For the last time in a while, we’re going to be leaving Italy behind for this episode and focusing on events elsewhere in Europe. Specifically, we’re going to cover, in broad strokes, the Napoleonic Wars and the end of Napoleon’s empire, as well as the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire. We’ve talked in some detail about the impact that Napoleon had on Italy. But it’s difficult to truly understand Napoleon’s legacy in Italy without understanding his legacy in Europe as a whole. Napoleon had a profound impact on Europe, a bigger impact than anyone had had in centuries. This was in part due to the incredible scale and duration of the wars he started, but it was also because of how he tore down and rebuilt centuries-old institutions and sought to remake Europe to suit himself. Download Episode 14

We're going to be looking at the Italian army under Napoleon in this episode. The Italian army took part in numerous conflicts, including Napoleon's famous (and failed) invasion of Russia in 1812, and established a strong military tradition were previously there had been none. We'll be talking about how armies of the time fought, the origins and development of the Italian army, its social impact, and the campaigns in which it fought. Download Episode 13