In this episode of History 102, 'WhatIfAltHist' creator Rudyard Lynch and co-host Austin Padgett explore 18th-century Europe's L'Ancien Regime: aristocratic culture, Louis XIV's Versailles, military revolutions, European warfare, Enlightenment developments, and the economic and political conditions leading to the French Revolution.

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FOLLOW ON X:

@whatifalthist (Rudyard)

@LudwigNverMises (Austin)

@TurpentineMedia

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TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Intro

(06:00) European haute culture, Baroque period, and aristocratic living

(14:40) Louis XIV, Versailles, and French court politics

(19:59) Sponsor: Shopiy

(22:00) Enlightenment developments and Treaty of Westphalia

(28:20) Seeds of the French Revolution and bureaucratic power

(34:40) Economic inequality in 18th century France

(40:00) Military revolution: from mercenaries to national armies

(49:00) English systems: accent evolution, boarding schools, and Civil War

(52:20) Religious wars in Britain and the Glorious Revolution

(56:10) Enlightenment, literacy, and class divisions across Europe

(1:05:00) European regional divisions (Northwest, Latin, Eastern, Ottoman)

(1:12:10) English nobility strategy and meritocratic integration

(1:21:50) British Isles unification: Scotland and Ireland

(1:27:40) European warfare system and balance of power

(1:29:50) Austrian and Russian Empires

(1:35:50) Great Northern War: Charles XII vs Peter the Great

(1:39:50) Enlightened despotism (Catherine the Great, Frederick II, Maria Theresa)

(1:45:50) Spain's decline and Vauban's predictions for France

(1:56:30) War of Spanish Succession

(2:04:40) 18th century warfare culture and tactics

(2:11:10) Frederick the Great and the Seven Years War

(2:15:20) War of Jenkins' Ear

(2:16:40) Wrap

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