The Siècle History Podcast

On July 26, 1830, Parisians woke up to four stunning proclamations from King Charles X, four ordinances rewriting French politics and public life. Join me to explore what these Four Ordinances did, how Charles could issue them, and how they came to appear in Parisians' morning newspaper. Visit thesiecle.com/episode39 for an annotated transcript, including images of the Four Ordinances in the July 27 Moniteur. Become a patron on Patreon to receive an ad-free fee. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1830, France's slow-moving political crisis builds to a fever-pitch, as King Charles X goes to war with his liberal opposition at home, and the Regency of Algiers abroad. Amid military and electoral campaigns, Charles X will face a decision that could reshape his reign. The Siècle's 5th anniversary is coming up on January 22, 2024. I'm hosting a special Q&A episode (with a guest moderator you might know!) and want your questions! Please email david (at) thesiecle (dot) com by January 13, 2024, with any questions you want considered for inclusion in that episode — about the show, about 19th Century France, or even about me. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the late 1820s, Napoleonic intrigues and a brutal assault by flyswatter combined to turn French attention across the Mediterranean to the Ottoman Regency of Algiers. Join Prof. Ashley Sanders to explore the cosmopolitan world of Ottoman Algeria that the Bourbon Restoration faced under Charles X. Pledge as little as $1 per month on Patreon to receive an ad-free feed of the show. Visit thesiecle.com/episode37 for a full transcript of this episode. The Siècle is part of the Evergreen Podcasts network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1816, the French frigate Medusa ran aground off the coast of Africa, leading to one of the most infamous naval disasters in world history. In the process, it will shine a light on the harsh realities of Bourbon Restoration politics and France's tiny colonial empire. View thesiecle.com/episode36 for a full annotated transcript, including maps and images. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Follow the money and where does it lead? In the Bourbon Restoration, the financial lifeblood of France was the Paris Stock Exchange, where trading in government bonds made and lost fortunes, secured comfortable retirements, and shook the very ship of state. I'm joined by historian Tyson Leuchter to break down the role of debt and finance in Restoration life. Visit thesiecle.com/supplemental18 for a full transcript. Use coupon code "siecle" at intelligentspeechonline.com to get 10% off your ticket to the 2023 Intelligent Speech Conference — a one-day online conference for history fans, by history podcasters. I'll be among the presenters on Nov. 4, 2023. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

France's economy in 1830 stunk. But what does that even mean for an agricultural, pre-modern economy? And how did this bad economy impact France's controversial prime minister Jules de Polignac? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"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.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Be sure to follow The Siècle on Twitter @thesiecle, or on Facebook.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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.    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Like what you hear? Support the show on Patreon! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Like what you hear? Support the show on Patreon! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Like what you hear? Support the show on Patreon! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Restoration politics becomes a three-way battle for supremacy between liberals, Ultra-royalists, and "Ministerials" — until a shocking crime changes everything.  Like what you hear? Support the show on Patreon! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Like what you hear? Support the show on Patreon! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Like what you hear? Support the show on Patreon! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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.  Like what you hear? Support the show on Patreon! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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.  Like what you hear? Support the show on Patreon! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After the fall of Napoleon, France got a new constitution — one full of contradictions. Learn about The Charter, a constitution literally for the 1%.  Like what you hear? Support the show on Patreon! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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.  Like what you hear? Support the show on Patreon! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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! Like what you hear? Support the show on Patreon! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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/. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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! Like what you hear? Support the show on Patreon! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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.  Like what you hear? Support the show on Patreon! Remastered version uploaded on Feb. 25, 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Like what you hear? Support the show on Patreon! Remastered version uploaded on Feb. 25, 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices