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Throughout 1809, small groups of brave (or foolish) German patriots tried to stir up nationalist uprisings against France. Meanwhile, in Iberia, a very ugly war dragged on with no end in sight.

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Late 1809: Napoleon negotiated a punitive peace treaty with Austria and survived a strange assassination attempt. Meanwhile, the British launched a surprise invasion of the continent and dealt with political controversies at home.

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After his victory at Wagram, Napoleon pursued the Austrians. Peace was in the air, but the war would end on an almost unbelievably dramatic note in the middle of a Bohemian thunderstorm.

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In the summer of 1809, Napoleon crossed the Danube again to confront Archduke Charles and the Habsburg field army and avenge his defeat at Aspern-Essling.

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As the War of the Fifth Coalition raged on, anti-French rebels rose up in the Alps and a remarkable Royal Navy captain fought one of the era's strangest battles on the Atlantic.

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Austria, 1809: Napoleon was stunned after the first defeat of his career at Aspern-Essling and the death of his best friend and closest confidant, Marshal Lannes. But all across the continent, the war raged on...

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On May 21st, 1809, the Austrians attacked the Grande Armée at the towns of Aspern and Essling. The ensuing two days were the hardest test of Napoleon's career to date.

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In April, 1809, the Austrians finally launched their long-awaited invasion of the Napoleonic Empire. The French were taken by surprise, but Napoleon had a plan to turn the tables.

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French and British forces continue fighting in Spain. In Paris, Napoleon's frustrations with Talleyrand finally boil over as he prepares to face off against a renewed and reformed Habsburg army.

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After taking Madrid, Napoleon chased a British army into northwestern Spain. Meanwhile, behind the lines, Spanish guerrillas waged a brutal war against the occupiers.

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The Spanish Patriots prepared to hold off Bonaparte in a rocky mountain pass, but they didn't count on the heroism of the Polish cavalry of Napoleon's Imperial Guard.

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I sat down with two fellow French history podcasters for a Paris Games-themed discussion of some of our favorite characters of 18th and 19th century French history. You can find Will's show, Grey History, at: https://greyhistory.com, and David's show, The Siècle, here: http://thesiecle.com/.

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In early November 1808, French troops crossed the Ebro River in their second invasion of Spain, led by the Emperor himself.

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The summer of 1808 saw desperate fighting across Iberia as Spanish and Portuguese patriots rose up against Napoleon. France's most powerful enemy, Great Britain, sought to take advantage.

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The Spanish uprising was a disaster for France. Napoleon tried to shore up his diplomatic situation but found himself undermined by a surprising new enemy. Cameo appearances by José de San Martín and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

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In the spring of 1808, Napoleon said he considered Spain conquered. That summer, Spanish forces dealt France its first major battlefield defeat in nearly a decade. How did Spain manage this stunning reversal? 

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I recently recorded a collaboration with Will Clark of Grey History: the French Revolution.

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In the Spring of 1808, Napoleon installed his brother Joseph on the Spanish throne. However, the people of Madrid had had enough of the French, and took matters into their own hands.

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With Portugal conquered, Napoleon turned his attention to Spain. As French troops began occupying the country, it soon became clear they were sitting on a political powder keg. 

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1807 saw Napoleon and the British jockeying for influence among the remaining neutral states of Europe. Average people paid the price for this competition.

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In 1808, France would find itself in a new war on the Iberian Peninsula. How did Napoleon find himself engaged in a new war less than a year after the Treaty of Tilsit?

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By 1808, the Napoleonic empire stretched from Poland to the Pyrenees, and from the North Sea to the southern tip of Italy. How was Europe adjusting to Napoleon's new order?

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