The French History Podcast: Recent Episodes
Gary Girod
A weekly history podcast that will cover France from 3 million years ago to present. Presented by Gary Girod, with contributions by numerous scholars.
Today’s special episode is by Celine Mitchell. Celine is currently a PhD candidate at The London School of Economics (LSE). She is writing a contemporary history of the French Algerian youth, through the lens of hip-hop. In particular, her work focuses on the analysis of the second and third generation’s engagement with historical, political and […]
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Gary: Thank you very much for being on the show Ben. I am so excited to have you on. Quite a while ago I ranked the Merovingian monarchs from worst to best, and now we are going to do the same with the Carolingian monarchs. And here I have a slightly different Ben than the […]
Canned Heat by Jamiroqoui plays There ain’t no dance party like a medieval dance party because a medieval dance party don’t stop. Ever scary sound effect. During the Late Medieval and Early Renaissance periods chroniclers across Europe recorded peasants dancing uncontrollably for days. The largest and most famous of all these was the Dancing Plague […]
Well, it’s been a while. In fairness, the last episode, this one and the next are about 5x longer than my usual. But a lot has been going on in my life. First, more podcasting stuff. One of my aims is to make this podcast financially viable so that I can keep it going. To […]
Well, it’s been a while. In fairness, the last episode, this one and the next are about 5x longer than my usual. But a lot has been going on in my life. First, more podcasting stuff. One of my aims is to make this podcast financially viable so that I can keep it going. To […]
Today’s episode is sponsored by scholar and author Lizzi Wolf, whose brand new novel, Citizen Louis-Charles is now available on Amazon. After his father, Louis XVI, and mother, Marie-Antoinette, are beheaded in the French Revolution, 8-year-old King Louis XVII is sealed into a pitch-dark closet and isolated from all human contact. Struggling to survive the […]
Olympe de Gouges, The Declaration of the Rights of Woman (September 1791) Mothers, daughters, sisters, female representatives of the nation ask to be constituted as a national assembly. Considering that ignorance, neglect, or contempt for the rights of woman are the sole causes of public misfortunes and governmental corruption, they have resolved to set forth […]
The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, 1789. Originally written by the Marquis de Lafayette, heavily edited by Emmanuel-Joseph Sieyès. Approved by the National Assembly of France, August 26, 1789 The representatives of the French people, organized as a National Assembly, believing that the ignorance, neglect, or contempt of the rights […]
Gary: Today’s special episode is an interview with Dr. Micah Alpaugh. Micah received his Ph.D. from the University of California Irvine. He completed a Postdoc at the University of Pennsylvania before becoming a professor at the University of Central Missouri. Today we are discussing his book, Friends of Freedom: The Rise of Social Movements in […]
Hi again, Olivier here to talk to you about Old French. Hunh, what? Didn’t we already cover this? I thought there was already a guest episode about the origins of Old French. Well, yes that’s true. But last time, I was really aiming to answer two questions. First: where did French come from? And second: […]
Today’s guest episode is by Dahlia El Zein. Dahlia is a PhD Candidate in History at the University of Pennsylvania focusing on race, migration, and empire between sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East in the 19th and 20th centuries. Dahlia is currently writing her dissertation on the cross-colonial relationships and racial constructions of Lebanese Shi’i […]
72: The Viking Conquest of Normandy “The Normans are an untamed race, and unless they are held in check by a firm ruler they are all too ready to do wrong. In all communities, wherever they may be, they strive to rule and often become enemies to truth and loyalty through the ardour of their […]
Gary: Today’s special episode is an interview with Dr. Richard Derderian. Derderian earned his PhD in History from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He worked at the National University of Singapore and California Lutheran University. We are going to be talking about his book North Africans in Contemporary France: Becoming Visible about […]
Gary: Today’s special episode is an interview with Dr. Joan DeJean on her new book Mutinous Women: How French Convicts Became Founding Mothers of the Gulf Coast. Her book couldn’t be more exciting: climate crisis, the first economic bubble and meltdown, corrupt police, murder, exile, it has everything. In the early 18th century the French […]
Gary: Today’s special episode is an interview with Dr. Kate Vigurs. Vigurs is a professional freelance historian who received her PhD from the University of Leeds. Vigurs is a tour guide for Anglia Tours, covering the Western Front battlefields, Berlin and Krakow, Auschwitz, and has recently done consultancy work for the Army Museums, Ogilvy Trust […]
The fall of the Carolingian House ushered in a period of violence and uncertainty for France. A decline in raids from Vikings, Iberians and Magyars did not mean the realm was at peace. Without a powerful monarch France devolved into duchies and counties ruled by magnates who warred against each other. Lesser lords fought against […]
Gary: Today’s special episode is an interview with Dr. Megan Brown. Brown received her Ph.D. from City University of New York, and she currently teaches modern French history at Swarthmore College. The following interview discusses her new book, The Seventh Member State: Algeria, France and the European Community, published by Harvard University Press. The book […]
The end of the world. A final battle between good and evil. A cataclysm of unprecedented violence that ultimately results in the end of all sorrow and the renewal of humanity and the cosmos. Doomsday, The Day of Judgement, Frashokereti [Zoroastrianism], Ragnarok, are all part of a literary topos that is the logical conclusion of […]
Gary: Today’s special episode is an interview with Dr. Chris Millington of Manchester Metropolitan University. Dr. Millington returns for a record third appearance to talk about his new book, The Clichy Massacre: Political and Police Violence at the Time of the Popular Front. Our talk centers on the fateful night of the 16th of March […]
Gary: Today’s special episode is by Kathleen McCrudden Illert. McCrudden Illert received her Ph.D. from Yale University in 2021. She is currently a Max Weber Fellow at the European University Institute in Florence. In today’s episode she will be talking about Sophie de Grouchy, a prominent French philosopher before, during and after the French Revolution. […]
Robert II was probably born in the city of Orléans in 972, the youngest child and only son of Hugh Capet and Adelaide of Aquitaine. Hugh was poorly educated, having little knowledge of Latin, and so sent his son to Reims where he was educated by renowned scholar Gerbert of Aurillac. Robert II became a […]
Gary: Today’s special episode is by Matt Robertshaw. Matt is a PhD candidate in History at York University in Toronto. He is studying the relationship between Haiti and the later French colonial empire in Africa. He is also a video essayist, sharing original research on sport, language and popular culture in the colonial and post-colonial […]
On 3 July 987 Hugues Capet, known in English as Hugh Capet, was elected King of the Franks at Noyon. The Carolingian House had failed in the west. The only remaining Carolingian was Charles Duke of Lower Lorraine, who committed treason by betraying the Franks in favor of the Germans in a bid to usurp […]
Today’s special episode is an interview with Dr. Deborah Bauer on her new book Marianne is Watching: Intelligence, Counterintelligence, and the Origins of the French Surveillance State. Dr. Bauer received her Ph.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles and is currently an Associate Professor of History at Purdue University at Fort Wayne, Indiana. Her […]
[Ad for Beyond the Big Screen Podcast] Quick update on the podcast. Our Patreon page currently has 4 episodes on the history of the Louvre, totaling three hours, which are exclusive for patrons. It also has a guest episode and episode 68 on King Hugh Capet which will be out in a month to a […]
Gary: All right, the big episode to end out the year, and I am joined by a very special guest, Ben. Why don’t you introduce yourself and what you do? Ben: Hey Gary, thanks for having me on. I’m Benjamin Bernier. By all means call me Ben, but no, I am the host of the […]
Hello everyone. Today’s episode is sponsored by Wisdom App. Wisdom App is an innovate new platform for mentors to deliver talks directly to listeners interested in learning new skills, expanding their horizons and improving their lives. To introduce you to the app, I am hosting a talk on Tuesday Jan 4. at 5pm PST. I’m going […]
Hello everyone. I hope you had a manageable 2021. I’ve had quite a year myself, getting my doctorate and producing another 40 episodes. Moving forward I am excited to announce some big changes to the show. From now on, every year I will be doing special series episodes. 2022’s theme is the wonders of France, […]
Hello everyone. Today’s episode is sponsored by Wisdom App. Wisdom App is an innovate new platform for mentors to deliver talks directly to listeners interested in learning new skills, expanding their horizons and improving their lives. To introduce you to the app, I am hosting a talk on Tuesday Jan 4. at 5pm PST. I’m going […]
Gary: Hello everyone. Today’s episode is sponsored by Wisdom App. Wisdom App is an innovate new platform for mentors to deliver talks directly to listeners interested in learning new skills, expanding their horizons and improving their lives. To introduce you to the app, I am hosting a talk on Tuesday Jan 4. at 5pm PST. I’m […]
Hello everyone. Today’s episode is sponsored by Wisdom App. Wisdom App is an innovate new platform for mentors to deliver talks directly to listeners interested in learning new skills, expanding their horizons and improving their lives. To introduce you to the app, I am hosting a talk on Tuesday Jan 4. at 5pm PST. I’m […]
When last we left off in the political narrative Emperor Charles the Bald died after nearly reuniting the Carolingian Empire. From his base in West Francia he conquered Italy, then Lotharingia and marched east to conquer the German lands. A disastrous battle forced him to retreat, and the empire remained fragmented. Before we move forward […]
Well that last episode was depressing wasn’t it? I figure this one should be a palate cleanser. So today we’re going to talk about humor in Gaul and Francia. If you thought my jokes were bad…you still will, but I wasn’t the only one. In fairness to the Gallo-Romans and later Franks, jokes are a […]
Most people recognize the name ‘Dior’ as one of the world’s premier fashion houses. People interested in fashion and French history know Christian Dior was its founder and one of the most important figures in modern fashion. But far fewer people know the story of Christian’s sister, Catherine. While not as famous as her brother, […]
Today’s episode has our first content warning, since I am going to talk about potentially upsetting subjects. Namely, miscarriage, abortion and infanticide. If this sounds too disturbing you can skip this episode; if not I encourage you to listen since these are essential topics to understanding pre-modern society and are often sorely under-studied. [Intro Music] […]
This month the Agora Podcast Network is putting on scary stories from history. I’ll post a link on the website and you can come listen in to your favorite podcasters sharing terrifying tales that are even scarier because they’re true. 61: Carolingian Women: The Other Half of the Empire Women are half of humanity, […]
My next guest needs no introduction but I’ll give him one anyway. Mike Duncan is one of the most influential and popular history podcasters in the world. His smash-hit series The History of Rome, which ran from 2007-2012, traced the history of the Eternal City from its founding until its fall in 476. After finishing […]
Episode 60: Life in the Carolingian Empire Prologue: The Great Dance One of the most common misconceptions people have about history is that there is a natural development from one political or societal state to the next. Marxist doctrine holds that societies begin as tribalistic confederations, advance to a primitive form of communal organization, shift […]
[Advert for The History of Egypt Podcast read before the show: Welcome to the Agora, a collection of podcasts from wonderful and skilled creators. My name is Dominic Perry, I am the host of The History of Egypt Podcast. Did you ever have an “ancient Egypt phase” as a child? Maybe you found the stories […]
Gary: Today’s special episode is an interview with Robert Pike, wherein we discuss his new book, Silent Village: Life and Death in Occupied France, which is about Oradour-sur-Glane, which experienced a Nazi massacre in 1944. Robert Pike is currently a PhD student at Cardiff University. He graduated from the University of Exeter, where he studied […]
[Advert for The History of Egypt Podcast read before the show: Welcome to the Agora, a collection of podcasts from wonderful and skilled creators. My name is Dominic Perry, I am the host of The History of Egypt Podcast. Did you ever have an “ancient Egypt phase” as a child? Maybe you found the stories […]
History is not simply an assemblage of facts, it includes feelings and sentiments. Our ancestors cooked and ate certain dishes, composed and played music, lived and loved. To understand the past we cannot just think, we must also experience. In this episode, I and four of my colleagues and friends got together to read a […]
Intro: Today’s special episode is an interview with Dr.s Christine and Tracy Adams. Christine Adams is a professor of history at St. Mary’s College of Maryland whose works include A Taste for Comfort and Status: A Bourgeois Family in Eighteenth-Century France and Poverty, Charity and Motherhood: Maternal Societies in Nineteenth-Century France. Tracy Adams is a […]
[Advert for The History of Egypt Podcast read before the show: Welcome to the Agora, a collection of podcasts from wonderful and skilled creators. My name is Dominic Perry, I am the host of The History of Egypt Podcast. Did you ever have an “ancient Egypt phase” as a child? Maybe you found the stories […]
Intro: Today’s special episode is an interview with Jesse Alexander and Catherine Pfauth on an upcoming project they are involved in called Glory and Defeat. Cathérine is a research assistant at the Ludwigsburg University of Education. Jesse is a historian, educator and higher education professional based in Vienna, Austria. He holds a BA in History […]
[Script forthcoming] Trans. Judith George, Venantius Fortunatus: Personal and Political Poems, 1995
Today we’ll talk about the end of Emperor Charles’ reign, his death and legacy. But before we do I want to wrap up a few loose ends which I didn’t get to cover before. To start, let’s talk about Frankish relations with the Islamic world. We’ve already covered Spain, which was an area of constant […]
Gary: Today’s special episode is by Emma Kavanagh. Emma is a doctoral candidate in Musicology at the University of Oxford, where she is the inaugural Louis Curran scholar at Linacre College. She holds a BA from the University of Cambridge, and an MA from the University of Nottingham. Emma’s research interests focus on opera and […]
As part of the Agora Podcast Network, this week we are recommending the Wittenberg to Westphalia. Join Ben through the European wars of religion and learn how early modern Europe was made. In the last episode on the Carolingian Renaissance I talked about how the Franks expanded their knowledge on nearly every major subject. […]
Gary: Today’s special episode is by Matthew McDonald. Matthew is a PhD candidate in European History at Princeton University. He is a scholar of the history of the French language, with a particular interest in how European elites spoke French in countries like Germany, Sweden, and Russia during the Ancien Régime. Today he will tell […]
And we are back with all new episodes every week for the foreseeable future. The next four episodes are up on our Patreon, which you can access for as little as one dollar. If you are strapped for cash, or otherwise just feel like you can wait, I completely understand. If you do need to […]
Hello everyone, I wanted to quickly update you on what’s happening with the podcast. I have gotten an incredible amount of support from all of you, and my crazy fantasy of doing this full time with much more content…well, I’m still a ways off from it, but it does seem much more likely than even […]
Two quick announcements. First, this month we are recommending you check out the podcast ReConsider. ReConsider covers timely and timeless social and political issues for liberal democracies, with a nonpartisan approach that helps listeners question their own beliefs. Hosts Xander and Erik break down and dissect the partisan storytelling, bring facts to bear, and help […]
Gary: Today’s special episode is by Ainan Liu. Ainan is a PhD candidate from the French and Italian Department at Princeton University. His research interest lies in French theater in the early modern period. His current work focuses on 17th century playwright Jean Racine’s tragedies, in particular the reinvention of his classical sources. Today Ainan […]
Gary Girod: Today’s special episode is by Dr. Kaylee Alexander. Dr. Alexander earned her Ph.D. from the Department of Art, Art History & Visual Studies at Duke University, having defended her dissertation in February of 2021. Specializing primarily in nineteenth-century visual culture, Kaylee’s research interests include funerary material culture and the cultural economics of death […]
Gary: Quick announcement before we start the episode. The Intelligent Speech Conference is back. This April 24th top history podcasters like the History of England, Ben Franklin’s World, Wittenberg to Westphalia and others will deliver educational talks. Sign up for just $20 for 24 hours of content spread across four different streams. Interact with your favorite hosts […]
Quick announcement before we start the episode. The Intelligent Speech Conference is back. This April 24th top history podcasters like the History of England, Ben Franklin’s World, Wittenberg to Westphalia and others will deliver educational talks. Sign up for just $20 for 24 hours of content spread across four different streams. Interact with your favorite […]
Gary: Today’s special episode is by Sophie Higgerson. Sophie is a PhD student in the History of Art and Architecture at Brown University. Her research focuses primarily on the architecture and urbanism of French and German border spaces, socio-political identity in aesthetic movements, and critical heritage studies. She has previously held internships at the École Nationale […]
In 476 the Germanic leader Odoacer overthrew Romulus Augustus, the last Roman Emperor in the West. Centuries passed as migrating peoples entered the previously Roman lands. Rome never disappeared, even though its political leadership, culture and language declined. New kingdoms adopted Roman laws, customs, clothing, military techniques, technologies and often spoke a hybrid language of […]
Gary: Today’s special episode is by Aaron Kestle, a Ph.D. candidate at Yale University’s French Department. He is currently preparing a dissertation examining the marvelous in medieval Arthurian literature, focusing on the mythical sorcerer Merlin and his representation in late twelfth and early thirteenth century French romance. His interests also incorporate a broad spectrum of […]
When last we left off King Charles of Francia became King of the Lombards, adding the northern half of the Italian peninsula to his vast kingdom. Over the next thirty years Charles created the first great post-Roman, European empire. Under his well-organized, well-equipped military machine, the Franks engaged in near-continual warfare across Francia’s vast borders. […]
49 – Charlemagne: Becoming a King Hey kids, want to hear about Charlemagne? [Intro Music] History is speckled with important individuals who dramatically alter the course of humanity. Scientists like Louis Pasteur and Marie Curie, philosophers like Descartes and Voltaire, artists like Renoir and Monet led the world on paths of their own imagining. […]
[Picture: Parti populaire français meeting 1943] Gary: Today’s special episode is an interview with Dr. Chris Millington of Manchester Metropolitan University on his book, A History of Fascism in France from the First World War to the National Front. We’re going to talk about the rise of the far right, particularly in the 1920s and […]
48 – Between Giants: Today’s episode is about Pepin the Short and of course, we have to start with his name. Pepin was not actually short; unlike peasants, aristocrats got enough food and were noticeably taller than most people. Moreover, northern Europeans were among the largest people in the world. Pepin is near-universally called ‘the […]
Gary: Today’s special episode is by Arazoo Ferozan, Ph.D candidate at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada. Her work focuses on Mediterranean cross-cultural mercantile networks in the early modern period. Her most recent presentations have focused on the city of Marseille as a nodal point for economic and cultural connections. Today’s talk is about Jews, particularly […]
Episode 47: The Battle of Poitiers Chapter 1: The Arabs and the Last Revelation The Battle of Poitiers, often called The Battle of Tours in the Anglosphere, has long been mythologized as a world-changing event. Edward Shepherd Creasy listed it as one of the decisive battles that shaped human history, as did a number of […]
[Pictured: French maquis fighters, 1940s] Gary: Before we get into today’s episode, I wanted to make a very exciting and important announcement. I have poured a lot of time, work and passion into this podcast and have been wanting to devote even more time to it. Those of you who signed up on Patreon and […]
In the first episode of this podcast I talked about how the words ‘France’ and ‘French’ are not set, but are ever-evolving concepts. Related to this is the question: when did ‘France’ begin? There are certainly precursors to France, going all the way back to the first humans. In the 19th and 20th centuries French […]
It took the podcast quite a while but we finally have an episode with pirates. Today’s special episode is by Mike LaMonica, a PhD student at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec. “French ‘Corsairing’ in the Americas during the War of the Spanish Succession” tells the story of French pirates who acquired the right to legally […]
Episode 45: The End of the Merovingian Dynasty For roughly 120 years from the ascension of Clovis I to Dagobert the scions of the House of Merovech were the undisputed rulers of the Franks. The long-haired kings controlled incredible wealth, numerous holy places and were accomplished generals. For a long time it seemed the only […]
Gary: Today’s special episode is by David A. Foulk. David is a student at Oxford University currently completing his dissertation on the economic aspect of the French Resistance during WW2. He has won multiple awards and been published for his work on the economics of war. In line with his research, today’s topic deals with […]
Gary: Today’s special episode is an interview with Dr. James E. Connolly about his new book, The Experiences of Occupation, in the Nord, 1914 to 1918, Living with the Enemy in First World War France, which took second place in the inaugural Eugene Faber Book Award and was shortlisted for the 2018 Franco British Society […]
Episode 44: The Last Great Merovingian Kings In 584 Queen Fredegund gave birth to her fifth male child. Her four previous sons died at the ages of 8, 4, 1 and 1, due to disease and possible assassination so this new child’s fate looked bleak. The boy’s outlook became even darker after his father was […]
Today’s episode is a little short and because of that I will be releasing a full one this Saturday, so consider this a bonus. I just didn’t want to gloss over some last things about Merovingian society before it ends. Medicine was a difficult practice in the early medieval period. Physicians worked on incomplete information […]
Gary: Today’s special episode is by Middle Eastern scholar Patrick Higgins, who gives an account of the French Empire in Syria from its earliest days until the present conflict. Patrick Higgins received his BA from Wayne State University, an MA in Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Texas at Austin, and served as a […]
Today’s episode begins with a cliché that keeps hanging over people’s collective imagining of the post-Roman world: ‘the Dark Ages.’ In the early 14th century the Italian writer Petrarch claimed that after the Roman Empire fell Europe entered into a dark period. Later writers building off of his work claimed that this period ended with […]
Gary: Today’s special episode is an interview with Dr. Rachel Mesch. She received her BA from Yale College, her M.A. from Columbia University and her Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. A specialist in 19th century French Literature, Dr. Mesch is the author of Having It All in the Belle Epoque: How French Women’s Magazines […]
This episode and the next one or two will complete the Medieval Transformation series, as I talk about how life changed from late-Antiquity under the crumbling Roman Empire to the medieval period under the Merovingians. After that, we’re going to get right back onto the political narrative with Clothar II and Dagobert, until we reach […]
Gary: Today’s special episode is by Keira Morgan. When Keira was five, her grandmother gave her a book about England’s queens, which started a lifelong fascination. She went on to complete her B.A. in History and English and an M.A. in History, at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada. She spent the next […]
There are very few still-existing histories dating to the Merovingian period. Gregory of Tours’ Histories and The Chronicle of Fredegar are the only long-form histories, and both were written by men and were mostly about men. Theirs were histories of great kings and saints, which largely excluded women. When women do emerge in the histories […]
[Gary] And we’re back! Thanks for your patience as I did some moving and researching this past month. Episode 40 will be out next Saturday, and I will be back on my regular schedule of main series episodes every other week, with guest episodes when possible. Today’s special episode is by Ph.D candidate Leland Renato […]
Gary: Today’s special episode is by Lauren Quigley who is a PhD candidate in French Studies at Queen’s University Belfast, Ireland. Her dissertation ‘Parisian Poiesis: Architecture and the Aesthetics of Contemporary French Poetry’ explores the relationship between aesthetics, architecture, and form in the poetry of Jacques Réda, Jacques Roubaud and Michel Houellebecq. Today, Ms. Quigley […]
Intro (Gary speaking): Today’s special episode is by Dr. Tara Sewell-Lasater Dr. Sewell-Lasater received her Ph.D in history from the University of Houston in 2020. Her research focuses on Hellenistic Egypt, numismatics, and gender, specifically exploring the roles open to royal women in Ptolemaic Egypt and the expressions of female power on coinage. Her dissertation […]
Episode 39: The Epic of Brunhilda Francia in 561 and 587 Prologue: The early reigns of the sons of Clothar Before we launch into today’s episode I want to make a few quick notes. First, not all dates are entirely accurate, as different accounts provide different dates. Generally speaking the dates I offer […]
Gary: Today’s special episode is an interview with Dutch historian Jo Teeuwisse, better known as the Fake History Hunter, for her work online debunking numerous popular fake history posts. For over a decade. Jo has specialized in daily life of early 20th century Europeans. She has worked as a historical consultant for museums, documentaries, films, […]
Announcements: Hello everyone. Before I begin today’s episode I have three quick announcements. First, I was a guest on the French Embassy to the United States’ official podcast ‘Francofiles’ where I discussed the history behind Juillet Quatorze, known as Bastille Day in the Anglo-Phone world. It’s coming up this Tuesday so there’s no better time […]
Intentional Wandering: How to find Hidden History Hello everyone, this is Gary Girod from the French History Podcast. The theme of this year’s conference is Hidden Histories & I’m sure by now you’ve heard quite a bit about little-known historical stories. In the short time I have I want to explain how you can uncover […]
Gary: Hello, everyone. Quick reminder, June 27 at 145. I will be presenting a talk at the Intelligence Speech Conference 2020, which is all online this year. Tickets are online at their Web site. And you can listen to me and dozens of other top podcasters talking about hidden history. My talk is how you […]
Episode 37: The Medieval Transformation Part 2: The Birth and Spread of Monasteries During the first four centuries of Christianity’s history, believers were frequently tortured and killed. If they remained true to their beliefs they became martyrs. Martyrdom was the greatest spiritual act, and most early saints were martyrs, including Saint Peter and many of […]
Louise Michel & the Radical Women of the 19th Century with Dr. Steve Shone Gary: Today’s episode is an interview I conducted with Dr. Steve Shone on his new book, Women of Liberty. Dr. Shone received his Ph.D from the University of California, Riverside, in 1992. He has taught at a number of colleges, including […]
Hello everyone. Quick reminder my debut novel The Maiden Voyage of New York City is out through Amazon and Barnes and Noble. If you are looking for a character-driven, speculative science-fiction story, please check it out and support yours truly. Second, the Intelligent Speech Conference is happening this June 27th. I and other top podcasters […]
Episode 35: The Last Saints of Gaul A few quick announcements before we get started. First, I did a 90-minute-long episode with History’s Most about what caused the French Revolution. It is a fascinating conversation wherein we talked about the many possible causes of one of the world’s most important political and social upheavals. […]
The Western Roman Empire falls. Gaul is no more, & three kingdoms vie to replace it. Antiquity ends & Clovis turns the land into the first great medieval kingdom: Francia. [Pre-show announcement]: Hello everyone, before we begin I want to make a quick announcement. First of all, life has been hard with the quarantine […]
The Scourge of God descends upon Gaul. Aetius must rally what remains of Western Rome and unite with his nemesis Theodoric of the Visigoths. Together, they will fight Western Rome’s last great battle against Attila and his Huns. When I started this podcast in January 2019 I decided that I wanted to tell the […]
Gaul is a battleground & Rome is on the retreat. The Visigoths, Burgundians and Franks vie for supremacy while Gauls are trapped in between them...yet maybe 'Barbaria' isn't as bad as it seems.
The Huns march westward, pushing uncountable numbers of Germans towards Rome. The Romanized Franks have to defend Gaul while the empire crumbles. But the more successful the Franks are the more they realize Rome needs them more than they need it.
In this interview with Dr. Tom Chaffin, we discuss his new book Revolutionary Brothers: Thomas Jefferson, the Marquis de Lafayette, and the Friendship that Helped Forge Two Nations. We talk about Lafayette and Jefferson's work in founding America, writing the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen, and their long friendship.
Christianity finally comes center-stage! During the 2nd-3rd centuries Gaul gets a host of saints and miracles and becomes an important part of the Christian world. But state persecutions and heresy threaten the faithful.
What was life like for ordinary people in 4th century Gallia? In this episode we're covering men, women, children, the family, culture, entertainment, language, medicine, the environment, food, barbarians & everything else that made up the lives of the Gauls during the Late Roman Empire.
In this special episode, I interview Dr. Robin Mitchell on her new book Vénus Noire: Black Women and Colonial Fantasies in Nineteenth-Century France. We talk about three African women, Ourika, Sarah Baartmann and Jeanne Duval, and how each women reflected and embodied different anxieties felt by France in its tumultuous 19th century.
Galerius rules from the East and Constantine fears for his life. One night the young man flees to Gaul to rejoin his father in the west. When Constantius dies his son becomes emperor. In the chaos that follows the ambitious man looks to the heavens and receives divine revelation.
The year is 285. Diocletian is the undisputed master of a Roman world in tatters. Gaul has fallen completely apart as its own people ravage the land looking for food while German hordes poor in. Diocleatian sends two emperors to save Gaul, but even if they can bring peace it will never be the same as Celtic Gaul declines and the Franks rise.
Rome is falling apart. It's being invaded along its entire northern and eastern borders. Emperors are assassinated. Usurper generals rise up every year to seize power. Plague devastates the empire. Out of this chaos a Gallic military commander decides to create a new Celtic empire and revive a free Gaul.
Rome ascends to unprecedented glory by the time of Antoninus Pius. Then the unthinkable happens and the ancient superpower is hit with one disaster after another. Plague, civil war and invasion bring the glorious empire to its knees.
Ph.D candidate Cameron Zinsou talks about the tense waiting period known as 'The Phoney War.' Zinsou argues that despite no large-scale military engagements occuring a whole lot happened. French society had to reorganize for total war and that the political, social and military changes presaged the occupation.
Nearly two centuries of Gallia's history go missing. What happened to the records and what happened in Gallia?
The Haitian Revolution has often been described as an oddity that had little impact on the world. Since then, historians have challenged this narrative and argue that Haiti's victory over France had a huge impact on the Atlantic World. Dr. Matthew Clavin of the University of Houston argues that the Haitian Revolution had an enormous impact on the world.
The Year of the Four Emperors in the Roman Empire brings chaos and war. In Gallia, three people claim divinity as they revolt against the empire.
Guest host Sarah K. Miles tells the fascinating story of how radical bookseller François Maspero spread revolutionary anti-colonial ideas from the left bank of the Seine. Listen as Ms. Miles recounts how Maspero evaded government sensors, created networks of subversives across the world.
Another revolt convinces Tiberius and later Claudius that the only way to civilize Gallia is to rid it of its druids. Gallia survives the madness of Caligula and then unites with Hispania to overthrow Nero.
Dr. Catherine Kudlick of San Francisco State University talks about a blind community in 19th century Paris. Furthermore, she talks about disability, disease and what those meant in French history.
Augustus decides to invade Germania and Romanize it as he did with Gallia. Family drama and an insurrection give the Germans a chance to revolt. What follows is one of Rome's greatest tragedies and a history-defining moment for Gallia, Rome and Europe.
UC Berkeley's Dr. Ethan Katz talks about how Jewish Resistance Fighters captured Algiers for the Allies in 1942. Then we discuss the history and importance of Jewish-Muslim relations in France, which has the largest population of both in the EU.
Gallia wasn't as peaceful as Augustus' propaganda would have you believe. Meanwhile, Germania's shadow stretched across the Rhine. Until the bold leader Drusus decides to march to the ends of the Earth for the glory of Rome and his place as Augustus' successor.
Prof. Annabelle Dolidon talks about the history of French science-fiction and how it deals with questions of transhumanism, artificial intelligence, climate change, and other potential futures.
How much of Celtic religion and culture remained during the Augustan reforms? Did the Romans wipe away the old Gaul? And how much did the Gauls influence Rome? All of these and more are answered in today's episode.
Dr. Bohling of Portland State University explains how France, a country with very limited fossil fuels, became an energy leader. Along the way he dispels myths about France falling in love with nuclear power and their position as a green country.
Caesar launches a civil war, then Octavian and Mark Antony launch another, and finally Octavian turns on Mark Antony. All the while the Roman wars leave Gaul in relative peace as the country heals. Octavian becomes the first Roman Emperor 'Augustus' and inaugurates a program of Romanization on the Gauls, starting with the resettling of veterans and the building of massive new cities.
In this very special episode I interview the man who inspired me to become a historian, Taylor Marrow. Marrow talks about African-American service in World War I and II France, how this impacted the United States, and what France means to African Americans today.
The Gallic Wars finally ends as most of Gaul submits to Caesar in a desperate attempt to bring peace to war-torn Gaul. Yet, a few tribes have hatched one final scheme to repulse the Roman invaders that may be even more painful than Caesar's brutal tactics.
52 BCE and Prince Vercingetorix unites Gaul in a war to the death with Caesar that will decide Rome and Gaul's fates.
It's 53 BCE and Marcus Licinius Crassus is tired of watching Pompey and Caesar take all the glory. Crassus raises an army to invade Persia, a gambit which determines Rome's fate. Meanwhile, Caesar's divide and conquer tactics reach new heights as he turns the Gauls against themselves.
Caesar begins the year by invading Britannia and harassing Belgica. Meanwhile Celtica rises up and the Gauls surround two Roman armies. With doom approaching heroes are born as Vorenus and Pullo make an epic last stand.
The fall of Rome meant the rise of the Vatican as Europe broke up into small feudal states. But when France emerged as a major nation its kings were done taking orders from the Papacy. What followed was centuries of on-and-off conflict to decide whether God's Chosen Ruler or Christ's Vicar on Earth ruled Europe.
Caesar's devastation of the Belgae opens up Gaul to a German invasion to the east. To the north, Britannia unsettles Gaul. To solve both problems Caesar will have to go where no Roman ever has and become more than a mere man.
After conquering Celtica, Caesar engages in two years of brutal war against the Belgae who are determined to maintain their freedom.
One of America's leading scholars on the Vietnam War talks about how France and the US clashed during the Cold War, largely over Indochina.
A migrating wave of Celts from Switzerland gives Caesar the opportunity to invade Gaul. But things aren't so simple; to conquer Gaul he'll have to defeat a German king before he can bring over an overwhelming number of warriors.
Ph.D candidate Gary Girod tells Notre Dame's fascinating history from the first stones laid for the Roman temple to Jupiter, up until present and explains why there's hope for a complete restoration after the April 15, 2019 fire.
A conversation with renowned scholar Dr. Sarah Fishman on how French women under Vichy, who were among the most oppressed in the developed world, turned France into the most egalitarian major country on Earth.
In this special episode, we examine the hardships, triumphs and transformation that women underwent in WWI while exploring why French women didn't receive the same rights as their British counterparts.
Ancient historian Darah Vann Orr explains how modern feminist historians are re-evaluating Roman culture in the wake of the #MeToo era.
Anatolian Greeks establish an empire in Southern Gaul around Masallia, or modern-day Marseille.
A lover's quarrel spirals out of control and leads to a war between Rome and the Gauls.
The Celts are moving westward and bringing with them their culture, religion and art to France.
The Indo-Europeans are on the move and heading to Western Europe, bringing with them war, horses and apocalypse.
Film studies expert Lyz Renshaw takes us through the first forty years of French cinema history and gives us a list of titles to add to our Netflix queues.
In this episode we will examine the megalithic structures of France, which are among the oldest still-standing buildings in the world.
Long before there were people, France was a frozen tundra. This episode looks at France from 3 million years ago until the first humans arrived.
In this first episode I introduce myself, the podcast and the fascinating journey we're about to take.