September 15, 2025
Napoleon Part 7: Cracks in the Armour
<p>In the last episode we saw Napoleon make an uncharacteristic mistake with his inability to win a decisive victory over the Russians at Eylau, allowing the Russians to retreat and fight another day. While they would be found again and defeated at Friedland, the campaign was a bloody affair. Napoleon won yet another victory over the coalitions formed against him, but not one without cost. And it is that very cost of the war that leads us into this episode.</p><p>With the Continental System now including the likes of Prussia and Russia, the only real way for Britain to continue trading with the mainland was to do so through their oldest ally - Portugal. Napoleon, keenly aware of this, would launch his invasion of the nation, securing it with little effort as the royal family fled to their colony in Brazil after refusing to surrender to the French invader. With it now secure, not many were ready for what came next.</p><p>French garrisons, said to free up Spanish garrisons to allow for the Spanish armies to aid in the invasion of Portugal, turned on their allies. Within months, Spain had fallen to Napoleon in a surprise coup that would see the Spanish royal family forced to abdicate their throne in favour of Napoleon's brother, Joseph, being named King of Spain. And this action, taken in haste as a justification to ensure the security of his southern flank from British invasion, would spell disaster for his empire. For as soon as Austria first heard of France's struggles in the Iberian peninsula - they formed the Fifth Coalition with Britain, and would deliver Napoleon's first decisive military defeat of his career.</p><p>This episode was hosted by Arron Keegan and joined by Hayley O'Connor. The intro and outro music - Strollin' Along - was recorded by David Renda. Join our Discord and follow us on social media by following the links below!</p><p>Discord: <a href="https://discord.gg/ZScNqT8mP2">https://discord.gg/ZScNqT8mP2</a> </p><p>TikTok: <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@thatsoldnewspodcast">https://www.tiktok.com/@thatsoldnewspodcast</a> </p><p>Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/thatsoldnewspodcast/">https://www.instagram.com/thatsoldnewspodcast/</a> </p><p>Twitter/X: <a href="x.com/oldnewscast">x.com/oldnewscast</a> </p><p>========</p><p>Sources & Further Reading:</p><p>- Broers, Michael, "Napoleon: The Spirit of the Age", (2018).</p><p>- Chandler, David G., "Napoleon's Marshals", (1987).</p><p>- De Neef, Jonas, "Devils, Daggers, and Death: Eyewitness accounts of French officers and soldiers during the Peninsular War, 1807-1814", (2022).</p><p>- Dodge, Theodore A., "Warfare in the Age of Napoleon Volume 3: The Battle of Austerlitz, the War of the Fourth Coalition, and the Early Peninsular Campaigns, 1805-1809", (2011).</p><p>- Griffith, Paddy, "French Napoleonic Infantry Tactics 1792-1815", (2007).</p><p>- Griffith, Robert (ed.), "Armies and Enemies of Napoleon 1789-1815", (2022).</p><p>- Harvey, Robert, "The War of Wars: The Epic Struggle Between Britain and France, 1789-1815", (2007).</p><p>- Johnson, Paul, "Napoleon", (2003).</p><p>- McNab, Chris, "Napoleon's Military Machine: Operations Manual", (2019).</p><p>- Mikaberidze, Alexander, "The Napoleonic Wars: A Global History", (2020).</p><p>- Roberts, Andrew, "Napoleon the Great", (2015).</p><p>- Zamoyski, Adam, "Napoleon: The Man Behind the Myth", (2019).</p><p>========</p><p>Chapters:</p><p>(00:00) Intro</p><p>(08:13) Recap</p><p>(14:32) Invasion of Portugal</p><p>(30:30) The Dos de Mayo Uprising</p><p>(43:45) Iberia in Revolt</p><p>(47:21) The War of the Fifth Coalition</p><p>(53:33) The Battle of Aspern-Essling: Napoleon's First Major Battlefield Defeat</p><p>(01:06:35) The Battle of Wagram: Napoleon's Comeback</p><p>(01:15:16) End of the War of the Fifth Coalition</p><p>(01:17:56) Post Show Banter</p>
