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 139: The Jacobin Prince
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.
67 min
2
Episode 138: Le Brutal
A guide to the artillery of the Napoleonic era
60 min
3
Episode 137: Spain on the Precipice
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 non-stop warfare.
56 min
4
Episode 136: The Stumbling Colossus
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.
55 min
5
Episode 135: A Bed of Roses
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."
55 min
6
Episode 134: By Gentler Means
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.
54 min
7
Prix Napoléon Special Episode
36 min
8
Episode 133: Long Live America
News of the Abdications of Bayonne shook Spanish colonial societies to their foundations.
59 min
9
Episode 132: The Old Master
We examine Spanish America on the eve of the Wars of Independence.
63 min
10
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?
60 min
11
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.
53 min
12
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.
64 min
13
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.
67 min
14
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.
64 min
15
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.
64 min
16
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.
59 min
17
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.
72 min
18
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.
67 min
19
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...
54 min
20
Episode 121: The Red Danube
On May 21st, 1809, the Austrians attacked Grande Armée at the towns of Aspern and Essling. The ensuing two days were the hardest test of Napoleon's career to date.
64 min
21
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.
58 min
22
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
23
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
24
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
25
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