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In early November 1808, French troops crossed the Ebro River in their second invasion of Spain, led by the Emperor himself.

The summer of 1808 saw desperate fighting across Iberia as Spanish and Portuguese patriots rose up against Napoleon. France's most powerful enemy, Great Britain, sought to take advantage.

The Spanish uprising was a disaster for France. Napoleon tried to shore up his diplomatic situation but found himself undermined by a surprising new enemy. Cameo appearances by José de San Martín and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.

In the spring of 1808, Napoleon said he considered Spain conquered. That summer, Spanish forces dealt France its first major battlefield defeat in nearly a decade. How did Spain manage this stunning reversal?

Chris and Matt’s series wrap-up livestream on Twitch from Friday, 4/21. The boys cover some breaking 17th century news, talk about what unexpected things they learned from the series, take listener and viewer questions, and discuss future projects.

We’re joined by Derek Davison (Foreign Exchanges newsletter, American Prestige podcast) to discuss the ever-present entity to the east of our main story, the Ottoman Empire. Derek takes us through the rise, reign and decline of the Ottomans themselves, and we dig further into their interactions with Europe in the 17th century.

We’re joined by Mike Duncan (Revolutions podcast, Hero of Two Worlds) to discuss the English Civil War, its causes, consequences and the character of those who fought in it.

We’re joined by the War Nerd, John Dolan, to discuss the evolution of war from the Middle Ages to the Early Modern period, and the various ways armed combat shaped society and politics of the time.

We’re joined by author and podcaster Patrick Wyman (Tides of History, The Verge) to discuss developments in money, finance and banking during the pre-modern period. As well as, of course, those dastardly Fuggers.

Our live show from the Hell on Earth launch party at Littlefield in NYC on 1/20/23. We discuss the life of alchemist, mathematician and courtier John Dee, and look into the intersection of magic and politics in early modern Europe.

We’re joined by historian Dr. Eleanor Janega to discuss daily life among the pre-modern peasants, townspeople and nobles of Hell on Earth.

Commonwealth, Restoration, Glorious Revolution: we complete England’s cycle of political instability and, with a little help from our old friends the Dutch, birth a new order into the world.

While the Thirty Years War rages on, in England, a similar set of crises leads to Civil War.

The Peace of Westphalia concludes the war and introduces a new phase of political and economic conflict to Europe.

The apocalyptic effects of years of war on the population transform central Europe into Hell on Earth.

King Gustavus Adolphus brings the seemingly unstoppable power of Sweden crashing through central Germany.

The Danes stage a daring intervention against the Habsburgs. Enter: Wallenstein & Richelieu.

Dynastic ambitions, messianic delusions and One High Fall topple the Holy Roman Empire into war.

The royal dynasties of Europe strain to confront reformation, centralization and modernization in their own distinct ways as we bring them up to the eve of the Thirty Years War.

The Black Death, the rise of the Habsburgs, and the dream of the Universal Monarch.

A man, a hammer, a nail, a door, history. Martin Luther sets off the protestant reformation and lays the groundwork for a century of violence in Europe.