The Siècle History Podcast: Recent Episodes
David H. Montgomery
The Siècle is a history podcast covering France's overlooked century between Napoleon and World War I. Visit thesiecle.com for annotated scripts, pictures, maps, sources and more.
On Aug. 8, 1829, a new French ministry was appointed featuring Charles X's friend Jules de Polignac. This made a lot of people very angry and has been widely regarded as a bad move.
Visit thesiecle.com/episode34 for a full transcript of this episode with pictures, links, and 82 annotated footnotes.
During the Bourbon Restoration, one man's songs were everywhere. He wrote about politics and about love, for the rich and for the poor, and persevered despite the best efforts of the government to shut him up. Meet the Bob Dylan of the Restoration: Pierre-Jean de Béranger — including audio clips!
This episode is an interview with Prof. Sophie-Anne Leterrier, author of Béranger: des Chansons pour un Peuple Citoyen. Note that Prof. Leterrier is not a native English speaker. As always with The Siècle, you can check out an annotated transcript online at http://thesiecle.com/supplemental17.
My thanks to my Patreon supporters, whose backing enabled me to license recordings for this song and pay to have the interview transcribed. You can join them for as little as $1 per month at patreon.com/thesiecle.
Buffeted by a bad election, King Charles X is forced to appoint a more moderate ministry. Can Prime Minister Martignac forge a middle course before his boss gets fed up with concessions?
Support The Siècle for as little as $1 per month on Patreon, or make a one-time donation, online at thesiecle.com/support.
Restoration France had an elected parliament, but its elections were radically different from the voting we're familiar with today. Here's how they did it, from tax-based voting rights to not-so-secret ballots to candidates running and winning in multiple districts at once.
Visit thesiecle.com/supplemental16 for a full transcript of this episode with notes, pictures and charts.
King Charles X's reign was marked by web of conspiracy theories about the alleged role of two secretive Catholic organizations: the Jesuits and the enigmatic Congregation. Let's dive in to what was true, what was false, and why ultimately it didn't really matter what the facts were.
Visit thesiecle.com/episode32 for a full annotated transcript, and Patreon to support the show for as little as $1 per month.
Many people have quoted a famous quip about the Bourbon Restoration, that "The Bourbons have learned nothing and forgotten nothing." While this is a real quote, more or less, almost everything people think they know about it is wrong.
"The enemy redoubles his efforts," King Charles X wrote in September 1827, shortly before he dissolved the French parliament in a risky political gambit. "However, I am resolved to act with firmness and wisdom and am entirely confident that in the end we will overcome all obstacles." Did he? Let's find out.
A Delacroix painting, a Rossini opera and a Dumas novel help demonstrate the profound impact that the Greek War of Independence had on French art and literature.
Visit thesiecle.com/supplemental15 for a full transcript of this episode with notes, illustrations and music.
The Greeks go into revolt against the Ottoman Empire — a revolt that fires the imaginations of France and the rest of Europe. The French government reacts with ambivalence, but many French men and women enthusiastically adopt the Greek cause.
A small but crucial group of Restoration politicians were centrist liberals who championed constitutional monarchy against enemies to the right and left. Meet the brilliant and controversial clique who are known to history as the Doctrinaires.
Thousands of French men and women fled the country during the Revolution. Who were they, what were their lives like in exile — and how did they handle it when they finally came back home?
I join Benjamin Jacobs from the Wittenberg to Westphalia podcast for a deeper dive into "scrofula," the skin condition whose sufferers Charles X touched at his coronation in a medieval ritual believed to hold the power of healing.
Professor Jonathan Spangler joins the show to explain the French institution of "Monsieur" and how it shaped French courts over the centuries.
Be sure to follow The Siècle on Twitter @thesiecle, or on Facebook.
King Charles X begins his long-awaited reign in a warm glow of popularity, but his honeymoon phase won't last forever as he begins to push a controversial agenda for France.
Be sure to follow The Siècle on Twitter @thesiecle, or on Facebook.
A famous — or infamous — chapter in Victor Hugo's masterpiece Les Misérables is "The Year 1817," a length recitation of a series of minor events that happened in France in that year. As a special bonus episode, take a dive into that chapter — and see how many of his obscure events you now recognize!
To learn more, visit the show's website for abundant annotations.
The restoration of the Bourbons also meant a restoration of Catholicism as the state religion of France — delighting some, and outraging others. Not only is religion vital to fully understand Restoration France, it's especially vital to understand the new King Charles X.
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Restoration France as analyzed by an outsider with intimate knowledge of France both on the battlefield and in the salons — Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington.
I'll be giving a talk at the upcoming Intelligent Speech online history podcast conference on April 24, 2021, about the experience of French émigrés during and after the Revolution. Visit intelligentspeechconference.com to buy tickets and use the offer code "siecle" for 10 percent off.
With Louis XVIII dead, the new king is his younger brother, the Comte d'Artois. But what kind of man is France's new king? To see, let's rewind back through the first 10 years of the Restoration, from the point of view of the very charming and very conservative Artois.
Be sure to follow The Siècle on Twitter @thesiecle, or on Facebook.
After 10 years on the throne, King Louis XVIII of France's health enters a terminal decline. As he tries to entrench his legacy with one final accomplishment, what are we to make of the reign of France's restored king?
Be sure to follow The Siècle on Twitter @thesiecle, or on Facebook.
After the defeat of his efforts to bring about liberal reform in France through both legal and illegal means, the Marquis de Lafayette in 1824 boarded a ship for the fledgling United States, where he would be celebrated as "the nation's guest" in a momentous tour. Learn more in conversation with Lafayette expert Alan Hoffman.
Visit the show's website for a transcript, pictures, and a link to purchase Hoffman's book.
Be sure to follow The Siècle on Twitter @thesiecle, or on Facebook.
Conspiracy is in the air in France. In a world of secret societies and paranoid styles, the Bourbon Restoration clings to power while secretive cells spread across the country. The fate of the entire country is up for grabs as the French army is forced to decide its loyalty.
Visit the show's website for supplementary material, including a locator map and annotated timeline of events.
Be sure to follow The Siècle on Twitter @thesiecle, or on Facebook.
An 1822 account of civil war on the Franco-Spanish border by an up-and-coming liberal journalist named Adolphe Thiers, who observes a refugee crisis, battles between liberal and conservative forces, and the disposition of French soldiers preparing to intervene.
Be sure to follow The Siècle on Twitter @thesiecle, or on Facebook.
Happy Bastille Day! But in the Bourbon Restoration, Bastille Day was banned, along with "La Marseillaise" and the tricolor flag. In this special episode, find out how these modern-day symbols of France were treated, and what the Bourbons used in their place.
Be sure to follow The Siècle on Twitter @thesiecle, or on Facebook.
The wars, murders and political battles covered on The Siècle were first covered by France's newspapers — which were very different than the newspapers of today. Take a tour into the strange world of Restoration journalism, and learn the truth behind one of the most famous collections of French newspaper headlines.
Be sure to follow The Siècle on Twitter @thesiecle, or on Facebook.
Napoleon Bonaparte is dead — but he still lives on, in myth and legend, in flowers and tobacco boxes, in jails and asylums, and above all in the political memory of Restoration France, for whom even death cannot rid them of their greatest foe.
Be sure to follow The Siècle on Twitter @thesiecle, or on Facebook.
A recitation of the "19th Century Bonapartist Bible," a memoir from one of Napoleon's aides on St. Helena recounting the emperor's life in exile and his discourses on his rule and historical rulers before him.
A recitation of the "19th Century Bonapartist Bible," a memoir from one of Napoleon's aides on St. Helena recounting the emperor's life in exile and his discourses on his rule and historical rulers before him.
A recitation of the "19th Century Bonapartist Bible," a memoir from one of Napoleon's aides on St. Helena recounting the emperor's life in exile and his discourses on his rule and historical rulers before him.
Halfway across the world from France, the most famous man of his age dies in isolated exile — but not before profoundly reforging his legacy through both story and suffering.
French schemes in Spain play an underappreciated role in sparking one of the monumental documents in American history.
Like what you hear? Support the show on Patreon!
French schemes in Spain play an underappreciated role in sparking one of the monumental documents in American history.
Like what you hear? Support the show on Patreon!
The conservative powers of Europe strike back at the wave of liberal revolutions sweeping the continent, and France struggles with how to respond — a crisis that brings down one prime minister and elevates a new politician to center stage.
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When the victorious powers met at the Congress of Vienna after Napoleon's defeat, they did more than just punish France. They redrew the map of Europe and tried to create a new, more stable world order. Learn about this new order and its impact on Restoration France.
Visit thesiecle.com/episode17 to see helpful maps about this episode's content.
Chris Fernandez-Packham of the Age of Victoria podcast and I talk about the different experiences of erstwhile rivals France and Great Britain in the years after Waterloo.
Like what you hear? Support the show on Patreon! And also be sure to check out Age of Victoria!
This cross-post with Pax Britannica is a discussion between that podcast's host Sam Hume and myself about the two political murders we've both covered in recent months: that of the Duc de Berry on The Siècle and that of the Duke of Buckingham on Pax Britannica.
Like what you hear? Support the show on Patreon! And also be sure to check out Pax Britannica!
A discussion with Philippe Moisan, a professor of French at Grinnell College, about the literary movement of French Romanticism — everything from what made it distinct to which books you should read to get started.
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France swings hard to the right, as the government passes new repressive laws and the nation celebrates the birth of a Bourbon 'miracle child.' Pushed back on their heels, the French left turns to conspiracy.
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A second part of my interview with historian Philip Mansel discusses Franco-British relations during the first half of the 19th Century, as a century-plus of military rivalry turns into something much more complex. Brought to you by the show's supporters on Patreon.
A second part of my interview with historian Philip Mansel discusses Franco-British relations during the first half of the 19th Century, as a century-plus of military rivalry turns into something much more complex. Brought to you by the show's supporters on Patreon.
Restoration politics becomes a three-way battle for supremacy between liberals, Ultra-royalists, and "Ministerials" — until a shocking crime changes everything.
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A look behind the scenes of The Siècle, including how I research, record and edit episodes, and a closer look at a few of the sources I use to research the podcast. Brought to you by the show's supporters on Patreon.
An introduction to Restoration France's illustrious — and not-so-illustrious — royal family circa 1816, including a little too much genealogy and a surprising amount of absurdly petty snubs.
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An interview with Philip Mansel, author of several books about 19th Century France, including a biography of Louis XVIII. We discuss the life and personality of France's restored Bourbon king.
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An epic episode covering the little-known story of the time an Indonesian volcano caused worldwide harvest failures and massive social unrest, including in a France still recovering from the chaos and devastation of the Napoleonic Wars.
Visit thesiecle.com for bonus information, pictures and charts.
The silent majority of Restoration France were the peasants, the small farmers scraping out a living across its varied countryside. Learn who these peasants were, how they worked, and how they survived.
Visit thesiecle.com for bonus information, pictures and charts.
The early 19th Century writer and statesman Chateaubriand was a keen (if biased) observer of many of the events chronicled in The Siècle — and a top-notch writer, to boot! In this bonus episode, I present an excerpt from Chateaubriand's memoirs, including his thoughts on Napoleon, Louis XVIII, censorship and France's constitutional monarchy.
As always, visit thesiecle.com for full transcript, annotations and illustrations.
Meet the "legitimists," the group of right-wing ultra-royalists who would have a profound influence on 19th Century French politics. Champions of natural order and Catholicism, liberty and inequality, they had a sophisticated philosophy rooted in opposing the evils of the Enlightenment and Revolution.
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The restored king of France, Louis XVIII, faces a stiff challenge from the parliament he just created. But these champions of parliamentary power aren't who might expect.
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After the fall of Napoleon, France got a new constitution — one full of contradictions. Learn about The Charter, a constitution literally for the 1%.
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After Waterloo, France was invaded by a huge multinational foreign army — and they didn't leave for more than three years. Learn more about the facts and consequences of this occupation in an interview with Prof. Christine Haynes, author of a recent book on the subject.
Visit thesiecle.com for a transcript, pictures, and a link to buy the book.
France plunges into violence after the final fall of Napoleon. Featuring: invasion, murder, treason, extortion, art theft, 300 million bottles of wine, rude drinking songs and seditious chickens.
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Paris in 1815 was a city of intense contradictions, where shining palaces and squalid slums sat right next door to each other. Meet the city that is not yet the City of Light at the dawn of the Restoration. Follow along with maps at thesiecle.com/episode4!
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Napoleon's famous Hundred Days, told in Simpsons GIFs, the format these epic events have been waiting two centuries for. Special bonus The Siècle content available now at http://thesiecle.com/supplemental1/.
What kind of kingdom had Louis XVIII managed to win after Waterloo, anyway? We take a tour of France in 1815, from its mountains and rivers to its hardscrabble peasants, wine-trading merchants and imperious nobles. Follow along with vital maps at thesiecle.com/episode3!
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Napoleon returns from exile to reclaim his throne, and Louis flees into exile. But as diplomats scheme for advantage, the fate of France will be settled on the fields of Waterloo. Find out more at thesiecle.com/episode2.
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The Siècle begins in the year 1814. Napoléon has abdicated, and the Bourbons are back in charge of France. Here's how they screw it up, the first scene in our century-long saga of a country at war with itself. Find out more at thesiecle.com.
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What exactly is The Siècle? An introduction to the new podcast chronicling French history between Napoleon and the First World War. Find out more at thesiecle.com.
Like what you hear? Support the show on Patreon!