La Fayette, We Are Here‪!‬ Emmanuel Dubois

In this very special episode, I am joined by a coalition of Napoleonic experts to discuss this fascinating period of history and its legacy. We cover Napoléon's personality, some campaigns, the roles of his marshals, the era's lasting impact, as well as a variety of other topics. A truly interesting and enjoyable discussion.

My guests are:

Dr. Zack White, historian, battlefield guide, host of  "The Napoleonic Wars Podcast", Chair of the Napoleonic & Revolutionary War Graves Charity. (Twitter: @ZwhiteHistory), from the United Kingdom.

Marcus Cribb, podcaster, battlefield guide, blogger & author in progress on Duke of Wellington & the Peninsular War Heritage Manager, former Manager of Apsley House & a founding trustee of Napoleonic & Revolutionary War Graves Charity. (Twitter: @mcribbHistory), from the United Kingdom.

Philipp Wagenknecht, historian and teacher specialist of Prussia and the German States from 1740 to 1815. (Twitter: @PertinaxS), from Germany.

John Viscaro, host of the "Generals and Napoleon Podcast". (Twitter: @AndNapoleon), from the United States of America.

If you haven't already done so, I recommend that you listen to our two episodes on Napoléon. Listen to Part I and to Part II.

Timecodes:

Guests Introductions
06:00- Our Favourite Napoleonic Subjects
1:02:32- Napoléon’s lasting influence & Legacy
1:25:38- Uchronia: Napoléon Wins Waterloo. What happens next?
1:52:00- Open Discussion
2:08:42- Conclusion & Goodbyes


Music: Marche pour la cérémonie des Turcs, composed by Jean-Baptiste Lully, arranged and performed by Jérôme Arfouche.

Art: Statue of Napoléon by French sculptor Pierre Stenne, Boulogne-sur-Mer, France. (photo by Sarah Meyssonnier/Reuters)



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Charles de Gaulle, the famous general who led the French Resistance during the Second World war before becoming President and the father of the current French political system: the Fifth Republic.

De Gaulle is a very, very complicated man. You will often read in the same paragraph that he was ultra-conservative, but that he was a troublemaker and favoured change. If anything, de Gaulle proves that great leaders are rarely black or white, but often many shades of grey. I shall offer you here, an overview of his character and what he did. Hopefully, this will help you understand Le Grand Charles a bit better.


Timecodes:

Introduction
03:32- The Great Asparagus
08:10- The First World War
14:33- France's Collapse
19:50- The Leader of the Résistance
31:12- The Fall of the French Empire
36:06- De Gaulle President
45:10- May 1968 and the Fall of de Gaulle
47:54- Conclusion

Music: Marche pour la cérémonie des Turcs, composed by Jean-Baptiste Lully, arranged and performed by Jérôme Arfouche.

Art: Charles de Gaulle broadcasting from the BBC studios in London, June 1940


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The Fall of France of 1940, the famous military campaign that saw France being conquered by the German army in a few weeks. This subject is one of the most misinterpreted military events in history.

Reading online, you’d believe that the French went to war with sticks to fight German Panzers, or that they fled at the first sign of enemy artillery. While it is perfectly true that the French army was defeated by the German in a short amount of time, the reasons for this are worth exploring and not just on the military level.

Join me as I dig into the deep roots of the French defeat of 1940.

Timecodes:

Introduction
06:10- Prelude to a Defeat
13:25- The Phoney War
19:17- The Great Offensive
28:02- The Final Collapse
36:30 - Conclusion

Music: Marche pour la cérémonie des Turcs, composed by Jean-Baptiste Lully, arranged and performed by Jérôme Arfouche.

Art: Adolf Hitler visits Paris with architect Albert Speer (left) and artist Arno Breker (right), June 23, 1940.
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December 2nd 1804, Napoléon Bonaparte is crowned Emperor of the French. Over the next decade, he will keep reforming and modernizing France, but he will also fight the rest of Europe. He will become master of the continent, defeating all his enemies on land, only to go too far and to see Europe strike back at him and at France.

This is the second part of Napoléon's great adventure. If you haven't already done so, I encourage you to listen to the first part as well as to my episode on the French Revolution. Let us follow Napoléon and the Grande Armée on the battlefields of Germany, Poland, Russia, Spain and France. And then we will land on a tiny island, on the middle of the Atlantic. The Napoleonic adventure is one of strong contrasts, as you shall see.

Timecodes:

Introduction
04:20 - From Consul to Emperor
12:40 - The First French Empire and the Grande Armée
24:04 - The Fourth Coalition War and the Continental System
31:48 - The Peninsular War and the Fifth Coalition
44:02 - The Beginning of the Downfall: Russia
50:50 - Europe Strikes Back
1:00:00 - The Exile on Saint Helena
1:03:23 - Conclusion

Music: Marche pour la cérémonie des Turcs, composed by Jean-Baptiste Lully, arranged and performed by Jérôme Arfouche.

Art: 1814, Campagne de France, by Ernest Meissonier
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Napoléon Bonaparte doesn't really need an introduction. He's the most famous Frenchman ever. He's had more books written about him than any other person, except for Jesus Christ. This French general and emperor shook France, Europe and the world at the turn of the nineteenth century.
He is also a polarizing figure. Enlightened ruler, or tyrannic dictator? In this episode, we will explore the fantastic story that led him from humble origins in Corsica to being the focus of all of Europe's monarchs and armies.
Note: I strongly encourage you to listen to my previous episode on the French Revolution. You might miss a bit in the years of 1789 to 1799 if you are not aware of some facts that I talked about then.

Timecodes:

Introduction
06:10 - Humble beginnings
14:36 - From promising officer to superstar General
20:12 - Joséphine and the Italian Campaign
29:48 - The Egyptian Legend
42:36 - Napoléon takes over France
53:51 - Conclusion

Music: Marche pour la cérémonie des Turcs, composed by Jean-Baptiste Lully, arranged and performed by Jérôme Arfouche.

Art: Bonaparte devant le Sphinx by Jean-Léon Gérôme, 1867-1868


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The French Revolution shook the world from 1789 to 1799 and completely transformed modern European societies. By ricochet, it transformed the whole world.  It was a real political tsunami, with immediate and long term consequences. With the following Napoleonic wars, it shaped the Nineteenth century in a way that nobody could foresee only a generation before.

There are many misconceptions about the French Revolution, like the idea that a mob captured the king and guillotined him right away. It's not at all what happened. It's a lot more complicated than that. Hopefully you will find this episode palatable and a good entry into the fascinating events of the Révolution.

For those who want to know more, I highly recommend that you listen to "Grey History: The French Revolution & Napoleon" by William Clark.

Timecodes:

Introduction
06:53 - The Origins of the Révolution
17:25  - Adieu, Old Regime!
26:48  - Working with Louis XVI
36:15  - The French Republic
41:37  - The Terreur
48:16  - The Directoire
53:58  - The Consulat
57:57  - Conclusion

Music: Marche pour la cérémonie des Turcs, composed by Jean-Baptiste Lully, arranged and performed by Jérôme Arfouche.

Art: Prise de la Bastille by Jean-Pierre Houël, 1789
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