This week we had our long time comrade and resident France expert, Matthew, back on the show to talk about the mixed legacy of Napoleon Bonaparte. Was Napoleon a force for progress or the death of the revolution? The answer is yes. Revolutionary Figures: Napoleon Bonaparte https://blogs.kent.ac.uk/ageofrevolution/revolutionary-figures/napoleon-bonaparte ... Show More
Oct 2023
382. Young Napoleon: Teenage Revolutionary (Part 1)
“I would plunge the avenging dagger, up to the hilt, in the breast of the tyrant!”
Born in Corsica a year after the island was given to France by the Genoese, Napoleon Bonaparte grew up in a world of political and civil unrest. His father had close ties with the leader of the Cor ... Show More
46m 20s
Jan 2024
The Reign and Ruin of Napoleon
Part 2 covers the reign and eventual fall of Napoleon Bonaparte, starting shortly after his crowning as emperor, tracing his victories over his enemies, and ending with his defeat at the hands of the British and their allies. We explore the strategies, tactics, and work habits he ... Show More
1h 19m
Oct 2015
Episode #6 - Napoleon Bonaparte: Man or Myth? (Part I)
Napoleon is simultaneously one of the most well-known and most misunderstood figures in Western history. He has been portrayed as both the ultimate romantic hero and the most despicable war-mongering dictator. Napoleon's life is riddled with legends, exaggerations, lies, and many ... Show More
41m 33s
Nov 2023
383. Young Napoleon: The Shadow of the Guillotine (Part 2)
Within the turmoil of the French Revolution, Napoleon Bonaparte stands out to his military superiors, first by defeating the British at Toulon, then by putting down a royalist mob in Paris when outnumbered four to one, with a “whiff of grapeshot”. Having finally shaken off the hu ... Show More
51m 52s