The Siècle History Podcast

A handsome prince yearning to be his own man as he moves from lover to lover. A woman slyly subverting gender roles to influence France from behind the scenes. An artist, mystic, and hopeless Romantic. A deaf sea-captain, sailing the world and fighting slavery. A... thrifter? Meet the incredibly large royal family of France's July Monarchy.

Watch the aftershow livestream on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026 at 6 p.m. CT (7 ET, 11 UTC)! Specific details will be posted on the show's Patreon (for free and paid members alike).

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The Siècle is joined by fellow French history podcasters Everett Rummage of Age of Napoleon and Will Clark of Grey History  to talk about the connections between France and the early United States.

Update: The transcript of this episode has now been published!

A video recording of this episode was also published on The Siècle's YouTube page as "What France should have learned from the United States".

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With unrest still bubbling on the streets of Paris, the center-left Party of Movement and the center-right Party of Movement struggle for control of the new July Monarchy.

See a full annotated transcript of this episode:

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The Marquise de Saint-Fargeau tried to help Jules de Polignac flee France after the July Revolution. But who was this mysterious noblewoman? It seemed like a simple question...

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See a full annotated transcript of this episode: https://thesiecle.com/factcheck4

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The July Revolution may be done, but France isn't sure if it's done with revolution. As King Louis-Philippe and a band of squabbling politicians try to govern France, the people of Paris take to the streets to demand one thing above all else: the heads of Charles X's former ministers. Will Jules de Polignac and company meet their end at a guillotine — or at the hands of a lynch mob?

See a full annotated transcript of this episode: http://thesiecle.com/episode49/

Check out the "La Fayette, We Are Here" podcast by Emmanuel Dubois: https://www.lafayettepodcast.com

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France has a new king after the July Revolution of 1830, and Louis-Philippe wants everyone to know he's not like a regular king — he's a cool king.

See a full annotated transcript of this episode here.

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(Apologies if these timestamps don't work — this is a work in progress)

(00:00:00) Ad

(00:02:15) Cold Open

(00:04:15) Introduction

(00:07:07) What’s in a name?

(00:11:36) The King as politician

(00:15:04) The King as citizen

(00:22:30) The King as man

(00:26:25) Courage to the sticking place

(00:30:39) Teaser

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French prime minister Jules de Polignac believed he was receiving visions of the Virgin Mary during France's 1830 July Revolution — or so many sources claim. But is it true? Join me as we sort fact from fiction, and see how these claims tie into the religious history of 19th Century France.

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See a full annotated transcript of this episode: http://thesiecle.com/factcheck3

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The July Revolution is over, and Louis-Philippe will be France's next king. But what sort of monarchy Louis-Philippe will lead is yet to be determined, as France's politicians gather to hash out the final details of the nascent July Monarchy.

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Revolutions podcaster Mike Duncan talks about the July Revolution, why Charles X is one of the great idiots of history, the dissident elites who can make or break any revolution, and the value of narrative history podcasting.

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In an epic conclusion, the people of Paris will chase Marshal Marmont and King Charles X's army out of Paris on Thursday, July 29, 1830 — leaving all of France up for grabs as republicans, Bonapartists, Orléanists, and rank adventurers all make bids for power with the ultimate prize on the line.

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Read a full annotated transcript of this episode.

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