ageofnapoleon

Episode 132: The Old Master

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

Dispatch 41

Here is the forty-first patrons-only Dispatch. Topics include: the Little Ice Age and the French Revolution, Napoleonic cryptography, and the birth of modern war games.

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Episode 131: The Sacrifice

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

Dispatch 40

Here is the fortieth patrons-only Dispatch. Topics include: the birth of the British opium trade, Napoleonic English, and units raised from enemy prisoners of war.

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Episode 130: The Heart of the Empire

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.

Dispatch 39

Here is the thirty-ninth patrons-only Dispatch. Topics include: Napoleon's Italian, what makes a revolution, and the future course of the show.

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Episode 129: I Am Charlemagne

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.

Dispatch 38

Here is the thirty-eighth patrons-only Dispatch. Topics include: questioning a superior's orders, marshals naming their sons after Napoleon, and the gold earrings of the Old Guard.

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Episode 128: To Conquer a Throne

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.

Dispatch 37

Here is the thirty-seventh patrons-only Dispatch. Topics include: camouflage, the balloons of the Aerostatic Corps, and café culture under the Empire.

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Episode 127: The Liberators

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.

Dispatch 36

Here is the thirty-sixth patrons-only Dispatch. Topics include: the indigenous people of Haiti, stimulants in Napoleonic armies, and tattoos in early 19th century Europe.

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Episode 126: Martyrs and Scapegoats

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.

Dispatch 35

Here is the thirty-fifth patrons-only Dispatch. Topics include: language and dialect in the French military, Bernadotte's "scientific maneuver," and the books I use for research.

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Episode 125: An Age Forlorn

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.

Dispatch 34

Here is the thirty-fourth patrons-only Dispatch. Topics include: Napoleon's uniforms, Switzerland under the Empire, and the Battle of Raab.

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RIP Townes

I lost a good buddy today. Townes the cat was my (mostly) silent partner throughout the early episodes of the show. The first 90 or so episodes were almost all written with him sitting next to me and recorded with him at my feet. A few of you have noticed that he actually makes an appearance in one of the very early episodes: a faint meow that I wasn't able to edit out. At the time I was slight...

Episode 124: My Blood for the Emperor

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.

Dispatch 33

Here is the thirty-third patrons-only Dispatch. Topics include: the Fabian strategy, mutinies, Louis Bonaparte's reign as King of Holland, and more from Lord Thomas Cochrane.

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Episode 123: Heroes and Rebels

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.

Dispatch 32

Here is the thirty-second patrons-only Dispatch. Topics include: comparisons between Napoleon and earlier figures in history, Napoleon the hunter, and what happened to the dead after Napoleonic battles.

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Episode 122: The Emperor Alone

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...

Dispatch 31

Here is the thirty-first patrons-only Dispatch. Topics include: esprit de corps, comparisons between Napoleon and 20th century revolutionaries, and alcohol in Napoleonic armies.

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Also: thank you for your patience, and for all the well wishes (I was not expecting that!)

Delayed Dispatch

As you may have noticed, Dispatch 31 has not yet been released. I've had it all written up and ready to go for over a week now, but unfortunately I threw out my back pretty badly just before I was going to record it. I have to record sitting down, and sitting down for more than a few minutes is very painful for me right now. I need Doctor Larrey! My back is getting better, I'm hoping to get the...

Episode 121: The Red Danube

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.

Dispatch 30

Here is the thirtieth patrons-only Dispatch. Topics include: Norwegian ski troops on the Scandinavian front, mercenaries in the Napoleonic era, and the fate of General Thomas-Alexandre Dumas.

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Episode 120: More Terrible than Ever

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.

Dispatch 29

Here is the twenty-ninth patrons-only Dispatch. Topics include: post-traumatic stress disorder among Napoleonic soldiers, the role of women in Napoleonic armies, and the remarkable life of Lady Hester Stanhope.

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Episode 119: Setting the World Aflame

Re-posting this in hopes that it appears in people's RSS feeds. Patreon seems to have changed the way this works for some reason.

Episode 119: Setting the World Aflame

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.