La Fayette, We Are Here!

The French Revolution shook the world from 1789 to 1799 and completely transformed modern European societies. By ricochet, it transformed the whole world.  It was a real political tsunami, with immediate and long term consequences. With the following Napoleonic wars, it shaped the Nineteenth century in a way that nobody could foresee only a generation before.

There are many misconceptions about the French Revolution, like the idea that a mob captured the king and guillotined him right away. It's not at all what happened. It's a lot more complicated than that. Hopefully you will find this episode palatable and a good entry into the fascinating events of the Révolution.

For those who want to know more, I highly recommend that you listen to "Grey History: The French Revolution & Napoleon" by William Clark.

Timecodes:

Introduction
06:53 - The Origins of the Révolution
17:25  - Adieu, Old Regime!
26:48  - Working with Louis XVI
36:15  - The French Republic
41:37  - The Terreur
48:16  - The Directoire
53:58  - The Consulat
57:57  - Conclusion

Music: Marche pour la cérémonie des Turcs, composed by Jean-Baptiste Lully, arranged and performed by Jérôme Arfouche.

Art: Prise de la Bastille by Jean-Pierre Houël, 1789

Support the show

Reach out, support the show and give me feedback!

• Contact me or follow the podcast on social media
• Leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or on Spotify
• Buy me a Coffee

Of the millions of people who are born every year during the Middle Ages, an extremely small number are what we call “blue bloods”, members of the nobility. Out of that already small number, a little percentage can be called “royalty”. Someone who manages to be a monarch not only for one country but for two countries, two adversaries, that is more than rare, that’s unique.

Today, we have the chance of meeting such a woman. Duchess of Aquitaine, Queen of France and Queen of England. I give you: Aliénor d’Aquitaine (Eleanor of Aquitaine).

Timecodes:

Introduction
04:19 - Aquitaine, a Country within a Kingdom
07:53 - Aliénor, Remarkable Young Woman
12:16 - Queen of France
20:18 - The Failed Crusade
25:12 - Queen of England
30:15 - The Widow
32:53 - Conclusion

Music: Marche pour la cérémonie des Turcs, composed by Jean-Baptiste Lully, arranged and performed by Jérôme Arfouche.

Art: Aliénor d'Aquitaine by Frederick Sandys, 1858

Support the show

Reach out, support the show and give me feedback!

• Contact me or follow the podcast on social media
• Leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or on Spotify
• Buy me a Coffee

This part-two of a two-part episode on the Hundred Years' War. I encourage you to listen to the previous episode if you haven't already done so. 

England owns a third of the French kingdom. War has ravaged France for a quarter of a century. The Black Death has killed millions of people and keeps coming back. At the end of the XIVth century, France is in its worst state probably ever.

But the French will fight back, under the leadership of Charles VII and of an extraordinary young woman, Jeanne d'Arc. Listen to this extraordinary medieval tale full of bravery, foolishness and cruelty.

Listen to HOLOCAUST HiSTORIES  podcast! 

Timecodes:

Introduction
05:56 - Civil War in France and the Arrival of Henry V
10:43 - The Battle of Azincourt (Agincourt)
13:26 - Jeanne d'Arc and the French Resurgence
21:58 - Jeanne d'Arc at Orléans
28:23 - France Reconquered
34:53 - Conclusion

Music: Marche pour la cérémonie des Turcs, composed by Jean-Baptiste Lully, arranged and performed by Jérôme Arfouche.

Art: The death of John Talbot at the Battle of Castillon. XVth century.

Support the show

Reach out, support the show and give me feedback!

• Contact me or follow the podcast on social media
• Leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or on Spotify
• Buy me a Coffee

The Hundred Years' War or la guerre de Cent Ans in French. That enormous conflict, or series of conflicts actually, ravaged France from 1337 to 1453.

The vast majority of English or American history podcasts or books have an English point of view regarding this conflict. This is perfectly normal and understandable, but I will try to bring more of a French perspective, focusing more on the French side of things.

Given the scope of the war and its complexity, I have decided to split this story into two episodes. This is part one, covering the initial invasion of France by England up until the reign of Charles V of France in 1364.

This story has absolutely everything. Family feuds, epic battles, betrayals, heroes, villains. All set in medieval France. And narrated by yours truly. What else could you ask for?  

Listen to Cork Out History podcast!

Timecodes:

Introduction
04:01 - Context
08:39 - The Origins of the War
15:34 - Two Kingdoms at War
19:31 - Crécy and the Downward Spiral for France
23:35 - The Black Death and the Battle of Poitiers
31:35 - France, the Duchies and the arrival of Charles V

Music: Marche pour la cérémonie des Turcs, composed by Jean-Baptiste Lully, arranged and performed by Jérôme Arfouche.

Art: Bataille de Crécy in the "Chroniques de Jean Froissart", XVth century

Support the show

Reach out, support the show and give me feedback!

• Contact me or follow the podcast on social media
• Leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or on Spotify
• Buy me a Coffee

Vikings in France. Here's an often ignored topic for historical discussion. In this special episode, we try to remedy to that situation. I say "we" because we have a guest on this one, historian and author Christophe Adrien, specialist on the Viking world and especially their role in Brittany.

Join us as we discuss Vikings, Franks, longships, silver and salt!

Listen to Passed, the podcast about those who would never rule. 

Timecodes:

Introduction
01:52 - What is a Viking exactly?
03:32 - Noiremoutier and the Vikings
09:54 - The Vikings' Genius  
14:49 -  Motivations and Viking Studies
21:54 - Viking Diplomacy
29:31 - The Normans
32:52 - Vikings in Brittany & Expansion
41:58 - Conclusion 

Christophe's Website: https://cjadrien.com
Christophe's Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCML3AVHfBP1H3QZn3aROvzw

Music: Marche pour la cérémonie des Turcs, composed by Jean-Baptiste Lully, arranged and performed by Jérôme Arfouche.

Art: Drawing Viking by Rones (freesvg.org), design by Emmanuel Dubois

Support the show

Reach out, support the show and give me feedback!

• Contact me or follow the podcast on social media
• Leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or on Spotify
• Buy me a Coffee

Charlemagne is one of the most important figures of the Middle Ages. He ruled from 768 to 814 as king of the Franks, and became Roman Emperor in 800. He conquered peoples, built institutions and completely changed Europe's political trajectory.

One cannot stress enough the importance of his reign and his legacy. I think you will find him a complex and fascinating character. And maybe, you will also recognize some of him and what he accomplished in yourself or in your daily life.

Listen to Grand Dukes of the West podcast!

Timecodes:

Introduction
04:03 - Charlemagne's Grand-Father and Father
10:52 - Charles, King of the Franks
16:20 -  Becoming Roman Emperor
22:04 -  The Carolingian Renaissance
27:01 - Charles the Great's Legacy
32:20 - Conclusion

Music: Marche pour la cérémonie des Turcs, composed by Jean-Baptiste Lully, arranged and performed by Jérôme Arfouche.

Art: Charlemagne by Albrecht Dürer

Support the show

Reach out, support the show and give me feedback!

• Contact me or follow the podcast on social media
• Leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or on Spotify
• Buy me a Coffee

In this special episode, we travel outside of France, to Prussia, guided by Alec Avdakov from the podcast "The Life and Times of Frederick the Great". Make sure to check out his podcast.

Voltaire was in Berlin, at the court of Prussia from 1750 to 1753, invited by the Prussian King Frederic II, known as Frederic the Great. This is a perfect example of the global effect of the French Enlightenment and how various monarchs reacted differently to the movement.

I've had the chance to conduct an interview with Alec regarding's Voltaire's Prussian experience. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Correction: I called Voltaire an atheist although he was in fact a deist. Sorry about that.

Timecodes:

Introduction
03:10 - What is Prussia?
08:40 - Voltaire and Frederick, the French Connection
15:35 - Arrival at the Prussian Court
27:08 - Voltaire's Prussian Experience
33:15 - The Consequences of Voltaire's Stay in Prussia
40:02 - Conclusion

The Life and Times of Frederick the Great Podcast by Alec Avdakov: https://anchor.fm/frederick-the-great

Music: Marche pour la cérémonie des Turcs, composed by Jean-Baptiste Lully, arranged and performed by Jérôme Arfouche.

Art: Frederick II of Prussia and Voltaire, by Pierre Charles Baquoy, circa 1800

Support the show

Reach out, support the show and give me feedback!

• Contact me or follow the podcast on social media
• Leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or on Spotify
• Buy me a Coffee

We live in an enlightened world. We owe a lot to the men and women of the XVIIIth century and what they gave us. During this period, all over Europe, but especially in France, sciences, politics, literature, art, philosophy and many other aspect of society were being dissected, studied and written on.

You know their names: Voltaire, Rousseau, Diderot, Montesquieu, du Châtelet, Lavoisier, de Gouges and others. They are the ones who laid the foundation for the very States we live in, at least in the democratic parts of the world. Modern governments and societies derive directly from the work of these people that we consider part of the Lumières era.

Let me give you an idea of how they managed to do that, why they did it, as well as the dramatic consequences that ensued.

Timecodes:

Introduction
05:45 - Turning the lights on
09:32 - Various aspects of the Enlightenment
14:25 - The Encyclopédie and the sciences
23:52 - Laws, societies and the consequences of the Enlightenment
30:14 - Conclusion

Music: Marche pour la cérémonie des Turcs, composed by Jean-Baptiste Lully, arranged and performed by Jérôme Arfouche.

Painting: Première lecture chez Mme Geoffrin de la tragédie de Voltaire "L'Orphelin de la Chine" , 1755. By Anicet Charles Lemonnier

Support the show

Reach out, support the show and give me feedback!

• Contact me or follow the podcast on social media
• Leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or on Spotify
• Buy me a Coffee

Probably the most famous French monarch, Louis XIV left a deep mark on France and Europe. Over his 72-year  reign, from 1643 to 1715, he accomplished many things. He conquered new territory, expanded France's colonies, modernized the country, built monuments, created major institutions and became an absolute monarch. Even North America was touched by him. Louisiana was named after him, and many American cities come from French forts and counters established then.

Learn about him and the changes he brought to France and the world during his reign in this episode!

Time codes:

Introduction
05:23 - The Fronde revolt, Louis’s childhood
09:26 - Louis’s Personal Reign
19:28 - Versailles
23:36 - Wars and Conquests
28:56 - New France and Louisiana
31:05 - The Sun King’s Dusk
33:39 - Conclusion

Music: Marche pour la cérémonie des Turcs, composed by Jean-Baptiste Lully, arranged and performed by Jérôme Arfouche.

Artwork: Portrait of Louis XIV in coronation costume, Hyacinthe Rigaud, 1701.

Support the show

Reach out, support the show and give me feedback!

• Contact me or follow the podcast on social media
• Leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or on Spotify
• Buy me a Coffee

The Franco-Prussian war of 1870 is an important but often neglected conflict. Most people don't even know about it. In America,  even history fans go straight from the Civil War to World War I, not really taking into account this major conflict that happened in between.

Let's fix this, shall we? We'll discuss the origins of the conflict, its course and its huge consequences. In the last section, we'll discuss some alternative history. What if France had won that war? I think you'll be surprised as to what that entails.

Time codes:

Introduction
03:03 - Why this subject?
06:46 - The Northern German Confederation
11:26 - Origins of the Conflict
14:15 - The War
20:39 - Consequences
23:22 - What if? & Conclusion

Artwork for this episode: Ernest Meissonier, Le Siège de Paris, musée d'Orsay.

Support the show

Reach out, support the show and give me feedback!

• Contact me or follow the podcast on social media
• Leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or on Spotify
• Buy me a Coffee