The Napoleonic Quarterly

Rachel Blackman-Rogers is joined by contemporary Black Sea maritime scholar Prof Deborah Sanders of Kings College London to discuss the history and evolution of Black Sea Navies, the historical significance of the Black Sea itself, and the Black Sea's current importance in Russia's war with Ukraine. [01:00] - to what extent has the Black Sea been a centre of great power competition? [08:50...

Spain's story during the Napoleonic period is an Atlantic one, as Dr Mark Lawrence of the University of Kent has pointed out. Fresh from recording on the War of the Oranges, which you can hear in episode 38, here Mark discusses a range of topics including the legacy of the Spanish Empire and notions of the 'Black Legend' of anti-Spanish propaganda; South America during the Napoleonic W...

Rachel Blackman-Rogers joins Alex Stevenson to discuss the First Battle of Copenhagen - featuring some tricky navigation, the Royal Navy's superior bludgeoning rate of firepower, some brutal diplomacy and Horatio Nelson's infamous blind eye. Please support the podcast on Patreon at patreon/com/napoleonicquarterly.

1801. April... May... June... Three months in which Horatio Nelson pulverises the Danish fleet at Copenhagen... Napoleon Bonaparte turns his ire on the pro-British Portuguese... and war breaks out between the piratical Barbary States and the fledgeling US of A. This is episode 38 of the Napoleonic Quarterly - covering three months which show that, despite the wider drift towards a French-dominated...

While France was thrown into chaos by the revolution, the political situation in Britain wasn't exactly calm either. Bernie Campbell sat down with Jacquelin Reiter and Neil Gregory Howe to talk about the tumultuous mood in Britain during the 1790s, Pitt's policies and much more.

Assassinating Napoleon Bonaparte, it turns out, was on the minds of lots of people frustrated with how the French Revolution was playing out. Off the back of the Infernal Machine attempt on the First Consul's life we've got an episode here about William Wordsworth, that most revered of English Romantic poets, who was so frustrated by the unfulfilled promise of the Revolution that he dreame...

Liam Gauci, Curator at the Malta Maritime Museum in Valletta, joins Dr Rachel Blackman-Rogers to discuss the fascinating history of his very special island. This episode is sponsored by Heritage Malta.

1801. January… February… March… Three months in which the assassination of Tsar Paul stuns Europe… The Act of Union brings together Britain and Ireland... And Austria and France sign the Treaty of Luneville, inking in French dominance in western Europe. This is episode 37 of the Napoleonic Quarterly - covering three months in which the grisly drama of a court assassination sets the stage for the N...

Kathleen Burk, Professor Emerita of Modern and Contemporary History at University College London, is an amazing historian whose books spanning a long and distinguished career reflect the breadth of her interests: she's written about Anglo-American relations over the decades, a biography of AJP Taylor, even a history of wine reflecting her own background growing up on a California grape farm. W...

Professor Alan Forrest of the University of York sat down with his long time academic friend Charles Esdaile to talk about the Napoleon Movie, the legacy of the Emperor and more.

Louis Sarkozy talks to Bernie Campbell about his upcoming book on Napoleon's Library, the cultural influence of the Emperor and how his legacy is seen today in France.

Professor Emeritus Michael Broers of the University of Oxford, biography of Napoleon and historical adviser to 'Napoleon' (2023), sat down virtually with his old chum and sparring partner Charles Esdaile. In this conversation they covered: [02:00] - their shared outsider perspective on the French Revolution [06:00] - the usefulness of the Napoleonic period in terms of boosting the power of...

A Napoleonic professor is despatched to the field hospital, delaying our next main episode by a month. But we have lots of bonus episodes in the meantime.

Dr Rachel Blackman-Rogers is joined by King's College London colleague Professor Andrew Lambert to discuss the current conflict in Ukraine and how lessons from history can be applied to contemporary challenges in containing Russian aggression.

Bernie Campbell takes us on a whistlestop tour of the world as it was at the turn of the 19th century, in the company of Professor Alexander Mikaberidze of Louisiana State University-Shreveport and the NQ's intrepid Quartermaster-Patreons.

Here's a deep dive into the Battle of Hohenlinden, in which Moreau decisively beats the Austrians under Archduke John. Thanks to David Hollins and Hans-Karl Weiß for talking us through it!

1800. January… February… March… Three months in which Jean-Victor Moreau’s snowy victory at Hohenlinden takes the Austrians out of the war… Napoleon Bonaparte survives the world’s first car bombing attempt in Paris… And across the Atlantic those huge swathes of land west of the Appalachians change hands between the European powers once again, causing disquiet in Washington DC. This is episode 36 o...

Could some of the decisions made by those making Sir Ridley Scott's 'Napoleon' (2023) be better understood by the generally disappointed Napoleonic community? Alex Stevenson is joined by James Topham, who knows a thing or two about screenwriting, to conclude their analysis of the film. Yes that's right, it's the Napoleon Movie Quarter-Hourly - taking the epic frustrations of th...

Could some of the decisions made by those making Sir Ridley Scott's 'Napoleon' (2023) be better understood by the generally disappointed Napoleonic community? Alex Stevenson is joined by James Topham, who knows a thing or two about screenwriting, to analyse the film in 15-minute chunks. Yes, that's right, it's the Napoleon Movie Quarter-Hourly - taking the epic frustrations of...

Could some of the decisions made by those making Sir Ridley Scott's 'Napoleon' (2023) be better understood by the generally disappointed Napoleonic community? Alex Stevenson is joined by James Topham, who knows a thing or two about screenwriting, to analyse the film in 15-minute chunks. Yes, that's right, it's the Napoleon Movie Quarter-Hourly - taking the epic frustrations of...

Could some of the decisions made by those making Sir Ridley Scott's 'Napoleon' (2023) be better understood by the generally disappointed Napoleonic community? Alex Stevenson is joined by James Topham, who knows a thing or two about screenwriting, to analyse the film in 15-minute chunks. Yes, that's right, it's the Napoleon Movie Quarter-Hourly - taking the epic frustrations of...

Could some of the decisions made by those making Sir Ridley Scott's 'Napoleon' (2023) be better understood by the generally disappointed Napoleonic community? Alex Stevenson is joined by James Topham, who knows a thing or two about screenwriting, to analyse the film in 15-minute chunks. Yes, that's right, it's the Napoleon Movie Quarter-Hourly - taking the epic frustrations of...

Could some of the decisions made by those making Sir Ridley Scott's 'Napoleon' (2023) be better understood by the generally disappointed Napoleonic community? Alex Stevenson is joined by James Topham, who knows a thing or two about screenwriting, to analyse the film in 15-minute chunks. Yes, that's right, it's the Napoleon Movie Quarter-Hourly - taking the epic frustrations of...

Could some of the decisions made by those making Sir Ridley Scott's 'Napoleon' (2023) be better understood by the generally disappointed Napoleonic community? Alex Stevenson is joined by James Topham, who knows a thing or two about screenwriting, to analyse the film in 15-minute chunks. Yes, that's right, it's the Napoleon Movie Quarter-Hourly - taking the epic frustrations of...

Could some of the decisions made by those making Sir Ridley Scott's 'Napoleon' (2023) be better understood by the generally disappointed Napoleonic community? Alex Stevenson is joined by James Topham, who knows a thing or two about screenwriting, to analyse the film in 15-minute chunks. Yes, that's right, it's the Napoleon Movie Quarter-Hourly - taking the epic frustrations of...