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The Siècle history podcast Profile picture
The Siècle history podcast
@TheSiecle
A history podcast by @dhmontgomery covering France's overlooked century between Napoleon and World War I. Annotated transcripts on the website!
Nov 9, 2024 • 9 tweets • 3 min read
Oh hey, something I can weigh in on!

The portraits of Louis XVIII and Charles X here are formal portraits of them in their *coronation robes*. This is *not* how they dressed on the regular. It matters what they wore for official portraits like this, of course. 1/ 2/ But Louis and Charles were in an in-between situation — they wanted to signal connection to their Bourbon forebears (hence fancy coronation robes), but also that they were hip and modern. So they wore frock coats and military-style uniforms, too.
Jun 27, 2023 • 27 tweets • 7 min read
So a loyal servant of an autocratic ruler turned his army around and marched on Paris, but the plan failed in the end and now he's either a wanted fugitive or is being nudged into exile?

That's right, it's the story of Michel Ney! THREAD: 2/ Michel Ney was one of Napoleon's marshals, an aggressive soldier dubbed "the bravest of the brave" for his gritty rearguard action during Napoleon's infamous retreat from Moscow.
Feb 13, 2023 • 11 tweets • 2 min read
One of the deeper questions I'm trying to keep in mind as my narrative approaches the July Revolution is roughly: "What was different about the crisis faced by the Bourbon Restoration in 1820, which it survived, and the crisis of 1830, which ended it?" Both 1820 and 1830 were preceded by periods of growing liberal strength, leading to a backlash by ultraroyalists that prompted mass action in the streets. But one period of unrest was suppressed; the other turned into a revolution.
Feb 3, 2023 • 8 tweets • 3 min read
So we're talking balloons? No better time to bring up the 1870-1 Siege of Paris in the Franco-Prussian War.

Paris was cut off from all ground communication. Fortunately, this was the age... of the balloon! The Prussians fully encircled Paris on Sept. 19. The first balloon launch came Sept. 23, carrying a pilot and 276 pounds of air mail. Over the coming months, the French would make 66 total balloon flights with ~2.5 million letters. Only 5 were captured (3 went missing).
Feb 1, 2023 • 4 tweets • 2 min read
Napoleon re-established relations with the Catholic Church in his Concordat of 1801, but he had a red line. "Everything which could lead to talk about that Society [the Jesuits] should be avoided in the journals. I shall never permit its re-establishment in France." Charles X would have given a great deal to prevent talk about the Jesuits in French newspapers! But as I covered in Episodes 22 (thesiecle.com/episode22/) & 31 (thesiecle.com/episode31/), the Restoration's censorship regime had begun to fray by the mid-1820s.
May 28, 2022 • 42 tweets • 12 min read
Have you heard of “The Hundred Days”? That’s the famous period in 1815 when Napoleon escaped from Elba, retook his throne, but lost at Waterloo.

It can be confusing, so with the help of @huzzahmpls & @KevinMarcou, I converted it to a more user-friendly format: Simpsons GIFs. We begin in early 1815. Meet King Louis XVIII of France: