When Diplomacy Fails Podcast

Want to skip the queue and access all episodes of BismarckRise right NOW? OF COURSE YOU DO! Click here for more Unsure of what's going on? Read this blog post for more information on BismarckRise. When we last left Bismarck, he had established himself in Frankfurt, and prepared to meet the challenges which Prussia faced, following several years of bungled, humiliating foreign policy. The constrain...

Want to skip the queue and access all episodes of BismarckRise right NOW? OF COURSE YOU DO! Click here for more Unsure of what's going on? Read this blog post for more information on BismarckRise. In this episode, the first of eight, we explore the life of a young Otto von Bismarck, and assess the different events, influences and individuals who moved through his life. It’s a personal story, but i...

The only tremors around here are those I'm making in the historical fiction genre! Matchlock is a historical fiction series set during the Thirty Years' War, beginning in 1622, when Matthew Lock lands in Europe to investigate the brutal murder of his parents. Order your copy of Matchlock and the Embassy by clicking here. In this episode we radically change our focus, away from the Empire and towar...

SURPRISE! At long last, I can finally share the secret which has been at the front of my mind for months! Bismarck, and as you've never seen him before. That's right, on Thursday 30 April, we're starting a new series called Bismarck: Rise, which will look at the Iron Chancellor's life and times in some serious detail, in the period 1815-1864. This is the legend of Bismarck, now watch him rise! Ser...

If you thought Ferdinand had a tough time of it, you should see how Matthew Lock struggled in 1622! Matchlock is a historical fiction series set during the Thirty Years' War, beginning in 1622, when Matthew Lock lands in Europe to investigate the brutal murder of his parents. Order your copy of Matchlock and the Embassy by clicking here. It's time to meet Ferdinand of Styria and the rest of his lo...

Why be first of your name when you get the first instalment of my historical fiction series, set during this very war! Matchlock begins in 1622, when Matthew Lock lands in Europe to investigate the brutal murder of his parents. Order your copy of Matchlock and the Embassy by clicking here. Episode 9 of the Thirty Years War, First of His Name, is out NOW! You can’t have a Habsburg protagonist witho...

I've got 99 problems but a new historical fiction series ain't one! Find out why by checking out Matchlock and the Embassy for yourself! Matchlock is a historical fiction series set during the Thirty Years' War, beginning in 1622, when Matthew Lock lands in Europe to investigate the brutal murder of his parents. Order your copy of Matchlock and the Embassy by clicking here. We get straight to the...

Do you know what is truly delightful? My new historical fiction series, Matchlock! Matchlock is set during the Thirty Years' War, beginning in 1622, when Matthew Lock lands in Europe to investigate the brutal murder of his parents. Order your copy of Matchlock and the Embassy by clicking here. In this episode, we look at an oft-forgotten theatre of the Thirty Years War, the east. Specifically, we...

Retreat to your own personal island with our new historical fiction series, Matchlock! Matchlock is set during the Thirty Years' War, beginning in 1622, when Matthew Lock lands in Europe to investigate the brutal murder of his parents. Order your copy of Matchlock and the Embassy by clicking here. Traditional narratives of the Thirty Years War frequently gloss over the English/Scottish or British...

Talk about triumphs, how much of a triumph would it be if little old Zack could be an Amazon best-seller? You can make it happen! Matchlock is a historical fiction series set during the Thirty Years' War, beginning in 1622, when Matthew Lock lands in Europe to investigate the brutal murder of his parents. Order your copy of Matchlock and the Embassy by clicking here. War wasn’t good for everything...

The only connection you need is from your eyes to the pages, because we have a historical fiction series out NOW which will definitely be right up your street! Matchlock is set during the Thirty Years' War, beginning in 1622, when Matthew Lock lands in Europe to investigate the brutal murder of his parents. Order your copy of Matchlock and the Embassy by clicking here. This episode continues where...

Long lists of characters are much easier to manage in fiction, and that's where my new series comes in! Matchlock is a historical fiction series set during the Thirty Years' War, beginning in 1622, when Matthew Lock lands in Europe to investigate the brutal murder of his parents. Order your copy of Matchlock and the Embassy by clicking here. If you thought you properly understood how the Empire wo...

Matchlock is a historical fiction series set during the Thirty Years' War, beginning in 1622, when Matthew Lock lands in Europe to investigate the brutal murder of his parents. Order your copy of Matchlock and the Embassy by clicking here. The Holy Roman Empire was a unique place, full of unique laws, unique settlements and very unique rulers. Unique is just a polite way of saying, that the HRE wa...

Today in our Patreon feed, the first episode of the Poland Is Not Yet Lost narrative is released, which is super exciting! But, even if you've been tempted in the past to sign up for $5 a month and get this extra content, you may be wondering, what exactly does this series look like, and how do I know if I'll like it? All good questions, which I hopefully answer with some preview clips of episodes...

Start off your new Thirty Years War journey the right way, by exploring our other offering - historical fiction! Matchlock is a series set during the Thirty Years' War, beginning in 1622, when Matthew Lock lands in Europe to investigate the brutal murder of his parents. Order your copy of Matchlock and the Embassy by clicking here. We're back! After running through 17th Century Warfare with a fine...

In the words of the historian John A. Lynn, " trying to understand seventeenth-century European history without weighing the influence of war and military institutions is like trying to dance without listening to the music ." For the last 15 episodes, we've surrounded ourselves with a heck of a lot of music, so I hope you're ready to dance! This is it, our FINAL episode of 2019 [if you're not a pa...

Our war is nearly over, but we still have some matters to discuss! Here we summarise what we’ve learned over the last few episodes, and pave the way for the narrative to come. There is much we still don’t know about warfare in the 17th century, simply because there is so darn much to know! However, over the last several episodes, we’ve given a very good grounding in what 17th century warfare was a...

This is a tale of two sieges! We examine the siege of St Martins on the Isle of Re by the ENglish, and the siege of Mantua by the Imperials and Spanish. These two sieges in the late 1620s were pivotal cases where the Thirty Years War hung in the balance. Unrelated though these theatres were to the main war in Germany, they each created ripples which had a profound effect on the outcome of the war....

We've heard a great deal about how armies changed during the 17th century, and how their commanders adopted new tactics and reforms to increase their firepower and ferocity. BUT what about the states that commanded these armies? Here we look at a specific case study, Austria, to see not just how the creation of a standing army empowered this curious state, but also how it defined what it meant to...

Breitenfeld . The most important battle of the Thirty Years War in my view, and the ideal but also terrifying testing ground for all of Gustavus' new reforms. Could the Swedish King leverage all his innovations in the infantry drill, in the use of artillery, or in the harnessing of cavalry's best bits? Or would he be just another victim to Count Tilly's war machine? You probably know the answer, c...

At long last, our series on 17th century warfare smacks straight into the man many of you probably came all this way to see. What did Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden do to make his name in the military sphere? Did he really do all that is often assumed? Do we give me too much credit? What, at the base level, can it truly be said that he accomplished? Come and find out here, as we look at the Swedish k...

In our ninth installment on 17th century warfare, we assess the overall contribution of the Dutch to the military revolution, through a few important spheres. We will learn that spreading the word about new technological innovations was not an unusual practice, and that Europeans were far more willing to share their discoveries than we may have previously imagined. In addition, we examine how the...

How did Poland and Lithuania come to be joined together as one state? Here we answer that critically important question, as well as several others which go along with it. Of course, our story may begin in the year 1700, but we would be remiss if we didn't mention several threads of the story which brings the narrative to that point. Why did the Commonwealth have an elective monarchy? Why were the...

Where did the inspiration to tackle this project come from, what sources have we devoured, and what can you expect from this series? These questions and so many more besides will be addressed here, so make sure you get the full picture of what we're up to by listening in! Click here to access all of what Poland has to offer! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

FINALLY! After several years, countless teases, numerous changed plans, and no shortage of research, one of the most anticipated series we have ever tackled lands at long last. Poland Is Not Yet Lost has been made possible thanks to the incredible support I received from you, my patrons, so I hope you'll check this first introduction episode out as we set the scene, and set forth some of our plans...