The Napoleonic Wars: How Europe Was Rewritten — Fexingo History cover art

The Napoleonic Wars: How Europe Was Rewritten — Fexingo History

The Napoleonic Wars: How Europe Was Rewritten — Fexingo History

By: Fexingo
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The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) redrew the map of Europe and the world. From the sun-scorched sands of Egypt to the frozen plains of Russia, Lucas and Luna trace the campaigns, coalitions, and catastrophes that toppled thrones and sparked modern nationalism. They examine Napoleon Bonaparte’s rise from Corsican outsider to Emperor of the French, his revolutionary military tactics, and his sweeping legal and administrative reforms, especially the Napoleonic Code. The show covers key battles—Austerlitz, Jena, Borodino, Waterloo—and the shifting alliances of the Third through Seventh Coalitions, featuring figures like Tsar Alexander I, the Duke of Wellington, and Archduke Charles. It explores the Continental System’s economic warfare, the Peninsular War’s guerrilla insurgency, and the disastrous invasion of Russia. Beyond the battlefield, Lucas and Luna debate Napoleon’s legacy: was he a liberator spreading Enlightenment ideals or a tyrant who caused millions of deaths? They consider the Congress of Vienna’s attempt to restore the old order, the birth of Latin American independence movements, and the enduring myth of the ‘Little Corporal.’ This podcast is for anyone who wants to understand how a single man’s ambition reshaped nations, inspired Romantic art, and planted the seeds of modern conflict. #NapoleonicWars #NapoleonBonaparte #BattleOfWaterloo #BattleOfAusterlitz #CongressOfVienna #PeninsularWar #ContinentalSystem #NapoleonicCode #CoalitionWars #TsarAlexanderI #DukeOfWellington #InvasionOfRussia #EgyptianCampaign #Marengo #Trafalgar #RevolutionaryWars #FexingoHistory #WorldHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo© 2026 Fexingo. All rights reserved. Social Sciences World
Episodes
  • Napoleon's Continental System: The Economic War That Starved Europe

    Napoleon's Continental System: The Economic War That Starved Europe
    Jun 13 2026
    In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore Napoleon's Continental System, the ambitious economic blockade designed to cripple Britain by closing all European ports to British trade. They discuss the Berlin and Milan Decrees, the smuggling networks that sprang up, the impact on neutral powers like the United States, and the system's role in sparking the Peninsular War and the disastrous Russian campaign. Along the way, they examine key figures like the British naval hero Horatio Nelson and the French customs chief Pierre-Antoine Dupont, and the economic consequences that turned Napoleon's allies against him. This is a story of unintended consequences, illicit trade, and how an emperor's attempt to win a war without fighting ultimately helped seal his downfall. #ContinentalSystem #Napoleon #BerlinDecree #MilanDecree #BritishBlockade #Smuggling #PeninsularWar #Russia #HoratioNelson #PierreAntoineDupont #NapoleonicWars #EconomicHistory #OrdersInCouncil #Trafalgar #BattleofAusterlitz #France #Britain #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    6 mins
  • Napoleon's Italian Campaign: The Birth of a Legend

    Napoleon's Italian Campaign: The Birth of a Legend
    Jun 12 2026
    In 1796, a young Corsican general named Napoleon Bonaparte took command of the French Army of Italy, a ragged force on the brink of mutiny. In just over a year, he transformed it into a victorious machine, winning battles at Lodi, Arcole, and Rivoli, forcing the Habsburgs to the negotiating table, and carving out a reputation that would carry him to power. This episode follows Napoleon's first major independent campaign, exploring his innovative use of speed, artillery, and psychological warfare. We discuss the Battle of Lodi, where Napoleon led a bayonet charge across a narrow bridge, inspiring the nickname 'the Little Corporal'. We cover the dramatic crossing of the Po, the siege of Mantua, and the Treaty of Campo Formio, which redrew the map of Italy. Along the way, we meet key figures like General Augereau, General Masséna, and the young officer Marmont. This is the campaign that turned Bonaparte from a revolutionary officer into a household name. #Napoleon #ItalianCampaign #BattleOfLodi #BattleOfArcole #BattleOfRivoli #ArmyOfItaly #SiegeOfMantua #TreatyOfCampoFormio #GeneralAugereau #GeneralMassena #Marmont #FrenchRevolutionaryWars #Habsburgs #NapoleonicWars #MilitaryHistory #History #FexingoHistory #Bonaparte Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    5 mins
  • Napoleon's Code: The Legal Revolution That Changed Europe

    Napoleon's Code: The Legal Revolution That Changed Europe
    Jun 12 2026
    In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore Napoleon's most enduring legacy: the Napoleonic Code. Adopted in 1804 as the Code Civil des Français, it replaced a patchwork of feudal laws with a single, secular legal framework. Learn about the four-man drafting commission led by Jean-Étienne-Marie Portalis, the debates over divorce and paternal authority, and how the code spread across Europe—from the Grand Duchy of Warsaw to the Kingdom of Italy. Lucas explains how the Code's principles of equality before the law, property rights, and religious freedom influenced civil codes from Louisiana to Latin America, while also discussing its limitations for women and workers. #NapoleonicCode #CodeCivil #Napoleon #LegalHistory #Portalis #CivilLaw #FrenchRevolution #EqualityBeforeTheLaw #Divorce #PaternalAuthority #Louisiana #GrandDuchyOfWarsaw #KingdomOfItaly #Europe #FexingoHistory #History #NapoleonicWars #CodeNapoleon Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    8 mins
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