
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

Dec 13, 2024 • 1h 27min
Reforming the British Army
Kevin Linch returns in the latest instalment of our series on the British army, as we focus on the question of reform. We look at how much changed, who was responsible, the successes and failures of that process, and the role of factional rivalries in holding up the march of progress.
Kevin's book: https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/The-British-Army-17831815-Hardback/p/24416
Georgian Army Officers database: https://www.georgianarmyofficers.org
Our socials, mailing and shop: https://linktr.ee/napwarspod

Dec 11, 2024 • 1h 12min
Redcoats in the Caribbean
David Lambert joins us in the first instalment of a series looking at life in Caribbean during the Napoleonic era. In this episode we discuss why the British chose to wage war in the Caribbean, the challenges they faced, and why the region mattered so much in the context of the period.
David's book: https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/soldiers-of-uncertain-rank/4E5D4B9A87063FE7E12A8A1863B3BE71
Follow the podcast, join our mailing list, and browse our shop at: https://linktr.ee/napwarspod

Dec 8, 2024 • 1h 3min
Double-Dipping Deserters: POWs in the American Revolution
Trenton Cole Jones returns as we once again cross the Atlantic to put the American Revolution under the spotlight. Only today we actually get to talking about POWs, addressing who they were, what their stories were and why they matter.
Find out more about Trenton's work at https://www.cla.purdue.edu/directory/profiles/t.-cole-jones.html
Check out our new merch at https://napoleonic-wars-podcast.printify.me/products
Support out work at https://www.patreon.com/c/thenapoleonicwarspod
Sign up to our mailing list at https://23be0d79.sibforms.com/serve/MUIFAN6my1wFMTPQa6OOJRaiMuJiTTUCFyTw2ODkYM0rhwNEoOaW-rDySw9w-r5IbPHLKs3D1JtLiNHgxbeROjzRfaHdmq0tb5BtfFhe47sEnnnIMHoKOZq_0gEbNrRycV2xzEbYtL7Rj62WsvoYsV55ITL8xVLjApLt3zHl9ZrlcNDsDdeayLhTKwot84BF9Ze-9SI29L6zHRaE

Dec 6, 2024 • 1h 21min
US Female Diplomats of the American Revolution
Miriam Leibman joins us to explain why women weren't just sitting at home knitting when there was diplomatic work to be done on behalf of the fledgling USA.
Socials, mailing list and more content at https://linktr.ee/napwarspod

Dec 4, 2024 • 1h 38min
Women who deserved better
Who says men get all the fun? This is a genuinely important episode in which the patriarchy gets an absolute kicking, as an all star cast of female historians (Kate Jamieson, Beatrice de Graaf, Jacqueline Reiter and Rachael Stark), make the case for an all star cast of female figures in Napoleonic history (championing Emma Hamilton, Dorothea von Lieven Mary Wollstonecraft and Empress Josephine respectively).
This one starts as a 'greatest woman of the Napoleonic era' debate, and descends into impassioned rants about misogyny, double standards and smear campaigns. Small wonder that Rachael came up with a far superior title for the episode to the one that Zack gave it at the time of recording.
Our socials, patreon and mailing list: https://linktr.ee/napwarspod
Jacqui's Book: https://www.helion.co.uk/military-history-books/quicksilver-captain-the-improbable-life-of-sir-home-riggs-popham.php
Beatrice's Book: https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/fighting-terror-after-napoleon/D1167BDE10A23C749B0490D6D9A7B6C7

Dec 1, 2024 • 1h 8min
Votes for Everyone? Democracy in Revolutionary France
Malcolm Crook joins Zack and Josh to talk about the troubled birth of democracy in France, and why democracy is something that doesn't really exist in this period.
Our socials, patreon and mailing list: https://linktr.ee/napwarspod

Nov 27, 2024 • 1h 21min
Food Glorious Food of the Napoleonic Era
How did the people of the Napoleonic period feed themselves? How did the captains of the Napoleonic period feed their sailors? And how were the enslaved people of the Napoleonic period, themselves satisfying Europe's sweet-tooth, kept alive by what they ate?
All this and more is the topic of the day as food history superstar Rebecca Earle joins Zack and Josh on today's culinary adventure back in time...
You can check out Rebecca's work here, including her brilliant book about the history of the potato: https://rebeccaearle.co.uk/
Check out our new merch at https://napoleonic-wars-podcast.printify.me/products
Support out work at https://www.patreon.com/c/thenapoleonicwarspod
Sign up to our mailing list at https://23be0d79.sibforms.com/serve/MUIFAN6my1wFMTPQa6OOJRaiMuJiTTUCFyTw2ODkYM0rhwNEoOaW-rDySw9w-r5IbPHLKs3D1JtLiNHgxbeROjzRfaHdmq0tb5BtfFhe47sEnnnIMHoKOZq_0gEbNrRycV2xzEbYtL7Rj62WsvoYsV55ITL8xVLjApLt3zHl9ZrlcNDsDdeayLhTKwot84BF9Ze-9SI29L6zHRaE

Nov 24, 2024 • 1h 14min
The British Army - The Politics of War
In the second instalment of the series, Kevin Linch returns to talk about the politics behind how the British Army operated, the role of the king, and turmoil of the regency, and the implications of Britain's global mindset on how the army went about its business.
Georgian Army officers database: https://www.georgianarmyofficers.org
Buy Kevin's book: https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/The-British-Army-17831815-Hardback/p/24416

Nov 20, 2024 • 1h 13min
Forgotten Voices of the Home Front: Patriotic Women in Napoleonic Britain
Emma MacLeod returns for the second instalment of the double bill on women and patriotism in Britain during the Napoleonic Wars. We talk about the shifts in mood over Britain's involvement in the war, how women were an equally energetic discussant of politics, and the implications of all of this on a wider scale.
Read about Emma's research and find information on how to buy her books here: https://www.stir.ac.uk/people/255910#panel_1_3
Browse our new lines of merchandise at: https://napoleonic-wars-podcast.printify.me/products
Support out work at https://www.patreon.com/c/thenapoleonicwarspod

Nov 17, 2024 • 1h 19min
Captives of Liberty
What happens when you have prisoners of war, yet neither side is willing to acknowledge the legitimacy of the others' combatants?
This was precisely the problem at play during the American War of Independence/Revolution. Award winning historian Trenton Cole Jones joins Zack and the Beau to explore this knotty problem, whilst Zack speculates that this conflict was the American Civil War 0.5, English Civil War 2.0 and British Civil War (no, we have no idea either!).
Find out more about Trenton's work at: https://www.cla.purdue.edu/directory/profiles/t.-cole-jones.html
Check out our new merch at https://napoleonic-wars-podcast.printify.me/products
Support out work at https://www.patreon.com/c/thenapoleonicwarspod