Show notes
Scene One: Sunday June 18th, 11.10 am. Napoleon orders his grand battery to start firing.
About Bernard Cornwell
Bernard Cornwell was born in London and worked in television until he met his American wife and moved to the US. Denied a work permit, he wrote a novel and has been writing ever since.
The 100 Days
The period of Napoleon’s escape from the island of Elba to the battlefield at Waterloo is often described as ‘The 100 Days’. Here are some of the milestones in that time.
What were the first two battles of the Waterloo campaign?
On this episode we discuss the first two major battles of the 1815 Waterloo campaign – Quatre Bras (16 June) and Ligny (16 June). The Battle of Quatre Bras was fought near the strategic crossroads of Quatre Bras, Belgium, on 16 June 1815 between Wellington’s Anglo-Dutch army and the left wing of the Armee du Nord under Marshal Michel Ney. The Battle of Ligny was fought on 16 June 1815 when French troops of the Armee du Nord (Army of the North) under the command of Napoleon Bonaparte, defeated a Prussian army under the command of Field Marshal Blucher. Ligny was Napoleon’s last victory. Blucher’s defeated army survived to play a pivotal part two days later at the Battle of Waterloo.
Why was the whole campaign lost on 16th?
Well, the whole campaign was lost on 16th because of one badly written order from Soult. Napoléon wanted D’Erlon to attack the right flank of Blucher at Wagnele and d’Erlon understood to go to Wagnee instead, behind Napoleon’s army.
What did Colin say about Napoleon?
Colin you wrote – “It is a shame the material is running out – almost makes you wish Napoleon himself could have kept going for a little longer. ” Almost makes you wish? Come now Colin, if the powers of Europe had not tried to invade France and throw Napoleon out again, there would have been no Quatre-Bras, Ligny, or Waterloo, and thousands of lives would have been spared.
Did Wellington meet Napoleon?
Andy – you just completely oversimplified the debate we’re all having here – Wellington met Napoleon and Napoleon lost? Yes, but not because of the “brilliant” generalship of Wellington…as Napoleon once said, it all came down to a bit of luck in the end, and that lucky stroke was Blucher’s appearance on the battlefield at the end of the day. Marshal Grouchy had been charged with engaging the Prussians and keeping them away, and that in the end is what caused the French to lose at Waterloo.
What is a questionably Canadian podcast?
Welcome to the Questionably Canadian Podcast. A podcast where we discuss questions about current events, life, Canada and anything in between. We are a couple of loonies from the University of Waterloo.
How many battles did Creasy describe?
This work is Edward Creasy's best known fundamental work of history. It describes in detail 15 battles of world history , beginning with the Battle of Marathon of 490 BC and ending with the Battle of Waterloo of 1815. Each chapter is illustrated with rich historical detail and a timeline of events. - Summary by Carolin
