La Fayette, We Are Here‪!‬ Emmanuel Dubois

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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Of the millions of people who are born every year during the Middle Ages, an extremely small number are what we call “blue bloods”, members of the nobility. Out of that already small number, a little percentage can be called “royalty”. Someone who manages to be a monarch not only for one country but for two countries, two adversaries, that is more than rare, that’s unique.

Today, we have the chance of meeting such a woman. Duchess of Aquitaine, Queen of France and Queen of England. I give you: Aliénor d’Aquitaine (Eleanor of Aquitaine).

Timecodes:

Introduction
04:19 - Aquitaine, a Country within a Kingdom
07:53 - Aliénor, Remarkable Young Woman
12:16 - Queen of France
20:18 - The Failed Crusade
25:12 - Queen of England
30:15 - The Widow
32:53 - Conclusion

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

Art: Aliénor d'Aquitaine by Frederick Sandys, 1858
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This part-two of a two-part episode on the Hundred Years' War. I encourage you to listen to the previous episode if you haven't already done so. 
England owns a third of the French kingdom. War has ravaged France for a quarter of a century. The Black Death has killed millions of people and keeps coming back. At the end of the XIVth century, France is in its worst state probably ever.

But the French will fight back, under the leadership of Charles VII and of an extraordinary young woman, Jeanne d'Arc. Listen to this extraordinary medieval tale full of bravery, foolishness and cruelty.

Listen to HOLOCAUST HiSTORIES  podcast! 

Timecodes:

Introduction
05:56 - Civil War in France and the Arrival of Henry V
10:43 - The Battle of Azincourt (Agincourt)
13:26 - Jeanne d'Arc and the French Resurgence
21:58 - Jeanne d'Arc at Orléans
28:23 - France Reconquered
34:53 - Conclusion

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

Art: The death of John Talbot at the Battle of Castillon. XVth century.
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The Hundred Years' War or la guerre de Cent Ans in French. That enormous conflict, or series of conflicts actually, ravaged France from 1337 to 1453.

The vast majority of English or American history podcasts or books have an English point of view regarding this conflict. This is perfectly normal and understandable, but I will try to bring more of a French perspective, focusing more on the French side of things.

Given the scope of the war and its complexity, I have decided to split this story into two episodes. This is part one, covering the initial invasion of France by England up until the reign of Charles V of France in 1364.

This story has absolutely everything. Family feuds, epic battles, betrayals, heroes, villains. All set in medieval France. And narrated by yours truly. What else could you ask for?  
Listen to Cork Out History podcast!

Timecodes:

Introduction
04:01 - Context
08:39 - The Origins of the War
15:34 - Two Kingdoms at War
19:31 - Crécy and the Downward Spiral for France
23:35 - The Black Death and the Battle of Poitiers
31:35 - France, the Duchies and the arrival of Charles V

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

Art: Bataille de Crécy in the "Chroniques de Jean Froissart", XVth century
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