Dispatch 41
Added 2025-11-21 01:28:34 +0000 UTCHere 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.
Don't forget to leave any questions for the next dispatch below. And once again: thank you for your support!
Comments
Q: what were the ways Christmas was celebrated in France during the first empire?
Andrew C.
2025-12-03 10:12:36 +0000 UTCHi, great episode once again. I have a question about Josephine. Sorry in advance that it's a bit crass. In a recent episode you talked about how Josephine and Napoleon kept meeting each other after their divorce. You mentioned that they never again "slept together" after that, which based on the context I assumed you meant literally, as you were talking about them sleeping in the same bed earlier. But that got me thinking. Did they really not have sexual relations after their divorce? Is that even known? If not, I'd still love to hear your baseless speculation. Maybe any public speculation at the time if there was any. Personally, given the less than stellar track record for respecting marriage fidelity (either their own or their sexual partner's) they both share, and the intense love they had I have a hard time believing their meetings remained entirely platonic.
Chris Beer
2025-12-01 09:32:28 +0000 UTC
