382. Young Napoleon: Teenage Revolutionary (Part 1)

“I would plunge the avenging dagger, up to the hilt, in the breast of the tyrant!”

Born in Corsica a year after the island was given to France by the Genoese, Napoleon Bonaparte grew up in a world of political and civil unrest. His father had close ties with the leader of the Corsican resistance movement, Pasquale Paoli, who would leave a lasting impression on young Napoleon. However, sent to study at a military academy in France, the future Emperor would begin to shed his Corsican roots, and start to embrace more revolutionary, universalist ideals... Join Tom and Dominic in the first part of our series on Young Napoleon, as they discuss the tumultuous island he grew up on, his enthusiasm for the French Revolution, the effect on him of his military schooling, and his complicated relationship with France.

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Producer: Theo Young-Smith

Executive Producers: Jack Davenport + Tony Pastor

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