La Fayette, We Are Here!

Napoléon Bonaparte doesn't really need an introduction. He's the most famous Frenchman ever. He's had more books written about him than any other person, except for Jesus Christ. This French general and emperor shook France, Europe and the world at the turn of the nineteenth century.

He is also a polarizing figure. Enlightened ruler, or tyrannic dictator? In this episode, we will explore the fantastic story that led him ...

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 t...

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 o...

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...

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...

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....

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 wha...

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 rea...

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 l...

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 ...

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 al...

For our second episode, we are taking a grand Tour de France. This is a complete overview of France's 20 centuries long history. It is not exhaustive, of course, but it should help people refresh their memory or get a better grip on the whole of French history. Everyone should then be able to enjoy and appreciate future episodes even more.

Should you wish to go directly to specific eras, here are the time codes:

00:00 - Introduct...

On our first episode, we get to meet the man himself, La Fayette. His importance, his actions in America during the War of Independence, as well as in France during the Revolution, Napoléon era and after. A truly fascinating figure!

Timecodes

Introduction & thanks
3:24 - La Fayette's youth and start of American adventure
7:19 - Historical context
14:20 - American War of Independence
15:55 - French Revolution & Napoléon
19:50 -...

In this intro episode you get to meet your host and learn about my goals for this podcast. Why am I doing it? Who is it for? Hopefully, it’ll be for you!

The first complete episode is coming soon. Stay tuned! 

You can send feedback and requests at emmanuel@lafayettepodcast.com

Reach out, support the show and give me feedback!