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We take a look at 1798, a year when Clausewitz defines 5 French outrages that would have led to a general European war.

1. The occupation of the Papal States, followed by the kidnapping and death of the Pope.

2. The conquest of Malta, from the Order of Saint John of the Hospital.  A clear violation of international law, as it stood at the time.  It drew Tsar Paul into the war.

3.  The invasion of Switzerland and formation of the Helvetic Republic.  The eastern cantons asked for Austrian occupation.  This fundamentally upset the balance of power and the assumptions of strategic defense.

4.  The invasion and conquest of Naples.  We actually spend a lot of time on Maria Carolina and explore the political situation there.  The usual criticisms of Austrian and British cynicism and exploitation are brought into a wider context.

5. The annexation of the Piedmont and packing away the House of Savoy to Sardinia.

For added joy, the French invasion of Egypt brought the Ottoman empire into the anti-French coalition.

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The last invasion of Britain and Napoleon's Rivoli campaign along with his final drive towards Vienna obviously deserve to be in one single episode.  Not.

It is merely the conceit of combining all the land warfare of 1797 into a single episode that allows this.  The Fishguard invasion is only rivalled for drama, action, and intensity by the Texas Chicken War of 1719.  

The Rivoli campaign is truly a marvel of Napoleonic warfare.   Napoleon defeats a 50,000 man Austrian army and turns it into a mass of 13,000 refugees.  The Austrians raise another army, under their best general, Archduke Charles, only to see that one destroyed as well.  There is nothing between Napoleon and Vienna.  The Empire is forced to sign a one sided peace by Napoleon.

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Napoleon reveals to the world his multi faceted genius and Archduke Charles has a hell of a Rhine campaign, defeating 2 armies, both larger than his.

Napoleon defeats 4 different armies, and creates, and uncreates republics in Italy.  He shakes down Pope Pius and Tuscany for millions in cash while doing it, and begins the whole process f looting Italy's great art treasures.
   He accomplishes all this with his own underfunded, under equipped, 2nd priority theatre.  His talent for warfare, is rivalled only by his talent for propaganda, and Napoleon is soon one of the most highly respected and loved men in France.

There are better podcasts covering the 1796 campaigns, for example the Age of Napoleon podcast is terrific on this subject; this is a mere summary focused on the theme of Napoleon breaking the rules, writing the rules with success as his ultimate justification.

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Pichegru and Jourdan try taking the Austrians on the Rhine in a pinser move.  But Pichegru's march on Clerfayt's magazine in Heidelberg is a disaster witnessed by Davout.  Was it treachery?

The French are driven back across the Rhine as Wurmser builds up a new army.

The Spanish fronts see a collapse as the French break out of the Basque country into Navarre and Castille.  The Treaty of Basel ends the war on good terms for the Spanish.

The Alpine front sees only one move by the French, for now Carnot is starving it of resources.

And of course we follow the doings of The Little Corporal in Paris.

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1794 from the Pyrenees fronts, with massacres of Basque villagers to the Battle of the Black Mountain.  
The Italian front has Napoleon, as a mere artillery general, plan a maneuver to get the Piedmontese out of their Alpine fortifications, Massena executes it successfully.
The Rhine front sees the French struggle with the river crossing and when they do cross the Austrians defeat them.
This year reveals the way the Revolution destroyed the human capital of the Royal French Army, and how it improved subsequently.  The artillery lost the least, the infantry was getting better after the massive recruitment in the Levee En Masse, the cavalry though, still had a ways to go.

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The focus is on Nelson's great victory, but we also cover the Battle of the Pyramids, the Siege of Acre and the Battle of Mount Tabor.

The strategic choice of Egypt as a way to defeat Britain, may sound crazy, but we go into French thinking.  This is Napoleon's and Tallyrand's best thinking on the subject.  It may not be that hopeful, whole lotta steps involved, but it's te best they got.  

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This covers most of the colonial wars with the French and Dutch during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.  

You get a cumulative effect of seemingly slow British progress, that in the end removes all French influence overseas by 1811.  Then, problems with the Americans predominate.

There is a good deal of discussion about Elphinstone's campaign to take Capetown and the Battle at Saldana Bay.  

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The 1797 mutinies went hand in hand with financial crisis.  This was the most dangerous period for Britain and the miracle during the French Revolutionary Wars.

The Royal Navy spent most of 1797 convulsed and unable to sail.  Fortunately, the French were in no shape to come out after the events we covered in the last few episodes.  

The Dutch were a different story..  They had a fleet at Texel, 16 ships of the line ready to set sail.  But the British squadron, based at Great Yarmouth, that was supposed to blockade Texel, joined the mutiny at the Nore instead!  Only the heroism and clever actions of Admiral Duncan kept the Dutch in port during the most dangerous period in June of 1797.  When the Dutch finally came out in October, the result was the Battle of Camperdown.

The mutinies were very different from one another.  Spithead more like a labor action.  And everyone, from the Admiralty to the public and the government of Pitt, felt the sailors had a point.  They hadn't had a pay increase since 1658!  And they had other valid grievances. They would give the sailors what they wanted, only the slow workings of Parliament created the danger.  

The Nore mutiny though, was a revolutionary beast.  It was a gift to those in power.  It could be used to utterly crush the Nore mutiny and discredit the idea of mutiny.

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The new French and Spanish alliance is ascendant in the Mediterranean.   The strategic move the Spanish make is more dictated by the royal revenue requirements and political strategy rather than naval strategy.
  
The outcome is the Battle of Cape St Vincent, where Nelson makes an enduring reputation.  We then cover the remarkable career of Admiral Jervis, he is a hero of reform and an irresponsible villain who leaves France unprepared and vulnerable to Napoleon's planned invasion of 1804.

and we finish with a discussion of resentment, of Thomas Cochrane's heroism, idiocy and lifelong resentment of Jervis.  Was it deserved?

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We cover some of the heroic events that increased pride and self confidence of the Royal Navy:  Pellew's defeat of a 74 with 2 frigates and Cornwallis' Retreat.  

We also have Richery's expedition which demonstrates the capabilities of the French.  They were not always incompetent.

The 1795 Great Winter Campaign, the Battle of the Groix and the 1796 attempted invasion of Bantry Bay are the core events of this episode.