When Diplomacy Fails Podcast

The Korean War was fought from 1950-1953, and while many of us today have a rough idea of how it went, to most it is those two lines in a textbook, an irrelevant blip on the Cold War radar. An unimportant, unappreciated event in the crowded literature of the 20th century. To me, the Korean War is many things, and over the last few months I have been working tirelessly to create the most comprehens...

Here we are as promised, opening up the new year with a detailed look at where WDF is going next, why it's going there and why you should care! We address the following issues within: - massive thanksss given all round for a fantastic year. - we read out the Patrons at the end - we talk about having to launch an archive feed! - we talk about whether or not we should launch a Facebook group - we un...

Dear and valued listeners, we return instantly with the second part of my Christmas present to you! Was Louis' fp a success or not, let's find out! Here we examine Louis' reign from the early 1680s, and consider the damage he inflicted on European public opinion, juxtaposed with the material and military gains accrued to France because of Louis' largely victorious wars. I hope you enjoy this concl...

As a special Christmas present to all my lovely listeners, after you have given me such a fantastic year, here is the first of a two parter which I released to Patrons at the $5 level earlier this year, now freeto listen for YOU! Make sure you let me know if you enjoyed this episode, as we close out the eventful year of 2017 with a BANG! Thankssss! Herein we ask the question - was Louis XIV's fore...

It's here! The conclusion to our 16 part story which we've been building towards for several weeks, months and years. Since we began the tale of the Thirty Years War, our narrative has, in several ways, been moving towards this incredible culmination of east meeting west. On 12th September 1683, the forces of the Ottoman Empire under Kara Mustafa met and did battle with the relief army comprised o...

They're Here! After several months of waiting and buildup, we finally reach that incredible tale - when for two grisly months, the defenders of Vienna worked miracles to protect their city from the relentless Turk, and when Count Stahremberg used every fibre of his being to keep his men in high enough spirits to continue onwards in their bloody business. Incredible tension, great drama and a story...

They're here! After so many weeks of marching, Kara Mustafa's terrifying host reaches the walls of Vienna, but after a few critical days' worth of preparations, Vienna's remaining populace were as prepared as they would ever be for what was to come. Grimly reconciled to the arrival of their greatest foe, only great acts of bravery, tenacity and ingenuity would hold back the Grand Vizier's determin...

Something special for all lovely fans of WDF for the month of December, it's...something completely unrelated to Christmas! In this episode of WDF THINKS we ask the very relevant question - was Queen Elizabeth I of England all that great at diplomacy? Sure there was that whole Armada thing, but what about her actual talents and abilities as a diplomatist, particularly a female diplomatist in a wor...

First things first - DON'T MIND ME! Whatever I call it, it's the River Raab not the River 'Raba'. I think the phlegm has moved into my brain! In our latest episode examines the moment when Kara Mustafa finally did it. Overcoming the expectations and assumptions of the high command of the Habsburgs in their Vienna seclusion, the Ottomans outmanoeuvred Charles of Lorraine completely, heading due nor...

Our story continues, as in episode 12 of the Long War, the Habsburgs scramble their forces together in the midst of increasingly worrying news across all fronts. Ernst Stahremberg (pictured) makes an appearance, and sets to work building up the defences of Vienna for whatever may transpire. Meanwhile, Charles of Lorraine is celebrated as the man in charge of Habsburg forces, but this ragtag bunch...

We're not QUITE ready to watch the Turk batter down the walls of Vienna - instead, we're spending a few more minutes examining the motives of the Ottoman's two leading men. Is it really possible to properly grasp what led these two figures, Kara Mustafa and Sultan Mehmed IV, in their charge for the Golden Apple?  Furthermore, is it possible to gauge a point when peace ended and war began, or...

Our coverage of the complex and juicy diplomacy continues! While the main event is the examination at last of the Habsburg-Polish treaty of alliance, the events leading up to such an event are also something to behold. The French threat remained strong and Louis XIV's presence across the Rhine remained a menace to those German potentates who otherwise would have jumped at the chance to crusade aga...

Albert Caprara has a really bad time in this episode, as he is plucked from his far more enjoyable job in the University of Bologna and selected by Leopold to negotiate with the Turks. These same Turks who had been preparing themselves for war for the last few months, were found by Caprara to have been - surprise surprise - preparing themselves for war, rather than preparing themselves to sign a n...

What an incredible treat we have for you today! Norman Ohler, internationally bestselling author responsible for one of the most significant new perspectives on the Third Reich and Adolf Hitler joins us on the podcast for a very special collaboration. Ohler's ideas have been plucked straight from the previously underrated notes of Dr Theodor Morell, Hitler's personal physician, so you know they ho...

You have all been very patient, so I am so excited to finally begin unpacking the incredibly fascinating and interconnected era of the 1680s. This episode here should tie us back to the first three episodes we did on Louis XIV, because it relates Leopold’s concerns to the military and diplomatic situation in the west, and explains why exactly Leopold believed until it was almost too late that Fran...

Episode 7 of the Long War hits us like a Hungarian-shaped bang, as we are introduced first to the Sultan's method of war making as the resources, men and monies were gathered together by spring 1683, but also to the major incentive which moved the Ottomans to make war. In this episode I explain why I believe the Ottomans chose to attack the Habsburgs after 20 years of peace. The Hungarian situatio...

In the second part, Sebastian talks to us about all things to do with the Last Siege of Vienna, an event which has really captured our narrative and which will hold our attention for the next few months, so it should come as no surprise that Mr Major was enthralled by it too! What does he like about the event, what myths really struck him about it, and what are some of the dangers about the myths...

In this episode we examine the relationship between the Ottoman Empire and its most important vassal, the Crimean Tartars. How this relationship was formed, the extent to which the Ottomans relied upon this steppe people and the utter devastation which said people could inflict - all of these are critically important topics to wrap our heads around if we're to grasp what was to come for Europe was...

Hello there! It's a good day to be a listener of WDF, because I've managed to convince myself to share the first episode of the EXCLUSIVE biography on Jan Sobieski, a 12 part series which will keep us fed and watered in the Xtra feed for the remainder of this year, and which will be releasing every single week until the final week of 2017! YOWZA! What can you expect from this series, and what exac...

Sebastian Major, otherwise known as the man, the myth, the legend behind Our Fake History, joins us for the first of two parts in this very special collab. In this first part, we talk to Sebby on a personal level, history podcaster to history podcaster, and find out what makes him tick, why he decided to begin history podcasting, what his day job is and why exactly the concept of Our Fake History...

Check the screen and a map of the Hungarian plain should be there - if not do let me know! In this episode we continue our narrative of the period immediately following the fall of Hungary and the escalation of the Ottoman-Habsburg rivalry. We investigate why that rivalry was so potent and how effected the relationships and development of the two states. The 17th century had taught the Habsburgs m...

Louis II, King of Hungary and many other places, ruled over a kingdom that hid a terrible secret. Not only had his nobility eroded the central power of the Crown, but on his doorstep was a great and terrifying enemy which he was terminally unable to halt. As unbalanced as the power match was, neither he nor his neighbours could imagine what would befall the spectators of Europe following the 1526...

In this episode we examine the War of the Reunions, as Spain finally gets sick of Louis' penchant for milking treaties and history. What follows is a bit of a smacking about of Spain, since everyone else is either busy or doesn't care. By the time of its conclusion, Louis will have grabbed what he wanted, but at what cost? Let's find out, in our last episode in the West before we turn our attentio...

Welcome back to the post-Nijmegen age of the early 1680s - you haven't been gone long! Herein we detail how Louis XIV planned to get what he wanted and turn the situation around in Europe. The war with the Dutch hadn't been universally satisfying, and to compensate, Louis sought to bring the peace to its logical conclusion. Before war would be arrived at, it remained to push the envelope as far as...

[PATRONS] Welcome to our first collab after Five Weeks To Run Wild! Joining us today is the one and only, Daniele Bolelli, and he and I have a great conversation about all sorts of goings on in the world of history podcasting. How did Daniele get into academia? What's his thought process when designing a new episode? Which medium does he truly prefer? All of these are questions asked and answered...