La Fayette, We Are Here!

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, ho...

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...

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 w...

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 hav...

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 ex...

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 th...

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 chanc...

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 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 Fre...

Vikings in France. Here's an often ignored topic for historical discussion. In this special episode, we try to remedy to that situation. I say "we" because we have a guest on this one, historian and author Christophe Adrien , specialist on the Viking world and especially their role in Brittany. Join us as we discuss Vikings, Franks, longships, silver and salt! Listen to  Passed , th...

Charlemagne is one of the most important figures of the Middle Ages. He ruled from 768 to 814 as king of the Franks, and became Roman Emperor in 800. He conquered peoples, built institutions and completely changed Europe's political trajectory. One cannot stress enough the importance of his reign and his legacy. I think you will find him a complex and fascinating character. And maybe, you wil...

In this special episode, we travel outside of France, to Prussia, guided by Alec Avdakov from the podcast " The Life and Times of Frederick the Great ". Make sure to check out his podcast. Voltaire was in Berlin, at the court of Prussia from 1750 to 1753, invited by the Prussian King Frederic II, known as Frederic the Great. This is a perfect example of the global effect of the French En...

We live in an enlightened world. We owe a lot to the men and women of the XVIIIth century and what they gave us. During this period, all over Europe, but especially in France, sciences, politics, literature, art, philosophy and many other aspect of society were being dissected, studied and written on. You know their names: Voltaire, Rousseau, Diderot, Montesquieu, du Châtelet, Lavoisier, de Gouges...

Probably the most famous French monarch, Louis XIV left a deep mark on France and Europe. Over his 72-year  reign, from 1643 to 1715, he accomplished many things. He conquered new territory, expanded France's colonies, modernized the country, built monuments, created major institutions and became an absolute monarch. Even North America was touched by him. Louisiana was named after him, and ma...

The Franco-Prussian war of 1870 is an important but often neglected conflict. Most people don't even know about it. In America,  even history fans go straight from the Civil War to World War I, not really taking into account this major conflict that happened in between. Let's fix this, shall we? We'll discuss the origins of the conflict, its course and its huge consequences. In the...

For our second episode, we are taking a grand Tour de France. This is a complete overview of France's 20 centuries long history. It is not exhaustive, of course, but it should help people refresh their memory or get a better grip on the whole of French history. Everyone should then be able to enjoy and appreciate future episodes even more. Should you wish to go directly to specific eras, here...

On our first episode, we get to meet the man himself, La Fayette. His importance, his actions in America during the War of Independence, as well as in France during the Revolution, Napoléon era and after. A truly fascinating figure! Timecodes Introduction & thanks 3:24 - La Fayette's youth and start of American adventure 7:19 - Historical context 14:20 - American War of Independence 15:55...

In this intro episode you get to meet your host and learn about my goals for this podcast. Why am I doing it? Who is it for? Hopefully, it’ll be for you! Support the show Reach out, support the show and give me feedback! Contact me or follow the podcast on social media Leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or on Spotify Buy me a Coffee