
The Napoleonic Wars Podcast
Who was Napoleon Bonaparte? What was his legacy on history? And why, more than 200 years later, does the conflict which he gave his name to still matter?
Join award-winning Napoleonic historians Dr Zack White, Dr Luke Reynolds, Liam Telfer and Josh Redden as they host Europe's leading show devoted to the American War of Independence, French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars.
From interviews with leading researchers, to deep dive debates on some of the big questions, this show is ideal for those who want to start building their knowledge deepen their understanding of the period.
Latest episodes

Jun 17, 2021 • 27min
Waterloo Books
In a reviews/recommendations special, I cover Kristine Hughes Patrone's new book 'Waterloo Witnesses', Charles Esdaile's 'Walking Waterloo: A Guide', and give a shout out to a number of titles which you may want to add to their shelves.Support: https://www.patreon.com/thenapoleonicist Bookstore: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/thenapoleonicist Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jun 16, 2021 • 1h 32min
Waterloo through soldiers eyes
Retelling the story of Waterloo through the accounts of those who fought in the conflict, drawing on British, French and Prussian accounts.Support: https://www.patreon.com/thenapoleonicistBookstore: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/thenapoleonicist Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jun 2, 2021 • 1h 24min
Greatest Painting of the Napoleonic era
Who produced the greatest painting of the Napoleonic era? Jacqueline Reiter, Andre Loez, Gareth Copeland and Josh Provan join me to debate some incredible pieces of artwork in an episode full of laughter and poignant reflection on the era. Napoleonicist bookstore: uk.bookshop.org/shop/thenapoleonicist Support on patreon: patreon.com/thenapoleonicist Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

May 19, 2021 • 36min
To flog, or not to flog: Crime and Punishment in the British Army
This week I reprise a recent paper that I delivered for the Society of Army Historical Research's Centenary conference, exploring the complex competition that took place over how to punish soldiers in the British Army.Twitter: @zwhitehistoryNapoleonicist bookstore: uk.bookshop.org/shop/thenapoleonicist Support on patreon: patreon.com/thenapoleonicist Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

May 3, 2021 • 1h 1min
The Battle of Fuentes D'Onoro: Wellington Blunders
On the 210th anniversary of the battle, I look at the events that took place between 3rd and 5th May 1811, exploring what went wrong on both sides, and retelling the story through the eyes of those who fought.Twitter: @zwhitehistory Napoleonicist bookstore: uk.bookshop.org/shop/thenapoleonicist Support on patreon: patreon.com/thenapoleonicist Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Apr 21, 2021 • 57min
The Greatest Invention of the Napoleonic Age
I am joined by Kit Chapman, Marcus Cribb, Racehl Stark and Beatrice de Graaf as they respectively champion the steam engine, shrapnel, vaccines and state police as the greatest inventions to emerge during the period - remember you can vote for the case you thought was best made on twitter, just search for the relevant tweet @zwhitehistorySupportNapoleonicist bookstore: uk.bookshop.org/shop/thenapoleonicist Support on patreon: patreon.com/thenapoleonicist Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Apr 7, 2021 • 1h 13min
Anti war sentiment in Britain and the poem Eighteen Hundred and Eleven
Emma Clery joins me to discuss the anti-war sentiment in Britain during the Napoleonic Wars, as revealed from studying reactions to the poem Eighteen Hundred and Eleven. Twitter: @zwhitehistory | @austeneconomics Patreon: www.patreon.com/thenapoleonicist You can support this podcast at no extra cost to yourself, while picking up a HUGE discount at Naval and Military press via this link: https://www.naval-military-press.com/?ref=zack.white Poetry and War A Short Reference Guide for The Napoleonicist Simon Bainbridge, British Poetry and the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars: Visions of Conflict (Oxford University Press, 2003). ----, Napoleon and English Romanticism (Cambridge University Press, 1995). Bernard Beatty and Alicia Laspra Rodríguez, ed. Romanticism, Reaction and Revolution: British Views on Spain, 1814–1823 (Peter Lang, 2019). Betty T. Bennet, British War Poetry in the Age of Romanticism: 1793-1815 (New York, 1976).Available online, revised by Orianne Smith, at: https://romantic-circles.org/editions/warpoetry/index.html Agustín Coletes Blanco and Alicia Laspra Rodríguez, eds. and trans., Libertad frente a Tiranía: Poesía inglesa de la Guerra de la Independencia (1808-1814). Antología bilingüe (Madrid: Fundación Dos de Mayo / Espasa, 2013). E.J. Clery, Eighteen Hundred and Eleven: Poetry, Protest and Economic Crisis (Cambridge University Press, 2017) Jonatan Gonazález, ‘Wordsworth and Spain: The Peninsular War Translated,’ online at: https://wordsworth.org.uk/blog/2015/05/29/wordsworth-and-spain-the-peninsular-war-translated/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mar 31, 2021 • 1h 29min
Voices from Ireland
To close out Irish month, I reprise the 'Voices' oral history project with a series of readings chosen by listeners covering the experiences of Irish men and women during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic era.Twitter: @zwhitehistory Patreon: www.patreon.com/thenapoleonicist You can support this podcast at no extra cost to yourself, while picking up a HUGE discount at Naval and Military press via this link: https://www.naval-military-press.com/?ref=zack.white Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mar 24, 2021 • 57min
Irish Attitudes to the British Army
I speak to Andy Dorman about Irish attitudes towards the British army during the late 1700s - tales of drunken brawls, and apathy towards soldiers inevitably follow, along with some darker aspects of soldiers' behaviour as well as the contradiction of why Irishmen enlisted in a hated force.Twitter: @zwhitehistory | @andydormannPatreon: www.patreon.com/thenapoleonicist You can support this podcast at no extra cost to yourself, while picking up a HUGE discount at Naval and Military press via this link: https://www.naval-military-press.com/?ref=zack.white Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mar 17, 2021 • 2h 7min
Wellington's Right Hand Man?: Marshal William Carr Beresford
I speak to Marcus Beresford, distant relative of Marshal William Carr Beresford about the Marshal's life and career. Part of Irish month on The Napoleonicist. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thenapoleonicist Twitter: @zwhitehistory Or support the podcast at no extra cost to yourself when you buy any book at a HUGE discount at Naval & Military press. Just click here & shop as normal: www.naval-military-press.com/?ref=zack.white Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.