The Napoleonic Quarterly

1800... April... May... June... Three months in which Generals Desaix and Kellermann help Napoleon to victory against the Austrians at Marengo... French hopes in Egypt receive a big setback with the assassination of their commander, General Kleber... and in the Ionian Islands off mainland Greece, a new republic emerges out of political turmoil. This is episode 34 of the Napoleonic Quarterly, in which the French succeed not only in north Italy but also in southern Germany with a decidedly underappreciated breakthrough.

[06:55] - headline developments

[09:08] - extended introduction in which Charles Esdaile and Alexander Mikaberidze discuss the political and strategic importance across Europe of the Marengo and Hochstadt victories

[32:18] - David Hollins on the fighting in south Germany and north Italy, including the battles of Hochstadt and Marengo

[54:10] - Charles Mackay on the French in Egypt, including the Battle of Heliopolis and the assassination of General Kleber

[1:16:29] - Liam Gauci interviews Sakis Gekas on the establishment of the Septinsular Republic in the Ionian Islands

Professor Emeritus Elise Wirtschafter of CalPolyPomona is joined by Alexander Mikaberidze and Charles Esdaile to discuss the unique nature of Russian imperialism; and the challenges and responsibilities of being historians in times of war.

1800. January... February... March... Three months in which Napoleon Bonaparte familiarises himself with the levers of power... French general Jean-Victor Moreau's battle plans clash with those of his new boss... and the election to choose a new Pope becomes delayed by division. This is episode 33 of the Napoleonic Quarterly, covering three months in which the world gets used to its new century - and France to its new leader.

Featuring an extended introduction with Charles Esdaile and Alexander Mikaberidze looking ahead to the two years covered by season 5 of the podcast. Plus:

[25:05] - William Doyle on Bonaparte's to-do list as France's new leader

[45:54] - David Hollins on military planning for the coming year's campaigning

[1:02:57] - Mary Robinson on the Papal Election

Bernie Campbell is joined by Charles, Alexes x2, Josh and a host of contributors and Patrons to assess the rather disappointing Hollywood blockbuster 'Napoleon'. Discussion points included:

-how Spain played absolutely no part in the Napoleonic Wars whatsoever

-the hitherto unappreciated importance of trenches at Waterloo

-why Josephine shouting 'you are fat! ' is one of the most important cinematic moments of the 21st-century

-precisely what they got wrong about those uniforms...

Become a Patron! https://www.patreon.com/napoleonicquarterly

This third edition of 'Napoleonic Qs', our listener Q&A format, was recorded on 19 November 2023. Thanks to all those who have commented or left questions!

Introductory section: Charles Esdaile and Alexander Mikaberidze offer their thoughts on director Ridley Scott's attacks on historians.

[13:30] - On abusive language targeting Prof Esdaile

[23:47] - Mystery guest @liamgauci13 pops up to share some exciting news about this auction lot: https://www.auction.fr/lot/lempire-1-collection-jean-louis-noisiez-74470974?utm_source=alertes&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily-Fri-2023-11-03

[35:32] - why the British (probably) made the fabric used for French uniforms

[39:07] - books!

[50:50] - the diplomatic lay of the land in the Nordic countries during the period

[1:00:25] - moral relativism, 18thC 'war crimes' and modern connections to historic slavery

[1:08:23] - why no French scholars on the podcast?

[1:10:42] - nice words about the Napoleonic Quarterly - including some nice words of our own about The Napoleonic Wars Podcast's Zack White.

In this episode, Bernie Campbell follows up his interview with Charles by talking with Alexander Mikaberidze about the books he has found inspiring during his work on the Napoleonic era. It's a really interesting list, since Alex's background has brought him into contact with some interesting works that may not be familiar to the English speaking world!

Links for many of these books are below! Please know that if you purchase a book from one of our links, Napoleonic Quarterly may earn a commission from that purchase, which we will use to support our mission to bring you as much new and interesting Napoleonic content as possible!

English Language Titles 

French Language Titles 

 Russian Language Titles 

William Doyle is Emeritus Professor of History at the University of Bristol. As the author of the Oxford History of the French Revolution he is also the rescuer of many an undergraduate essay crisis. William's new book Napoleon At Peace, however, sees him examine Bonaparte's performance in the top job in those first years of the 19th century. Its subtitle, 'How To End A Revolution', gives you a sense of the scale of the task he faced

Prof Doyle on Bonaparte: "What hit me is the sheer ability of the man - how able he actually was, how many balls he was able to keep in the air at any particular time. Whatever you think of him morally - and he's a very nasty type in all sorts of ways - nevertheless, the sheer ability of the man cannot fail to be impressive."

How much of the Revolution was over by the time Napoleon Bonaparte came to power? Prof Doyle: "None of it."

While we wait for Season 5 to begin, we at Quartermaster Productions have a series of Bonus Episodes we plan to share with all of you.

In our first episode, Bernie Campbell interviews esteemed panellist Charles Esdaile about the books he has enjoyed and the books he would recommend for listeners interested in a deeper dive into the Napoleonic Era. It was a far ranging and fun conversation. Bernie will soon sit down with Alexander Mikaberidze for his recommendations as well!

Links for all of these books are below! Please know that if you purchase a book from one of our links, Napoleonic Quarterly may earn a commission from that purchase, which we will use to support our mission to bring you as much new and interesting Napoleonic content as possible!

1799. October... November... December... Three months in which Napoleon Bonaparte forces France away from democratic politics in the coup of Brumaire... a frustrated and disappointed Tsar Paul gives up on the Second Coalition... and after another British failure in the Low Countries, British ministers are in denial. This is episode 32 of the Napoleonic Quarterly - covering three months in which France has a new leader as the new century approaches.

Napoleonic Quarterly regulars Charles Esdaile and Alexander Mikaberidze join Alex Stevenson to respond to listeners' questions and comments.

Featuring the following topics:

[3:46] - an anti-Charles missive

[21:07] - the sexual proclivities of Napoleon Bonaparte

[32:39] - French leadership in the Revolution and afterwards: executive by committee vs strongman, with an answer from David Andress

[41:22] - William Pitt's role in Britain's success

[47:04] - Activity on the Rhine / in Germany during 1798, with an answer from David Hollins

[55:16] - the massacre at Jaffa