We live in an enlightened world. We owe a lot to the men and women of the XVIIIth century and what they gave us. During this period, all over Europe, but especially in France, sciences, politics, literature, art, philosophy and many other aspect of society were being dissected, studied and written on. You know their names: Voltaire, Rousseau, Diderot, Montesquieu, du Châtelet, Lavoisier, de Gouges and others. They are the ones who laid the foundation for the very States we live in, at least...

Probably the most famous French monarch, Louis XIV left a deep mark on France and Europe. Over his 72-year  reign, from 1643 to 1715, he accomplished many things. He conquered new territory, expanded France's colonies, modernized the country, built monuments, created major institutions and became an absolute monarch. Even North America was touched by him. Louisiana was named after him, and many American cities come from French forts and counters established then. Learn about him and the...

The Franco-Prussian war of 1870 is an important but often neglected conflict. Most people don't even know about it. In America,  even history fans go straight from the Civil War to World War I, not really taking into account this major conflict that happened in between. Let's fix this, shall we? We'll discuss the origins of the conflict, its course and its huge consequences. In the last section, we'll discuss some alternative history. What if France had won that war? I think you'll be...

For our second episode, we are taking a grand Tour de France. This is a complete overview of France's 20 centuries long history. It is not exhaustive, of course, but it should help people refresh their memory or get a better grip on the whole of French history. Everyone should then be able to enjoy and appreciate future episodes even more. Should you wish to go directly to specific eras, here are the time codes: 00:00 - Introduction and Antiquity 03:31 - Barbarian Invasions and the Frankish...

On our first episode, we get to meet the man himself, La Fayette. His importance, his actions in America during the War of Independence, as well as in France during the Revolution, Napoléon era and after. A truly fascinating figure! Links to the podcasters who inspired and helped me: Seth Healey: Hugos There Podcast &  Take Me to Your Reader Podcast Lori, Amy, Haley & Kevin: Hugo Girl! Podcast Phil Nichols & Colin Kuskie: Science-Fiction 101 Podcast Jeff Palermo: Sci-Fi on...

In this intro episode you get to meet your host and learn about my goals for this podcast. Why am I doing it? Who is it for? Hopefully, it’ll be for you! The first complete episode is coming soon. Stay tuned!  You can send feedback and requests at [email protected] Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/lafayettepodcast)