Napoleon leads the French into Egypt but is defeated at the Battle of the Nile by the British. Afterwards the Russians and Austrians push back against the French in Italy, but then suffer a reverse at the Battle of Marengo. Marengo turned out arguably to be the most important victory of Napoleon’s career. Had he lost the battle, he would have lost the war and probably the consulship. Instead his narrow win secured his job and won him Italy.

www.patreon.com/historyeurope

www.historyeurope.net

Music from Mozart - March in D major; Violin Concerto no. 3 in G major, II. Adagio, courtesy of www.musopen.org

Picture - Jacques-Louis David - Napoleon Crossing the Alps

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The French invade Belgium in 1794 and the Netherlands in 1795. The coalition against them starts to fall apart as individual members came to terms. Russia, Prussia and Austria are distracted by their partitioning of Poland, which is wiped off the map.

Next the French invade Austria and Italy, the Italian campaign led by a promising young commander Napoleon Bonaparte.

www.patreon.com/historyeurope

www.historyeurope.net

Music from Mozart (Symphony no. 40 'Prague'), courtesy of www.musopen.org

Picture - Louis-François, Baron Lejeune - The Battle of Lodi 1796

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A French military victory at Valmy in 1792 and the execution of Louis XVI in January 1793 focused the growing concern across Europe about the radical new regime in Paris. The true revolutionary nature of events in France was dawning on everyone, including the possibility of the export of the revolutionary principles. In France, there was further political turmoil in 1793 with the coming to power of Maximilien Robespierre, who embarked on a fully fledged reign of Terror

Music - Mozart's Clarinet Concerto in A major, I. Allegro

Picture - Battle of Jemmapes, by Raymond Desvarraux

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The French king from 1774, Louis XVI, was poorly equipped for the role of national leader at a difficult time. His tragedy was that he had good intentions and a strong sense of responsibility. But he was shy and awkward and lacked the required political skills and charisma. Decades of failure for the French in foreign and domestic affairs, resulted in a profound crisis of legitimacy for the monarchy, resulting in the famous revolution of 1789

www.patreon.com/historyeurope

www.historyeurope.net

Music from Hector Berlioz (Symphonie Fantastique), courtesy of www.musopen.org

Picture - Jean-Pierre Houël - The storming of the Bastille, July 14, 1789

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Origins of the French Revolutionary Wars can be dated to 17th August 1787, when in Constantinople the Ottomans arrested the Russian ambassador Count Bulgakov in the Topkapi palace, and declared war on St Petersburg. Catherine the Great had deliberately provoked the Turks and now dragged in the reluctant Austrians into the war. The Austrian Emperor was Joseph II, the archetypal enlightened despot, who worked hard to reform his empire but from the top down. His reforms provoked the so-called Brabantine Revolution 1789-90 in the Netherlands which was similar in some ways to the contemporary French Revolution. 

www.patreon.com/historyeurope

www.historyeurope.net

Music from Joseph Haydn (Symphony 94, 'Surpise'), Christoph Gluck (the opera 'Iphigenie En Tauride') and Mozart (the Turkish March), courtesy of www.musopen.org

Picture - January Suchodolski - the Siege of Ochakov 1788

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the last years of the 19th century the continent of Europe was turned on its head. France erupted into revolution in the middle of what was already a volatile situation, with various tensions between the Great Powers (Great Britain, Prussia, Russia, Austria, Ottomans as well as France). The storming of the Bastille is an iconic moment, not just for French, but world history. It came at a time when French prestige was in decline and her foreign policy seemed adrift. The French support of the British colonies in America helped them gain independence but did little for France herself. Meanwhile the Austrian Empire faced its own challenges, led by Joseph I after the death of Maria Theresa, and the Dutch Republic also appeared on the verge of revolt

https://www.patreon.com/historyeurope

www.historyeurope.net

Music from Hector Berlioz (Symphonie Fantastique) and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Serenade in G Major or Eine Kleine Nachtmusik), courtesy of www.musopen.org

Picture - Jacques Bertaux_-_Prise du palais desTuileries

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Russo-Turkish War 1768-74, Catherine the Great

www.historyeurope.net

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Seven Years War 1756-1763, Part 2

www.historyeurope.net

Music composed by Joseph Haydn, courtesy of musopen.org 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Seven Years War 1756-63, Part 1

Pictured - Frederick the Great

www.historyeurope.net

Music - Joseph Haydn, Symphony 49 'The Passion', courtesy of www.musopen.org

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.