La Fayette, We Are Here!

It's time to move on

My dear listeners and friends,After four years and over forty episodes, I believe my podcasting days are over. I’ve loved making my podcast, it’s been one of the best experiences of my life. It has allowed me to dig into history as I did when I was younger. I have also had the chance to meet and interview truly wonderful people. I am extremely grateful for that. I have simply reached a time in my life where I have other aspirations and priorities. If producing the show feels like it’s becoming a chore, then it’s time to stop.I will keep the podcast feed online and the website as well, so that my work remains accessible. I just won’t be releasing new episodes.To everyone who has ever listened to the show or reached out to me, a huge merci ! I wish you all the best. Keep listening to history podcasts, keep reading about history. History gives nuance to our existence and allows us to be better persons, I firmly believe that.Au revoir !Support the showReach out, support the show and give me feedback! Contact me or follow the podcast on social media Leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or on Spotify Buy me a Coffee

Napoléon III - France's Last Monarch

Imagine growing up with the world’s most famous uncle, the one who conquered Europe and redefined France. For young Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte, bedtime stories came with cavalry charges and imperial dreams.In this episode, we follow the nephew who turned admiration into ambition, rising from exile to become Napoléon III, Emperor of the French.Join us as we talk about France's Last Monarch!TimecodesIntroduction04:27 - A Royal without a Kingdom09:49 - Conspiracies and the Road to Power17:08 - From President to Emperor22:38 - The Empire Strikes Back29:21 - The Liberal Empire36:41 - The Collapse42:34 - ConclusionRelevant Episodes:Napoléon Part II - From Paris to Saint HelenaThe 1830 Revolution. Barricades in Paris!Music: Marche pour la cérémonie des Turcs, composed by Jean-Baptiste Lully, arranged and performed by Jérôme Arfouche.Artwork: Napoléon III en uniforme de général de division dans son grand cabinet des Tuileries. Hippolyte Flandrin, 1861. Château de Versailles.Support the showReach out, support the show and give me feedback! Contact me or follow the podcast on social media Leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or on Spotify Buy me a Coffee

Volney’s Vision: The Ruins of Empires in Our Time. With Thomas C. Williams

Thomas C. Williams is an American author and historian living in France since 1989. A former U.S. Embassy staffer, he is a leading expert on Volney and Thomas Jefferson’s secret translation of The Ruins of Empires, a radical Enlightenment text that nearly derailed Jefferson’s presidency. He has lectured at the Robert H. Smith Research Facility (Monticello) and the French Senate, published widely on the subject, and donated the largest collection of Jefferson translations to Monticello. He is also the author of the historical novels English Turn and Kash Kachu.In this episode, Thomas joins me for a deep dive into the life and legacy of Volney: Enlightenment thinker, revolutionary, and author of The Ruins of Empires. We begin with Volney’s intellectual formation and his role in the early days of the French Revolution, then explore his friendship with Thomas Jefferson and the political risks surrounding Jefferson’s secret translation of Ruins. Finally, we look at how Volney’s ideas continue to resonate today, offering a striking lens through which to view modern events.TimecodesIntroduction01:10 - Volney’s Biography & Intellectual Formation25:58 - Volney and Jefferson: Transatlantic Ideals56:30 - Volney’s Legacy and Contemporary Relevance1:16:38 - ConclusionVolney's Ruins, translated by Jefferson, on Project Gutenberg.Thomas socials:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/ruinsofempires.bsky.socialYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RuinsOfEmpiresThomas's novels:English Turn: Napoleon Invades Louisiana: Volume I: Ruins of EmpiresKash Kachu (White House): Volume 1: Revenge of the KatchinaArtwork: Constantine Francois Volney, Count of Chasseboeuf, by Gilbert Stuart, ca. 1795. From PAFA.Support the showReach out, support the show and give me feedback! Contact me or follow the podcast on social media Leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or on Spotify Buy me a Coffee

The 1830 Revolution. Barricades in Paris!

In July 1830, Paris erupted. For three days, workers, students, and veterans rose against royal ordinances that trampled the Charter of 1814. Barricades filled the streets, the tricolour flag flew once more, and the Bourbon monarchy collapsed. King Charles X fled, and Louis-Philippe, styled the “Citizen King”, took the throne. This revolution wasn’t just a power shift; it was a powerful reminder that France’s revolutionary spirit was far from extinguished. From backroom politics to street battles, the July Revolution marked a turning point in modern French history.Join us to revisit this pivotal moment.TimecodesIntroduction04:06 - A Broken Country11:19 - A Step Too Far19:52 - The Barricades25:38 - King of the French35:50 - ConclusionTo know more about the world behind the 1830 Revolution — the politics, the kings, the chaos — check out The Siècle‬, a phenomenal podcast on 19th-century France. Available on your podcast app of choice or at: https://thesiecle.com/Relevant Episodes:The French Revolution, a Worldwide TremorNapoléon Part II - From Paris to Saint HelenaMusic: Marche pour la cérémonie des Turcs, composed by Jean-Baptiste Lully, arranged and performed by Jérôme Arfouche.Artwork: La Liberté guidant le peuple. Eugène Delacroix, 1830. Musée du Louvre, Paris.Support the showReach out, support the show and give me feedback! Contact me or follow the podcast on social media Leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or on Spotify Buy me a Coffee

Antoine Lavoisier - A Savant at the Scaffold

If you weren't sleeping through your chemistry classes in high school, you probably heard the phrase "Nothing is lost, nothing is created, everything is transformed." This is basically what we know as the law of conservation of mass. It was coined by Antoine Lavoisier, the man considered the father of modern chemistry and one of history's most influential scientists.However, he will end his days under the blade of the guillotine in 1794. How can this be? Join us as we delve into the remarkable but tragic life of Lavoisier, a savant at the scaffold!TimecodesIntroduction06:36 - Young, Rich and Brillant13:25 - Understanding Nature20:39 - The French Revolution25:37 - The Blade Falls31:17 - ConclusionRelevant Episode:The French Revolution, a Worldwide TremorMusic: Marche pour la cérémonie des Turcs, composed by Jean-Baptiste Lully, arranged and performed by Jérôme Arfouche.Artwork: Portrait d'Antoine Lavoisier et de sa femme, Jacques-Louis David, 1788. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New YorkSupport the showReach out, support the show and give me feedback! Contact me or follow the podcast on social media Leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or on Spotify Buy me a Coffee