The Napoleonic Wars Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

In our first episode of this new series, Dr John McAleer and host Dr Zack White delve into the history and significance of the East India Company, exploring its origins, its role in the British Empire, and its impact on India and the world. We discuss the complexities of trade, competition, and the transition from a mercantile enterprise to a military power, culminating in the pivotal events leading to the Battle of Plassey.

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Takeaways

The East India Company was a major player in global trade.

It significantly impacted the lives of millions across continents.

The company laid the foundations for the British Empire in India.

Understanding the East India Company is crucial for grasping Britain's multicultural society.

The company's rise was not inevitable; it faced many challenges.

The Mughal Empire was a sophisticated political entity during the company's early years.

European rivalries influenced the dynamics of trade in India.

The East India Company transitioned from trade to military power in the 18th century.

The company became a state in disguise, exerting political control.

The Battle of Plassey marked a turning point in the company's history.

Chapters (timings approximate)

00:00 The Rise of the East India Company

11:03 Understanding the Impact of Imperialism

21:00 Navigating Competition in the Indian Ocean

29:51 Cultural Perceptions and Misunderstandings

31:44 The East India Company: A Historical Perspective

35:46 Understanding the Mughal Empire's Influence

40:33 European Rivalries and Diplomatic Maneuvers

45:39 The Tenuous Position of the English Company

49:49 Transition to Military Power

54:38 Proxy Wars and Political Intrigues

59:44 The Metamorphosis of the East India Company

KEYWORDS

East India Company, British Empire, imperialism, history, trade, globalization, colonialism, Mughal Empire, military history, 18th century

What was a mutiny? Why did they matter? And once you started mutinying against your officers, how did you try to ensure that you weren't executed for your troubles?

Dr Callum Easton sits down with our very own Zack White to discuss mutinies in the Royal Navy and the East India Company Army as they compare and contrast the language, aims and management of these seditious acts.

Buy Callum's book at: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-98840-0?source=shoppingads&locale=en-gb&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=18594397130&gbraid=0AAAAADu685NMss3J-EAb3lpHn8W_5Vewg&gclid=CjwKCAiA3L_JBhAlEiwAlcWO5xKSiyBlZglKfhzAiVZjaxCo3gkrLjt1QW0v0utISfpk5P9kFpVPtBoChQUQAvD_BwE

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On 2nd December 1805 Napoleon achieved what was perhaps his greatest victory. Over the course of the short winter's day he shattered the coalition force arrayed against him on the Pratzen heights, in a victory that would help him to usher in a new order in Europe.

But what actually happened on that bitterly cold day? Who was responsible for this crushing victory? And how the has the battle been mythologised over the last 220 years?

Alex Mikaberidze returns for the blistering conclusion to this double-bill on Napoleon's finest hour. We discuss combatants, missed opportunities, blunders, bravery, legacies and much more as we finally deliver the episode that you've all been waiting for.

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 

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Who was Napoleon's greatest marshal? The final heat of the series examining Napoleon's best and brightest commanders features a series of underdogs, as pitches are heard for Oudinot, Poniatowski, Grouchy and Marmont. Who will triumph, and claim the final semi-final places?

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Steve Brown joins us to discuss what it took to command within the British Army during the Napoleonic Wars. We explore a wide range of issues including their social structure, advancement and the pressures due to atritional losses.

Steve Brown - Biography | Helion & Company | Military History Books

In the first instalment of a new series on the show, we explore the nature of warfare in the 18th century, as we endeavour to understand the origins and impacts of key themes, ideas and trends that straddle the 1750-1820 period.

Guests Andrew Dorman, Alex Burns and Robbie MacNiven help us probe into the myths of conflict during the period.

Buy Alex's book: https://www.helion.co.uk/people/alexander-s-burns.php?sid=a3102760a9f413f6c3bfded3ceefb79b

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Amidst the upheavals of the Napoleonic era, European music was undergoing a profound transformation of its own. Today, Christopher Kimbell talks us through key developments in Western art music during the age of Napoleon. And Zack exposes himself as a Swiftie.

Christopher Kimbell's brand new book can be found here!:

https://www.routledge.com/Tradition-Community-and-Nationhood-in-Richard-Wagners-Die-Meistersinger-von-Nurnberg/Kimbell/p/book/9781032390321?srsltid=AfmBOopVbKYeQw4xXzSuguMeruQ_oNdC4K3l_ZuP8K9mwezMDx_7F75s

The Podcast’s Quartermaster Liam Telfer joins Zack to unveil a new line of apparel that will put your lace-clad friends to shame.

We talk about why we’ve chosen to embark on this sartorial adventure, the joys of modelling merch in a balmy Waterloo dawn, and Zack goes off on a bizarre anecdote about battlefield dogs (don't ask - we edited most of it out!).

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Contact the show at napwarspod@gmail.com

How was the British Army of the Napoleonic Wars formulated? In the first instalment of a many part series we sit down with Dr Kevin Linch, a leading expert in the British Army during the Napoleonic Wars. We talk about how the army is formulated at a constitutional and political level, and the impact this had for how the army operated.

Buy Kevin's book The British Army, 1783-1815 at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/The-British-Army-17831815-Hardback/p/24416

Access the British Officers database at: https://www.georgianarmyofficers.org

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