The post Napoleon #62 – 20 Years of Napoleon and Friendship appeared first on Napoleon.

The post Napoleon Bonaparte Podcast #61 – Ridley’s Travesty appeared first on Napoleon.

Sir J. David Markham – yes, he’s an actual KNIGHT now (see photo below) –  and Cameron Reilly are back with a brand new episode. And what brought the show out of retirement, we hear you ask?

The wonderful new 800-page biography by Andrew Roberts “Napoleon The Great”, we reply.

Andrew joined us from NYC to explain how he manages to both be British *and* a fan of Napoleon; why Napoleon was a funny dude who cracked jokes even while on the battlefield; why Napoleon wasn’t the evil warmonger he’s often portrayed as by the British; why his marriage to Josephine wasn’t Romeo & Juliette; and what his biggest mistake was.

Andrew’s book has recently been awarded the Grand Prix prize by the Fondation Napoleon and as of this Saturday will be listed in the NY Times bestseller lists (which, as you can probably guess, doesn’t happen with Napoleonic books very often).

If you want to skip the preamble between David and Cameron and get straight to the interview, it starts about 20 minutes in.

The post Napoleon Bonaparte Podcast #60 – Andrew Roberts, Napoleon The Great appeared first on Napoleon.

The post Check Out The Caesar Show appeared first on Napoleon.

It’s been nearly 18 months since the last podcast! Can you believe it!?

This is a special episode to celebrate and promote a special Napoleonic event that is currently happening in Melbourne – Napoleon: Revolution to Empire.

I had the chance today to chat with Sophie Matthiesson, one of the curators at the National Gallery of Victoria. We spoke about how the exhibition came to be, a bit about some of the pieces on display (such as the wonderful “Napoleon Crossing The Alps” by David) and what she hopes people who attend the exhibition will learn about Napoleon.

I highly recommend attending the exhibition if you can and, if you can’t, at least check out the NGV website to read up on the exhibition.

The post Napoleon Bonaparte Podcast #59 – Napoleon @ The NGV appeared first on Napoleon.

I know, I know, it’s been 8 months since our last podcast. Sorry folks.

On this episode, our special guest is again Nicholas Stark, a 20-year-old wunderkind who David and I first met in Paris back in 2008, and who is studying at West Chester University in Philadelphia and a Fellow of the International Napoleonic Society.

Today Nicholas regales us with the story of Wolfe Tone, a leading figure in the United Irishmen Irish independence movement and who is regarded as the father of Irish republicanism.

Although Napoleon doesn’t feature greatly in this story, as most of it takes place while his career was just beginning, it is a tremendous tale of the French Revolution, the Directory and the Irish independence movement and it leads to some wondrous “what if” scenarios.

What if the French has assisted the Irish in their rebellion?

What impact would a English defeat to the French and Irish in 1796 have had on the rest of the Revolutionary Wars?

Could England have survived a two-front war with one of those on it’s own doorstep?

Nick adds:

The total Irish casualties in 1798 were 20,000 (more than Terror victims in French Rev except for Vendée), plus I want to add an acknowledgment of Cécile Déjardin and Stephen Dunford, who both have helped me with my research.

Music for this show: Sibina McCague and Padraig McGovern Moran’s Hornpipe*Byrnes Hornpipe), Paidin O Raifeartaigh

The post The Napoleon Bonaparte Podcast #58 – Wolfe Tone & The Irish Rebellions 1796-98 appeared first on Napoleon.

Today we focus on the claims that Napoleon directly ordered atrocities to be committed in Haiti.

Did Napoleon, as Claude Ribbe claims, invent the gas chamber? (We find no evidence for that.)

Did the French troops in Haiti under Generals Leclerc and Rochambeau commit terrible atrocities against the Haitians?

Did the Haitians under Loverture commit atrocities?

I read from Napoleon’s orders to Leclerc and quote a poem from Wordsworth.

And, most importantly, is it true that Rochambeau invented Rock-Paper-Scissors?

The post The Napoleon Bonaparte Podcast #57 – Haiti Pt 3 appeared first on Napoleon.

Nick does another amazing job of delving into the primary sources from this period to paint a picture of Napoleon’s motivations for his actions and his subsequent regrets.

Thanks to everyone for the wonderful feedback we had from the last episode. I’m sure you’ll agree that Nick does an amazing job for a 19-year old undergrad. He has a huge career ahead of him.

The post The Napoleon Bonaparte Podcast #56 – Nick Stark on Haiti (Part Two) appeared first on Napoleon.

I know – it’s been a long, long…. long time!

But we are glad to be back!

On this episode, our special guest is Nicholas Stark, a 19-year-old wunderkind who David and I first met in Paris back in 2008. Nicholas is an undergraduate at West Chester University and a Fellow of the International Napoleonic Society, who has an article published in Volume 3 of the Internatonal Napoleonic Society’s Journal and who authored a paper on Napoleon and Haiti which was recently read (by INS “First Lady” Barbara Markham) at the recent INS Congress held in Malta.

One topic we often get requests to talk about in more detail is Napoleon’s involvement in the restoration of slavery in Haiti after the slave revolt lead by Toussaint L’overture. It’s a fascinating topic that is often dredged up as a criticism of Napoleon and indeed one which requires much further discussion on this podcast. In fact, this is only part one of the discussion and we’ll finish it up in at least one additional episode in coming weeks.

In this episode, Nicholas helps us understand more about the background to the slave revolt in Haiti (or Saint Domingue as it was known at the time), the role of the French Revolution and fascinating characters such as Léger-Félicité Sonthonax.

If you want to follow Nicholas’ activities or chat with him, you can find him on Twitter and his blog.

And don’t forget to keep an eye on the INS site and to buy some of David’s excellent books!

Oh and if anyone is interested, today’s version of La Marsellaise can be found here. It’s the one by Mireille Mathieu.

The post The Napoleon Bonaparte Podcast #55 – Nicholas Stark on Napoleon and Haiti (part one) appeared first on Napoleon.

Listen to David’s interview here!

The post David Markham on Australia’s ABC Radio appeared first on Napoleon.

Our guest today is Dr Philip Dwyer, Associate Professor, Faculty of Education and Arts, School of Humanities and Social Science, History Dept, University of Newscastle, Australia. Philip has a long list of credentials:

* Ph.D. University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia, 1993
* D.E.A. Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, (Diplôme d’Etudes Approfondies) Paris, 1989
* Maîtrise University of Paris-Sorbonne (Paris IV), Paris, 1988
* Licence University of Paris-Sorbonne (Paris IV), Paris, 1988
* B.A. Murdoch University, Perth, Australia, 1983

(see his profile page here).

Philip is also the author of “Napoleon: The Path To Power”

His book won the “National Biography Prize” in 2008.

David and I chatted with him last week about his perspectives on Napoleon. While we agreed on some things, we disagreed on other things and it lead to a passionate but always polite debate. 🙂

Please jump in the comments section of the show and let us know you’re still out there folks! We need to know if we should continue producing the show!

The post The Napoleon Bonaparte Podcast #54 – Dr Philip Dwyer appeared first on Napoleon.

The post The Napoleon Bonaparte Podcast #53 – Alex Mikaberidze part 4 appeared first on Napoleon.

The post The Napoleon Bonaparte Podcast #52 – Alex Mikaberidze on The Russian Generals appeared first on Napoleon.

Alex is assistant professor of European history at Louisiana State University in Shreveport. He holds a degree in international law from Tbilisi State University (Republic of Georgia, 1999) and a Ph.D. in history from Florida State University (2003). After working for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia (1996-2000), he taught European and Middle Eastern history at Florida State and Mississippi State Universities and lectured on strategy and policy for the U.S. Naval War College. In addition to his articles on various Napoleonic-related topics, Dr. Mikaberidze has written and edited seven books, including The Battle of Borodino: Napoleon versus Kutuzov (2007), Historical Dictionary of Georgia (2007), The Russian Officer Corps in the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, 1792-1815 (2004, winner of the 2005 Literary Prize of the International Napoleonic Society), The Czar’s General: The Memoirs of a Russian General in the Napoleonic Wars (2005). He has been awarded the International Napoleonic Society’s Legion of Merit Award for his contributions to the Napoleonic studies.

The post The Napoleon Bonaparte Podcast 51 – Alex Mikaberidze on The Burning of Moscow appeared first on Napoleon.

Thanks to everyone for supporting our little show over the last few years. It’s been an honour to create these shows for you. Can I ask a favour? Would you mind going to our iTunes page and rating the podcast? The more ratings we get, the more people find the show. Click here to open up our page in iTunes.

Our guest today is the wonderful Alexander Mikaberidze.

Alex is assistant professor of European history at Louisiana State University in Shreveport. He holds a degree in international law from Tbilisi State University (Republic of Georgia, 1999) and a Ph.D. in history from Florida State University (2003). After working for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia (1996-2000), he taught European and Middle Eastern history at Florida State and Mississippi State Universities and lectured on strategy and policy for the U.S. Naval War College. In addition to his articles on various Napoleonic-related topics, Dr. Mikaberidze has written and edited seven books, including The Battle of Borodino: Napoleon versus Kutuzov (2007), Historical Dictionary of Georgia (2007), The Russian Officer Corps in the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, 1792-1815 (2004, winner of the 2005 Literary Prize of the International Napoleonic Society), The Czar’s General: The Memoirs of a Russian General in the Napoleonic Wars (2005). He has been awarded the International Napoleonic Society’s Legion of Merit Award for his contributions to the Napoleonic studies.

The post The Napoleon Bonaparte Podcast 50 – Guest Alex Mikaberidze on Napoleon and Alexander appeared first on Napoleon.

Michael joins us to discuss his fascination with Napoleon, which extends to having 5 floors of his Melbourne mansion decorated in the Empire Style and owning (among other things) one of only seven original copies of “Napoleon After The Abdication” from the school of Paul Delaroche. He tells us about his love of the work of Percier and Fontaine, the chief exponents of the French Empire style of decorative arts and how he applies the lessons from Napoleon’s fall to both his business and political careers.

The post The Napoleon Bonaparte Podcast #49 – Michael Kroger appeared first on Napoleon.

Dr. Blaufarb is a specialist in Revolutionary and Napoleonic France. He is the author of several books on the social and political history of the French military during this period: The French Army, 1750-1820: Careers, Talent, Merit (Manchester, 2002) and Bonapartists in the Borderlands: French Exiles and Refugees on the Gulf Coast, 1815-1835 (Tuscaloosa, 2006). He has published articles in the American Historical Review, Annales, H.S.S., Comparative Studies in Society and History, French Historical Studies, and Annales Historiques de la Révolution Française on the French army, the French nobility, noble fiscal privilege, and the geopolitics of Latin American independence. His current research focuses on the politics of property during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic era.

Rafe joins us to talk about the history and focus of the Institute on Napoleon and the French Revolution at FSU, how he got interested in Napoleonic studies, Napoleon’s views on economics and how he might have dealt with America’s current financial crisis, and Napoleon’s legacy in the Western Hemisphere.

The post The Napoleon Bonaparte Podcast #48 – Rafe Blaufarb appeared first on Napoleon.

Jerry Gallaher is Past President of the Napoleonic Alliqance and author of the 1976 classic account of one of Napoleon’s greatest Marshals, Louis Davout – “Iron Marshal – A Biography of Louis N. Davout.” He’s also a true gentleman, scholar and totally charming. Meeting him was one of the highlights of the INS congress in Corsica last July.

So I’m sure it will be of no surprise to you to learn that our subject tonight is The Iron Marshal himself, Louis-Nicolas d’Avout (May 10, 1770 – June 1, 1823), better known as Davout, 1st Duc d’Auerstaedt, 1st Prince d’Eckmühl, and Marshal of France.

The post The Napoleon Bonaparte Podcast #47 – Louis Davout, The Iron Marshal appeared first on Napoleon.

Can I ask one more time for you to go into iTunes and vote for the show and leave a comment about how much you enjoy it? CLICK HERE to open up our page in the iTunes store.

On behalf of David and myself, I want to sincerely THANK YOU ALL for going on this journey with us over the last couple of years. It’s been a highlight of my podcasting career to be able to produce this for you. Of course I need to thank the one and only J. David Markham for giving us all so much of his time and knowledge freely and willingly over these last couple of years. I really do believe he has not only taken us all on a wonderful journey, but has also left a benchmark in podcasting and education.

The post The Napoleon Bonaparte Podcast #46 – In Memory of Ben Weider appeared first on Napoleon.

We discuss his last two years on St Helena, without a decent doctor to attend to his increasing illness – which, of course, we believe to be symptoms of arsenic poisoning – his death and then his subsequent return to Paris, many years later.

With the end of our chronological story, we might take a rest. Fear not, however – the show isn’t over yet. We’ll be back to do some epiloguecasts, fulfilling some of the requests you’ve made over the last couple of years for us to drill down into some of the other characters in this most amazing story.

Can I ask one more time for you to go into iTunes and vote for the show and leave a comment about how much you enjoy it? CLICK HERE to open up our page in the iTunes store.

On behalf of David and myself, I want to sincerely THANK YOU ALL for going on this journey with us over the last couple of years. It’s been a highlight of my podcasting career to be able to produce this for you. Of course I need to thank the one and only J. David Markham for giving us all so much of his time and knowledge freely and willingly over these last couple of years. I really do believe he has not only taken us all on a wonderful journey, but has also left a benchmark in podcasting and education.

The post The Napoleon Bonaparte Podcast #45 – La Mort de Napoleon appeared first on Napoleon.

The post The Napoleon Bonaparte Podcast #44 – The Murder Of Napoleon appeared first on Napoleon.

The Duke of Wellington later said that he was “a very bad choice; he was a man wanting in education and judgement. He was a stupid man, he knew nothing at all of the world, and like all men who knew nothing of the world, he was suspicious and jealous”.

On today’s show we discuss the arrival of Lowe to St Helena and Napoleon’s forced move to new premises, Longwood.

Longwood today. Photo by G.Wilson (see the Travelling Historian site for more great photos of Longwood.)

We also talk a bit about Corsica and Paris! Keep an eye out for the DVD pack which I’ll hopefully have ready in a few weeks.

The post The Napoleon Bonaparte Podcast #43 – Sir Hudson Lowe appeared first on Napoleon.

On today’s episode, we discuss Napoleon’s journey on the Northumberland to St Helena and his arrival on the island, one of the most remote locations on earth and the last place he would ever visit.

We also discuss the people who chose to go with Napoleon into exile and their possible motivations, the impression Napoleon made on various people aboard the Northumberland, and the decision to imprison Napoleon in Longwood.

This version of La Marseillaise is sung by the Stade de France crowd, recorded on the occasion of the 2007 Rugby World Cup semi-final between France and England (source).

The post The Napoleon Bonaparte Podcast #42 – The Prisoner of Longwood appeared first on Napoleon.

In this episode of The Napoleon Bonaparte Podcast we examine how the British government came to the conclusion that it would be a cold day in hell before “Old Boney” would ever set foot on British soil or given the opportunity of justice before a fair trial. Breaking laws, making up new laws, defying their own people – the British government decided to banish Napoleon forever to a tiny island in the middle of nowhere – St Helena.

David explains that Napoleon *could* have ended up here
… but didn’t.

This version of La Marseillaise is sung by the Stade de France crowd, recorded on the occasion of the 2007 Rugby World Cup semi-final between France and England (source).

This show is based on David’s book “Napoleon For Dummies”.

The post The Napoleon Bonaparte Podcast #41 – The Lion Roars appeared first on Napoleon.

On today’s show, David examines the political machinations the British went through to make sure Napoleon never set foot on British soil. According to the British law of ‘habeas corpus’, Napoleon should have been given a fair trial, but of course several people in England didn’t want that to happen. Did all of the British feel the same way? What were the reasons for denying Napoleon the right to justice?

Listen to today’s show to find out!

This show is based on David’s book “Napoleon For Dummies”.

The post The Napoleon Bonaparte Podcast #40 – The Road to St Helena appeared first on Napoleon.

Today we finally… FINALLY… get Napoleon on “the boat”!

David walks us through Napoleon’s last days in France and his reasons for choosing to surrender himself to the British instead of making a run for the United States.

This show is based on David’s book “Napoleon For Dummies”.

The post The Napoleon Bonaparte Podcast #39 – Au Revoir France! appeared first on Napoleon.

In today’s episode, David explains the range of options Napoleon considered after his abdication of 22 June, 1815. Should he go to England, Russia, Austria or the United States?

This show is based on David’s book “Napoleon For Dummies”.

The post The Napoleon Bonaparte Podcast #38 – Napoleon’s Options appeared first on Napoleon.

This show is based on David’s book “Napoleon For Dummies”.

The post The Napoleon Bonaparte Podcast #37 – Fouche’s Machiavellian Machinations appeared first on Napoleon.

This show is based on David’s book “Napoleon For Dummies”.

The post The Napoleon Bonaparte Podcast #36 – The End Of The Empire appeared first on Napoleon.

Second, please allow me to apologize – both for the delay in this episode of our little show as well as the audio problems with it. As I explain in the introduction to the show, there was a major technical snafu with the recording (apparently a result of a Skype upgrade not playing nice with my recording software) which left David’s voice sounding like Darth Vader after a couple of Ambien. I’ve spent the last couple of weeks trying to clean it up as best as I can. It’s still not perfect but hopefully won’t hurt your ears too much. I think for future shows I’ll record on the Macbook – we might even do a VIDEO episode (if, of course, any of you would be interested in watching our handsome mugs while we talk).

Now… on with the show notes.

After the Battle of Waterloo, Napoleon had to make a series of strategic decisions. Can he save Paris? Can he still raise an army? Is all, finally, lost? In this episode, David takes us through some of Napoleon’s thinking and actions in the days immediately following his last appearance on the battlefields of Europe.

This show is based on David’s book “Napoleon For Dummies”.

The post The Napoleon Bonaparte Podcast #35 – After Waterloo appeared first on Napoleon.

This show is based on David’s book “Napoleon For Dummies”.

The post The Napoleon Bonaparte Podcast #34 – The Battle of Waterloo Part 2 appeared first on Napoleon.

Battle map of the Waterloo campaign:

This show is based on David’s book “Napoleon For Dummies”.

The post The Napoleon Bonaparte Podcast #33 – The Battle of Waterloo Part 1 appeared first on Napoleon.

This show is based on David’s book “Napoleon For Dummies”. Click on the image below to purchase a copy!

The post #32 – The Hundred Days Part Two appeared first on Napoleon.

This show is based on David’s book “Napoleon For Dummies”. Click on the image below to purchase a copy!

The post #31 – The Hundred Days appeared first on Napoleon.

I also mention during the show that I was recently extremely honoured to be informed that I am to be made a “Fellow” of the International Napoleonic Society (at the suggestion of their Vice-President J. David Markham) and David plugs the INS conference which we will both be attending in Ajaccio, Corsica, July 7 – 11 2008. We would both love to see all of you there! Download the registration form here (link).

Some images to go with today’s episode:

Napoleon On Elba

The Abdication Desk

Detail from The Abdication Desk

This show is based on David’s book “Napoleon For Dummies”. Click on the image below to purchase a copy!

WAYS YOU CAN SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Buy something from our selection of official Napoleon 101 podcast shirts and coffee mugs!


Go into iTunes and vote for the show and leave a comment about how much you enjoy it. CLICK HERE to open up our page in the iTunes store.

We have partnered with a London-based company called Pods in Print to provide written transcriptions of the Napoleon 101 podcast starting at this stage from episode #21. Access to the transcripts requires a subscription. It’s US$12.95 for one month or $120 a year. Check them out here.

You can join our Facebook discussion group by clicking this link –> Napoleon 101 Facebook Group.

Thanks to everyone for your continued support and for all of the terrific comments we get every week!

If you enjoyed this podcast, make sure you don’t miss future episodes by subscribing to our feed:

• Subscribe to TPN :: Napoleon 1O1 by Email
• If you use iTunes, click here.
• If you use another aggregator, grab our RSS feed here.
• If you don’t know what I’m talking about, read this description in Wikipedia.
• If you stumbled upon this episode of the show and you would like to start from the very beginning, go to our overview page for a full list of episodes.

The theme music is La Marseillaise. Yes, we know it isn’t necessarily relevant to Napoleon but it’s hard to beat when it comes to French themes!

The post #30 – The Journey To Elba appeared first on Napoleon.

This image is from the personal collection of J. David Markham:

This show is based on David’s book “Napoleon For Dummies”. Click on the image below to purchase a copy!

The post #29 – The First Abdication appeared first on Napoleon.

This show is based on David’s book “Napoleon For Dummies”. Click on the image below to purchase a copy!

David at Leipzig 2007 Giving His Professional Opinion on the Outcome of the Battle

Napoleon Cracks His Teeth On The Hard Nut of Leipzig from the collection of J. David Markham

The post #28 – The Battle Of Nations appeared first on Napoleon.

After the terrible losses Napoleon suffered on his “strategic withdrawal” from Russia, his political position in Europe was significantly weakened. In 1813, Prussia, who had been an ally of France since Prussia’s humiliating defeat in 1806, joined the United Kingdom, Russia, Spain and Portugal in The Sixth Coalition against Napoleonic France. This lead to the Battle of Dresden on 26–27 August 1813 where Napoleon had a terrific return to form, soundly defeating the combined forces of his enemies.

I must show you this marvelous photograph of David modeling the wonderful range of Napoleon 101 clothing available only at The Napoleon 101 Store

The post #27 – War of the Sixth Coalition appeared first on Napoleon.

In this episode we find Napoleon marching into Moscow, the Russians (yes, the Russians!) setting fire to their ancient city, Napoleon waiting for Alexander to make peace, finally realizing that isn’t going to happen, and then marching (what remains of) the Grand Armee back to France. Of course, this “retreat” (or “strategic withdrawal”, as David insists on calling it) is perhaps one of the most tragic stories in military history.

Some objects from David’s personal collections:

For further reading, I recommend:

• Napoleon’s Expedition to Russia: The Memoirs of General de Segur

The post #26 – The Invasion Of Russia (Part III) appeared first on Napoleon.

For further reading, I recommend:

• The Battle Of Borodino website

The post #25 – The Invasion Of Russia (Part II) appeared first on Napoleon.

We examine why Napoleon was so confident that the campaign would be a short one and why he was so very, very wrong. We also discuss what was happening in the Russian camp and look at the political implications of their retreat.

The post #24 – The Invasion Of Russia (Part I) appeared first on Napoleon.

Napoleon is often accused of being the instigator of this war (something Tolstoy, a Russian, was happy to suggest) but David and I examine the facts behind this perspective.

While this is a tragic and deeply moving period of Napoleonic history, it is also one of the most fascinating, both from a military and a humanist perspective.

Perhaps the best graphical representation of this unfortunate episode (or, in fact, one of the greatest use of informational graphics ever) is this image by French engineer Charles Minard.

Edward Tufte called it “the best statistical graphic ever drawn” and uses it as a prime example in The Visual Display of Quantitative Information. (source)

The post #23 – The Road To Moscow appeared first on Napoleon.

In this episode we cover some of the events that happened in Napoleon’s private life during the peace that lasted from Wagram in 1809 until The Sixth Coalition in 1812, including:

• Napoleon’s divorce from Josephine
• His attempts to wed Tsar Alexander’s sister Anna
• His eventual marriage to Marie-Louise of Austria
• The birth of his first legitimate son known as the King of Rome aka Napoleon II

At the end of the show we have provided a suggested bibliography for this period, thanks to a suggestion from listener Jackm over on the forums.

The post #22 – Au Revoir Josphine, Bonjour Marie-Louise and the King of Rome! appeared first on Napoleon.

The War Of The Fifth Coalition (with lots of campaign maps)

I have a favour to ask – it would really help the continued success of the show if each of you would go into iTunes and vote for the show and leave a comment about how much you enjoy it. CLICK HERE to open up our page in the iTunes store.

Thanks to everyone for your continued support and for all of the terrific comments we get every week!

The theme music is La Marseillaise. Yes, we know it isn’t necessarily relevant to Napoleon but it’s hard to beat when it comes to French themes!

The post #21 – The War Of The Fifth Coalition appeared first on Napoleon.

In episode #19 we gave you some background on how Napoleon ended up in the Iberian peninsula. Today we pick it up from about the time Joseph was made the King of Spain.

Of course, in discussing Spain we also introduce someone whose story is forever associated with Napoleon’s – Sir Arthur Wellesley, aka the Duke of Wellington. It was during the Peninsula War that their fates first became entwined.

Additional Resources:

The Peninsula War
Map of the Iberian Peninsula
The Continental System
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington

I have a favour to ask – it would really help the continued success of the show if each of you would go into iTunes and vote for the show and leave a comment about how much you enjoy it. CLICK HERE to open up our page in the iTunes store.

Thanks to everyone for your continued support and for all of the terrific comments we get every week!

The theme music is La Marseillaise. Yes, we know it isn’t necessarily relevant to Napoleon but it’s hard to beat when it comes to French themes!

The post #20 – The Peninsula War (Part Two) appeared first on Napoleon.

In 1807, Spain was in turmoil, due to infighting between their disinterested Bourbon king Charles IV, his son Ferdinand and the Spanish Prime Minister (also the not-so-secret lover of Queen Marie Louisa), Manuel de Godoy. They turned to Napoleon for assistance to sort out their affairs. Already having occupied Portugal (because they refused to join the Continental System) Napoleon moved his forces into Madrid.

He didn’t count on one thing – the Spanish peasants. The resulting war is where the term “guerrilla” warfare was invented (guerra in Spanish means war and -illa means small – i.e. guerrilla warfare is fought with small, insurgent troops instead of large traditional armies).

The Second of May, 1808: The Charge of the Mamelukes, by Francisco de Goya (1814).

The Peninsular War saw an alliance of Spain, Portugal, and Britain battle the French Empire for control of the Iberian Peninsula. It lasted from 1808 until Napoleon’s first abdication in 1814. In this episode we provide an introduction and some background to the war.

Additional Resources:

The Peninsula War
Map of the Iberian Peninsula
The Continental System

The theme music is La Marseillaise. Yes, we know it isn’t necessarily relevant to Napoleon but it’s hard to beat when it comes to French themes!

The post #19 – The Peninsula War (Part One) appeared first on Napoleon.

Once again, David and I would like to thank everyone for the wonderful feedback and comments we have received since the last episode. We both really appreciate it and it’s added motivation to keep producing the show although, as you know, we have so much fun being Napoleon geeks together that the entire British navy couldn’t keep us away!

Speaking of the British navy…. this episode is about the Battle Of Trafalgar.

On 21 October 1805, the French navy under the command of Villeneuve met disaster against the British navy under the command of Horatio Nelson at Cape Trafalgar, off the coast of Spain, in what is known as The Battle Of Trafalgar

To get a good idea of what naval battles in the early 19th century must have been like, we both recommend watching the 2003 film by Australian director Peter Weir,
Master And Commander.

The theme music is La Marseillaise. Yes, we know it isn’t necessarily relevant to Napoleon but it’s hard to beat when it comes to French themes!

The post #18 – The Battle Of Trafalgar appeared first on Napoleon.

Russian forces, lead by Count von Bennigsen, were crushed by Napoleon’s army at Friedland on June 14, 1807.

Three days later Russia asked for a truce. By the Treaties of Tilsit in July 1807, France made peace with Russia and forced Prussia to give up half of its territory to France, Jerome Bonaparte‘s Kingdom of Westphalia, and the new Duchy of Warsaw.

Napoleon was virtually in control of western and central Europe. Some historians consider Tilsit to represent the pinnacle of Napoleon’s career. He had conquered all of mainland Europe and secured peace for France. Unfortunately, it was to prove short-lived.

We also talk briefly about Talleyrand‘s resignation from his position of Minster of Foreign Affairs after Tilsit and hint at his role as a traitor to France (or was it just to Napoleon?) in the years to come.

Next episode – The Battle of Trafalgar!

The theme music is La Marseillaise.

The post #17 – The Battle of Friedland and the Treaty of Tilsit appeared first on Napoleon.

By the way, I screwed up the audio on this show yet again. I think my mic was up too high, picking up too much background noise and making it difficult to raise David’s audio without the background buzz coming up as well. I’ll try hard to get improve it before the next episode!

The post #16 – Eylau, Poland and Maria Walewska appeared first on Napoleon.

Some links to topics discussed on this episode:

Battle of Jena-Auerstedt
The Confederation of the Rhine
and the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire
Queen Louise of Prussia
Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte

David has provided the following photos of objects from his collection which provide a pictorial dimension to this episode:

The post #15 – The Battle of Jena-Auerstedt appeared first on Napoleon.

Austerlitz effectively brought the Third Coalition to an end.

Read more about the Battle of Austerlitz on Wikipedia

Here’s the entire text of the famous Bulletin issues by Napoleon Bonaparte on the day after the battle, which you can find in David’s book “Imperial Glory” (link below):

Proclamation
Headquarters at Austerlitz
3 December 1805

Soldiers! I am pleased with you. On the day of Austerlitz, you have justified what I expected from your intrepidity. You have decorated your eagles with an immortal glory. In less than four hours an army of 100,000 men, commanded by the Emperors of Russia and Austria, has been cut down or dispersed. Those who escaped your iron have drowned in the lakes. Forty flags, the standards of the Russian Imperial Guard, 120 pieces of cannon, twenty generals and more than 30,000 prisoners are the results of this day, to be celebrated forever. That infantry, so vaunted, and superior to you in numbers, could not resist your impact, and henceforth you have no rivals to fear. Thus, in two months the third coalition is conquered and dissolved. Peace can no longer be at a great distance; but, as I promised to my people before crossing the Rhine, I will only make a peace that gives you some guarantees and assures some recompenses to our allies. Soldiers! When the French people placed the Imperial Crown on my head, I entrusted you to keep it always in a high state of glory, which alone could give it value in my eyes; but at that moment our enemies thought to destroy and demean it; and that Iron crown, which was gained by the blood of so many Frenchmen, they would have compelled me to place on the head of our cruelest enemies; an extravagant and foolish proposal, which you have ruined and confounded the very day of the anniversary of your Emperor’s coronation. You have taught them that it is easier for them to defy us and to threaten us than to vanquish us. Soldiers! When everything necessary to the happiness and prosperity of our country will have been achieved, I will lead you back to France. There you will be the objects of my most tender solicitudes. My people will see you again with joy, and it will be enough for you to say: “I was at the battle of Austerlitz,” for them to reply, “There is a brave man!”

Napoleon Bonaparte

David asked me bring to your attention a History Channel DVD that has a segment on Austerlitz. He was one of the featured historians. It also has Caesar’s campaign in Gaul, and he was one of the featured historians on that segment as well.

Don’t forget – we really value your feedback and comments and would love to have you participate in the conversation.

The post #14 – The Sun of Austerlitz appeared first on Napoleon.

In the Napoleonic Wars, the Third Coalition against the French Empire emerged in 1805 and consisted of an alliance of the United Kingdom, Austria, Russia, Naples, and Sweden.

In this episode we discuss:

• the motivation for the creation of the Third Coalition
• the creation of La Grande Armee and Marshals Of The Empire
• “the unfortunate General Mack and the taking of Ulm
• the capture of Vienna

(photo of Arc de Triomphe detail by zakw845)

The post #13 – The War of the Third Coalition appeared first on Napoleon.

The post #12 – Emperor of the French appeared first on Napoleon.

• William Pitt had been replaced briefly by Henry Addington as Prime Minister of Britian
• The impact of the assassination of Tsar Paul I of Russia in March 1801
• Nelson’s destruction of the Danish fleet at Copenhagen ends Napoleon’s idea of invading England via Ireland
• The reasons behind the Treaty of Amiens which was signed in March 1802
• The terms of Amiens
• Bonaparte made First Consul For Life, August 1802
• The “infernal machine” and the trial of the Duc D’Enghien
• Why Amiens failed
• Britian declares war on France, May 1803

David and I would like to sincerely thank the thousands of listeners who tuned in since our last episode and a special thanks to those of you who have left us some feedback. Please keep it up! It warms the cockles of our hearts to hear that you are being entertained and even in some cases educated.

The post #11 – Peace With Britian appeared first on Napoleon.

We also cover:

• The famous Jacques-Louis David painting of Napoleon Crossing The Alps
• 
• The revisionist (and more realistic) painting of the same journey by Paul Delaroche
• 
• The Battle Of Marengo, where Napoleon narrowly, but comprehensively, routed the Austrians
• By the way, here’s a great link to a bicentennial review of the Battle of Marengo
• Here’s the uniform Bonaparte wore at Marengo from that bicentennial site (on display at Les Invalides in Paris)
• 
• And we also get slightly side-tracked (my fault!) and talk about some great Napoleonic films, including “Waterloo” (Sergei Bondarchuk, 1970) and “Napoleon” (Abel Gance, 1927).

The post #10 – The Battle of Marengo appeared first on Napoleon.

We talk about:

• The Code Napoleon
• The Legion of Honour
• The Bank of France and the economy
• Public education
• The Amnesty for the Emigres
• and the Concordat with the Catholic Church

As always, David and I had a lot of fun producing this show and we hope you enjoy it. We would really love it if you’d let us know if you’re enjoying the show by leaving a comment.

The post #9 – Domestic Affairs appeared first on Napoleon.

• the corruption of the Directory
• the various plots to overthrow the Revolutionary Government
• Napoleon’s failed attempt to legitimately join the Directory to save it
• Sieyes’ approach to Napoleon to join his plot for a coup
• Napoleon’s speeches to The Council of Ancients, The Council of Five Hundred, and the eventual coup

And when we leave Napoleon in this episode he is, at the ripe old age of 30, the most powerful man in France.

In our next episode, we’ll talk about the new Constitution of the Year VIII, the Concordat with the Pope, and the drafting of the Civil Code aka the Code Napoleon.

The post #8 – The Coup of 18 Brumaire appeared first on Napoleon.

When we last left Napoleon, he had concluded the Italian Campaign with the treaty of Campo Formio and was a national hero. In this episode we talk about the Egyptian Campaign of 1798-99:

• Too soon for his political move in France
• The invasion of England postponed
• In the footsteps of Alexander, off to Egypt!
• Taking and re-making Malta
• Reading the Qu’ran
• The Rosetta Stone
• The Battle of the Pyramids
• The Battle of the Nile
• Talleyrand’s Betrayal (the first of many)
• Into Syria (Israel)
• The Battles of Acre, Jaffa, Aboukir
• The execution of prisoners
• The sudden return to France!

In our next episode, we will watch with bated breath as Napoleon executes the coup of 18 Brumaire and becomes 1st Consul of France!

The post #7 – The Egyptian Campaign appeared first on Napoleon.

• The Battle of Lodi
• The Kellerman incident
• The Bridge over Arcola
• The Papal States
• The Battle of Rivoli
• The Treaty of Campo Formio
• Napoleon’s role in the future Unification of Italy
• Josephine’s behaviour while he on campaign

In our next episode, we will follow Napoleon as he enters Egypt!

The post #6 – The Army of Italy (part two) appeared first on Napoleon.

In this episode, we talk about:

Building a winning army

• His key team Berthier, Murat
• The generals he inherited, Massena, Augereau, how he got them onside
• The army he inheried the condition they were in, their track record to date
• How he inspired the troops
• Who he was fighting and why
• The first victory Montenotte
• The lesson of Dego
• The victory at Mondovi and the Armistice of Cherasco, his first peace treaty
• And that was all in the first month!

Strategy

•  guess this is a good time to start talking about the major recurrent themes in Napoleon’s strategy.
• Fast movements, the advantage of surprise
• Flexible strategy, changing tact mid-stream if needed versus slow, rigid opponents
• Attack the center, split the opposing force, then attack the wings

Napoleon in Victory
You can tell a lot about the man from how he acted towards his opponents after a victory
In the next show, we’ll continue the Italian Campaign of 1796 as Napoleon wins the Battle of Lodi and starts to fully comprehend that he has a special destiny!

The post #5 – The Army of Italy (part one) appeared first on Napoleon.

We left Napoleon in late 1795, having broken the back of the Paris insurgency with a “whiff of grapeshot”. For his efforts he was made Commander of the Army of the Interior, the largest armed force in France, with the rank of general de division. He changed his name from Buonaparte to Bonaparte. He is 26 years old. Josephine. It is around this time that Napoleon first meets Marie Joesphe Rose Tascher de la Pagerie whom he decided to call Josephine. She was 32, 6 years older than N, and had two children from her previous marriage. In this show we talk a little about:

• her background
• Alexander’s execution
• how she came to meet Napoleon
• her relationship with Paul Barras
• her marriage to Napoelon in 1796 – within six months of meeting!
• Her children

In the next show, we’ll start to cover the Italian Campaign of 1796 as Napoleon continues his rise to power and eternal fame!

The post #4 – Enter Josephine appeared first on Napoleon.

In Episode #3 of Napoleon 101, we pick up where we left last time – Napoleon has just won the Battle of Toulon and is made a Brigadier General. He is 24.

This brings us to 1794 and the events of the month of Thermidor (July in the revolutionary calendar).

• Napoleon’s relationship with Augustin Robespierre, and his older brother Maximillian, sees him thrown into prison.
• He is released but still has his name struck off the list of artillery officers and transferred to infantry.
• He takes two months sick leave and goes to Paris. Eventually he ends up working in the Topography Department of the Army.
• Then we move to 1795 – Vendemaire. Paris is under attack and Napoleon meets Paul Barras.
• Napoleon saves the day with a “whiff of grapeshot”.
• As we finish this episode, Napoleon is made commander of the Army of the Interior, the largest army in France. He is only 26 years old.

In Episode #4, Napoleon will meet Marie Josèphe Rose Tascher de La Pagerie (aka Josephine) and will take up the command of The Army of Italy!

The post #3 – Thermidor and A Whiff of Grapeshot! appeared first on Napoleon.

In Episode #2 of Napoleon 101, we start the story of Napoleon’s life with his birth in the town of Ajaccio on the island of Corsica in the Mediterranean. We then cover:

• The political environment of Corsica
• His father Carlo’s relationship with the Corsican revolutionary Paoli
• Napoleon’s life at military boarding school from age 9
• The French Revolution occurs in 1789 and Napoleon’s reaction to it
• In 1791 he returns to Corsica to play a role in its revolution
• In 1793 he splits with Paoli and has to escape Corsica with his entire family
• He then experiences more civil war at the battle of Avignon
• Writes the short story Le Souper de Beaucaire
• Finally, at age 24, he is the architect of the victory at Toulon!
• For his part he is promoted to Brigadier General

In the next episode, we will start with the events of Thermidor and the infamous “whiff of grapeshot”!

The post #2 – Early life and military career appeared first on Napoleon.

Welcome to the first episode of Napoleon 101! David and I are very excited about creating this show and the rest of the series.

For this first episode, we thought we’d start by giving you a bit of a taste-tester. Before we get deep into the nitty-gritty of his life and career, we’ll take you on a quick journey of what makes Napoleon such an interesting topic for us. For example, we cover:

• How and when did we first get interested in Napoleon?
• What is it about Napoleon that fascinates us?
• The first things everyone wants to know:
  • Was he really short?
  • Why did he stick his hand inside his jacket?
  • Did he really say “Not tonight, Josephine”?
  • Was he poisoned or not?
• Top 5 things everyone should know about Napoleon
  • He was Corsican
  • He rarely, if ever, broke a peace treaty
  • He was a workaholic who hardly slept
  • He was a genius with a great eye for detail
  • The Code Napoleon
• Our favourite Napoleonic event/story/anecdote/myth
  • The return from Elba
  • The Battle of Austerlitz

If you are new to Napoleon, then we hope this show will give you a taste to learn more. If you are already an experienced hand, then we hope you will enjoy hearing a couple of Napoleon geeks tell the story that you are already familiar with.

Also consider buying one of David’s books about Napoleon, such as this one.

If you like the show, please subscribe on the podcast app of your choice.

The post #1 – An Introduction appeared first on Napoleon.