Napoleon Bonaparte, now Emperor Napoleon I of the First French Empire, is under attack once again. Britain, in its continued strategy of undermining the French at every turn on the continental European mainland, has formed a new coalition - now the Third Coalition. Austria, Russia, and Sweden now join Britain in their efforts to finally put an end to the bloody French Revolution and oust the new emperor from this throne. A three-pronged attack is planned, with the main thrust coming through present-day southern Germany spearheaded by a combined Austro-Russian force. Whether certain of their success, ill-informed as to the present situation, or hopeful of their Russian reinforcements, Austria strikes too early, leaving the road open for what will become Napoleon's greatest campaign.
While waiting for a hopeful invasion of the British Isles since 1803, French forces along the English Channel coast have been training and perfecting their art of war for years. They are just itching for the opportunity to launch their invasion, but this new threat forces them east. However, at sea, French Admiral Villeneuve is caught by British Admiral Horatio Nelson. Villeneuve is needed back at Boulogne and quickly to allow for the crossing, but he has no choice but to turn and face the Royal Navy off Cape Trafalgar. The humiliating defeat he will suffer here will cement Nelson as one of Britain's greatest heroes and entirely destroy Napoleon's hopes of crossing into and finally destroying Perfidious Albion.
Join Arron this week as he continues his series on the life of Napoleon Bonaparte, this time culminating in Napoleon's greatest battle he has ever fought - the 1805 Battle of Austerlitz. Learn about his new way of waging war that will completely shape military history into the present day, how a single battlefield victory after months of hard campaigning entirely shifted the balance of power in Europe, and how Napoleon finally becomes the master of Europe. And yet despite dealing with this threat and cementing himself on the continent, Admiral Horatio Nelson is determined to put an end to France's ambitions of invading Britain at the Battle of Trafalgar - a battle for which he will sacrifice his life to ensure Napoleon will forever be trapped on land.
This episode was hosted by Arron Keegan and joined by Hayley O'Connor and Conor Daly. 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!
Discord: https://discord.gg/ZScNqT8mP2
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thatsoldnewspodcast
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thatsoldnewspodcast/
Twitter/X: x.com/oldnewscast
========
Sources & Further Reading:
- Adkins, Roy, "Nelson's Trafalgar: The Battle That Changed the World", (2006).
- Broers, Michael, "Napoleon: Soldier of Destiny", (2014).
- Davies, David, "A Brief History of Fighting Ships", (2002).
- Dodge, Theodore A., "Warfare in the Age of Napoleon Volume 2: The Egyptian and Syrian Campaigns & the Wars of the Second and Third Coalitions, 1798-1805", (2011).
- Doyle, William, "Napoleon at Peace", (2022).
- Esdaile, Charles J., "The Wars of the French Revolution, 1792-1801", (2019).
- Griffith, Paddy, "French Napoleonic Infantry Tactics 1792-1815", (2007).
- Griffith, Robert (ed.), "Armies and Enemies of Napoleon 1789-1815", (2022).
- Harvey, Robert, "The War of Wars: The Epic Struggle Between Britain and France, 1789-1815", (2007).
- Johnson, Paul, "Napoleon", (2003).
- McNab, Chris, "Napoleon's Military Machine: Operations Manual", (2019).
- Mikaberidze, Alexander, "The Napoleonic Wars: A Global History", (2020).
- Roberts, Andrew, "Napoleon the Great", (2015).
- Zamoyski, Adam, "Napoleon: The Man Behind the Myth", (2019).
========
Chapters:
(00:00) Intro
(04:40) Haiti
(23:56) Episode Start: Boulogne
(38:49) The Ulm Campaign
(59:49) The Battle of Trafalgar
(01:27:04) Napoleon's Masterpiece - The Battle of Austerlitz
(01:54:39) Post Show
