The Age of Napoleon Podcast
The Age of Napoleon is a history podcast about the life and career of Napoleon Bonaparte as well as the general context of Europe between the early eighteenth and early nineteenth century. It is about big trends and the grand sweep of history, as well as the smaller, individual stories that bring them to life.
1
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.
56 min
2
Episode 118: The Hornets' Nest
After taking Madrid, Napoleon chased a British army into northwestern Spain. Meanwhile, behind the lines, Spanish guerrillas waged a brutal war against the occupiers.
62 min
3
Episode 117: Impossible
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.
56 min
4
Paris Games Special
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.
91 min
5
Episode 116: Strike Hard
In early November 1808, French troops crossed the Ebro River in their second invasion of Spain, led by the Emperor himself.
57 min
6
Episode 115: War to the Knife
The summer of 1808 saw desperate fighting across Iberia as Spanish and Portuguese patriots rose up against Napoleon.
69 min
7
Episode 114: The Limits of Power
The Spanish uprising was a disaster for France. Napoleon tried to shore up his diplomatic situation but found himself undermined.
62 min
8
Episode 113: Victory or Death
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 had Spain managed this stunning reversal?
69 min
9
Grey History Collaboration
I recently recorded a collaboration with Will Clark of Grey History: the French Revolution.
69 min
10
Episode 112: The Way of the Bandit
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.
48 min
11
Episode 111: Bad Omens
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.
52 min
12
Episode 110: Barbarians
1807 saw Napoleon and the British jockeying for influence among the remaining neutral states of Europe. Average people paid the price for this competition.
58 min
13
Episode 109: The Rise of the Sausage-Maker
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?
53 min
14
Episode 108: Europe Under the Eagle
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?
48 min
15
Episode 107: The Will of the Emperor
How did the Napoleonic regime actually function? How could one person effectively exercise his will over half a continent?
48 min
16
Episode 106: The Art of Power
In Europe at the dawn of the nineteenth century, art and politics were deeply intertwined, sometimes in surprising ways.
49 min
17
Episode 105: The Imperial City
During his 15 years in power, Napoleon put an indelible mark on his adopted city: Paris.
56 min
18
Episode 104: Man of the Century
Napoleon's new treaty with Russia had totally transformed European geopolitics. What did it mean for the future of the continent? For France? For Napoleon himself?
52 min
19
Episode 103: The Two Eagles
In the summer of 1807, the emperors of France and Russia, and the King and Queen of Prussia met at the Baltic town of Tilsit for a remarkable diplomatic summit aimed at forging a new geopolitical status quo for Europe.
51 min
20
Episode 102: Bennigsen's Gamble
In the summer of 1807, Napoleon was on the verge of seizing a prize that had eluded him for 6 months: Königsberg. The end of the war was in sight, but before he could take the city, he would have to deal with a bold surprise attack on his rear.
71 min
21
Episode 101: Beyond Bravery
As Napoleon struggled to rebuild his army after Eylau, French forces lay siege to the port city of Danzig.
57 min
22
Episode 100: What a Massacre
The Battle of Eylau was the greatest challenge of Napoleon's career so far. For two days, the French and Russian armies fought with unbelievable tenacity in the worst conditions imaginable.
61 min
23
The Soul of a Free Man
A recording of a recent talk I gave on the life of Toussaint Louverture
57 min
24
Episode 99: Dangers of Every Kind
Napoleon ordered his men to make winter quarters and turned his attention to an exciting, but dangerous new mistress with a hidden agenda. But before the month was over, fate would draw the Grande Armée back out on campaign.
51 min
25
Episode 98: Eagles East
France and the Grande Armée were growing tired of war, but in the winter of 1806, Napoleon led his forces east, into a harsh, new environment that would test the limits of his soldiers' endurance.
50 min