The Napoleonic Quarterly

1804. July… August… September… Three months in which Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr take their political differences to the duelling ground… Tripoli’s pirates are bombarded by the United States… And another quarter, another new emperor - this time Francis I for Austria. This is episode 51 of the Napoleonic Quarterly - covering three months which continues this year’s theme of political violence...

In April 1796, a 26-year-old Napoleon Bonaparte transformed a demoralized, ragged French army into a lightning-fast strike force that knocked the Kingdom of Sardinia out of the war in just over two weeks. By utilizing the strategy of the central position he successfully split the superior Austrian and Piedmontese forces, defeating them in rapid succession at battles like Montenotte and Mondovi - a...

A conversation with Barbara Stollberg-Rilinger, Professor Emerita of Early Modern History at the University of Munster and Rector of the Institute for Advanced Study in Berlin. Germany is becoming increasingly important to this podcast, which is why we're digging into another aspect of this fascinating part of Europe. Dualism and dissolution; between fealty and federation; the unravelling of t...

A conversation about a legendary moment in United States history between James Quint, Director of the Old Cowtown Museum in Wichita, Kansas, and Peter Kastor, Professor of History and American Culture Studies at Washington University in Saint Louis. The episode dives deep into the context and significance of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, from the initial uncertainty faced by the United States af...

1804. April... May... June... three months in which the British are facing an uphill struggle in building another coalition against the French... The Revolution takes its final step as Napoleon Bonaparte is to be granted the imperial dignity... and in the Caucasus, a determined Russian general is making real progress. This is episode 50 of the Napoleonic Quarterly... covering three months in which...

"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 pol...

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 riv...

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 b...

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 mu...

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 h...

Bernie Campbell is joined by Rachel Blackman-Rogers of King's College London and Olivier Aranda of the University of Western Brittany to discuss naval strategy in the Mediterranean theatre in the 1790s, with a particular emphasis on the Battle of the Nile. The episode explores the strategic importance of the Mediterranean for both France and Britain during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic peri...

Yes, it's the planning meeting once again - this is the third go in our festival of bureaucracy, the critical discussion which sees us sort out what each of our main episodes should include as topics for their three segments. The years 1804 and 1805 are exciting times for the podcast, as we actually hit the Napoleonic Wars proper. All roads lead to the fabled episode 56, covering the final qua...

1803. October… November… December… Three months in which French forces wave the white flag on Saint-Domingue... In Washington the Louisiana Purchase gets a green light from Congress - without working out the detail... And in India a series of defeats for the Marathas force Scindia to the negotiating table. This is episode 48 of the Napoleonic Quarterly - covering three months in which the Haitian...

This episode offers a deep dive into the pivotal Battle of Assaye fought on September 23, 1803, a clash that shaped British dominance in India and forged the reputation of Arthur Wellesley—better known to history as the Duke of Wellington. Host Clemens Bemmann welcomes a special panel to explore the campaign, armies, personalities, and chaos that defined one of the most dramatic battles on the Ind...

Rachel Blackman-Rogers and Catherine Scheybeler, both of King's College London, join Alex Stevenson for an in-depth look at one of Horatio Nelson's most famous formative battles. The Royal Navy in the 1790s was always going to do well against the Spanish Navy, but it was Nelson's decisive use of initiative - and then the double-boarding to capture not one but two Spanish ships his Capt...

Josh Provan is joined by Charles Esdaile and Alex Mikaberidze, with Alex Stevenson and Clemens Bemmann along for the ride, to discuss some military topics in this Q&A episode. Including: [2:00] - The Royal Navy PR machine [10:11] - Elite units of the Napoleonic Wars [22:30] - Suvorov in 1799 [34:00] - Feedback on our battle episodes

1803. July… August… September… Three months in which the Maratha forces are defeated by Arthur Wellesley at Assaye… Hanover becomes the latest victim to Napoleon Bonaparte’s forces… And there’s another attempted uprising in Ireland. This is episode 47 of the Napoleonic Quarterly - covering three months in which the British and their sepoys take another step towards Empire on the Indian subcontinen...

Alex Stevenson sits down with Martin Howard, author of the newly published 'The Napoleonic Wars: A Medical History' (March 2025). Together, they dive into the real and often overlooked medical realities of the Napoleonic Wars. The discussion explores how disease, especially yellow fever and malaria, decimated armies in places like the Caribbean, frequently eclipsing battlefield casualties....

Here's a brief update on the state of the podcast. The main points: - The podcast is temporarily slowing down its pace. There will now be a main episode, three bonus episodes and three Patreon bonuses every 42 days, rather than every calendar month; published alternating weekends / midweek, ie an episode every 10/11 days rather than every 7. - A new super-bargain priced tier is being introduce...

Josh Provan is joined by Charles Esdaile and Alex Mikaberidze, with Alex Stevenson and Clemens Bemmann along for the ride, to discuss all things politico-diplomatic in this Q&A episode. Including: 02:30: British dirty tricks (Warning: Grumpy Charles alert) 24:00: French brinkmanship 32:00: Poland's prospects 36:32: Napoleonic ghost stories Link: Napoleon's little red man 41:00: Listene...

Seven years before the Napoleonic Quarterly got going properly, a single interview was recorded in 2013 - in the Palace of Westminster, of all places. A young Alex Stevenson, then a lobby journalist, spoke to Professor David Andress of the University of Portsmouth about his new book, 'The Savage Storm - Britain on the brink in the age of Napoleon' (it was subsequently retitled 'Beating Napoleon' -...

1803… April… May… June… Three months in which war once again breaks out between Britain and France… American negotiators worrying about Louisiana’s future get an unexpected offer from the First Consul… And on Saint-Domingue, General Jean-Jacques Dessalines unifies resistance to the struggling French expedition. This is episode 46 of the Napoleonic Quarterly - covering three months which sees the b...

Liam Gauci, Senior Curator at the  Malta Maritime Museum  in Valletta, returns for another conversation about Maltese history, this time with the goal of planning a future visit by the Napoleonic Quarterly to the 'crossroads of the Mediterranean'. This episode is sponsored by Heritage Malta, whose support for the podcast is enormously appreciated. Liam's book  Morte o Fortuna: Corsairs in Malta 17...

What led to the Louisiana Purchase, one of the most important territorial acquisitions in world history? Prof Peter Kastor of Washington University in Saint Louis describes the build-up all the way to the negotiations in Paris, which we'll cover off in our main episode on Q2-1803 (out Wednesday 2nd 2025).

We're very excited, after such a long time working on this concept, to bring you the pilot for our new approach to battle episodes. Given 1802-4 is relatively quiet in military history terms, we're going to use this period to work our way through some of the key battles of the 1796 campaign, beginning with Bonaparte's victory at Montenotte in April. Clemens Bemmann presents; Rick Schne...