"It was like a soap opera," Adam says of the Congress of Vienna near the end of this interview episode. That just about sums up his unique perspective on the whole Napoleonic period, as reflected throughout this discussion - a fascination with personalities and the impact individuals can have on human history, contextualised by an understanding of the messiness of diplomacy and power politics which defined the long 18th century. 01.20 - Izabela The Valiant, Adam's most recent book10.00 - How Adam's views about the biggest characters of 1792-1815 have developed over the past five years18.00 - Was Wellington over-rated28.00 - Czartoryski, Alexander's first foreign minister and a key figure for Poland36.00 - Power politics in eastern Europe - Germany, Poland, Austria, Russia and France 52.00 - Napoleon's Spanish calculations56.50 - The Congress of Vienna's negative impact on the ideals of monarchyHelp us produce more episodes by supporting the Napoleonic Quarterly on Patreon: patreon.com/napoleonicquarterly
--------
1:02:59
--------
1:02:59
Power plays in the Caucasus: Georgia, Russia and imperial expansion (w/ Giorgi Tchkadua)
Giorgi Tchkadua of Ilia State University in Georgia, PhD candidate under our own Alexander Mikaberidze, helps unpack the multiplicity of riddles which makes up the fascinatingly complex power dynamics in the Caucasus before, during and after the 1792-1815 period. In this episode you'll learn: How Russian expansion into the Caucasus took place following failures by their Ottoman and Persian rivalsWhy the patchwork of kingdoms and khanates in the region proved so elusive for imperial dominationAnd above all, how from the perspective of those living in the Caucasus the big powers were themselves being played - in a local struggle for power even more compelling than you'd think.Help us produce more episodes by supporting the Napoleonic Quarterly on Patreon: patreon.com/napoleonicquarterly
--------
1:13:21
--------
1:13:21
Ready for war: France in 1804-5 (w/ Alan Forrest)
Prof Emeritus Alan Forrest of the University of York, biographer of Napoleon, is back in conversation with Alex Stevenson to give his appraisal of imperial France as it was in 1804-05. Featuring - France’s shift from revolutionary chaos to Napoleonic stability in 1804-1805, with the rise of executive power and curtailment of parliamentary influence.Ongoing security threats and conspiracies from both Jacobins and royalists, including assassination plots and political purges.The challenges and social impact of conscription, causing widespread resentment, draft dodging, and community resistance.Transformation of the French economy and society under the pressures of renewed war, British blockade, and loss of overseas colonies.The emergence of new administrative strengths and legal reforms, alongside the growing reach of centralized state authority into everyday life.Help us produce more episodes by supporting the Napoleonic Quarterly on Patreon: patreon.com/napoleonicquarterly
--------
46:13
--------
46:13
Episode 49: Q1-1804 - Conspiracists and conspirators
1804. January… February… March… Three months in which Napoleon acts ruthlessly by abducting and killing a royalist figurehead... Both Haiti and Louisiana face momentous questions about their future... And in the forested, rugged terrain of the Balkans, a figure called Karadjordje rises to challenge the Ottomans. This is episode 49 of the Napoleonic Quarterly - covering three months in which the murderous shedding of more royal blood sends shockwaves across Europe.[15:18] - Headline developments[34:30] - Peter Kastor on the Louisiana Purchase and Haiti[58:50] - Alan Forrest on the Cadoudal plot, the abduction of the Duc D'Enghien and the conspiracists mindset[1:19:20] - Michael Talbot on Karadjordje and the Serbian uprisingHelp us produce more episodes by supporting the Napoleonic Quarterly on Patreon: patreon.com/napoleonicquarterly
--------
1:54:27
--------
1:54:27
Battlefield despatches: Dego, Q2-1796
April 1796 - time for another critical chapter in the young Napoleon Bonaparte's legendary Italian campaign, brought to you once again by our Battlefield Despatches dream team. Clemens Bemmann presents; Rick Schneid is our battlefield correspondent; John Gill is with the Austrian command; and Graeme Callister is on Bonaparte's staff to provide the French perspective. Maps x2 can be found here.Produced by Alex Stevenson, with audio editing support from Sam Loose.Help us produce more episodes by supporting the Napoleonic Quarterly on Patreon: patreon.com/napoleonicquarterly
Taking the epic conflicts of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars three months at a time. Each episode features interviews with leading historians of the period - covering the campaigns, diplomacy and political dramas of an extraordinary 24 years.
México