History of France in English's Podcast

This episode, Tom and Sandra look at the Alani, a tribe that makes its way all the way from the Persia to become one of the most dominate groups in all of Gaul. Not only do the Alans invade Gaul, they also defend it and at one point even set up a new Roman Emperor in Gaul. They're a tribe that you don't hear much of in the English-speaking world, but their past is pretty amazing.

This episode, Tom and Sandra explore why English and more broadly, Brit food is saddled with such a bad reputation. With cities like London, boasting 11 million people and more languages than there are countries in the world, there are many cultures represented in both restaurants and cuisines. We learn that the English had a lot of challenges over hundreds of years, but have come through them all with a selection of foods both at home and at the take-aways and restaurants that take back seats to no one. Other than jellied eel. Seriously.

This episode we look at the evidence of decline in Gaul as the Roman empire's grasp is loosened starting in the 3rd Century A.D. We see more evidence of looting, burying valuables, re-tasking buildings and other things that tell the tale of a empire slowly coming apart at the seams and the lengths people will go to try and maintain their quality of life.

Tom and Sandra look at life in Gaul at the height of the Roman Empire. With 21,000 kilometres of new roads built, hundreds of glass, iron, gold, silver, enamel workplaces created, and even a fashion trend export, Gaul and Rome have a barrel of good times. Yes, the Gauls invented the barrel. And then a cocktail party slapdown with yet another defeat of the Royal Navy at the hands of the French.

Hi, remember me? Yeah, it's been a while. Here's episode 40 and a promise for many more in the next year. I'm back after beating cancer (fingers crossed) as well as a number of lesser problems. So here we go, picking up, sort of, where we left off with an episode dedicated to Ambroise Pare, the French surgeon who didn't just modernize surgery but crime fighting and many other things, but apparently didn't help with his hoolahoop invention too much. Thanks to Sandra Richmond for helping out on this one and to the History Podcast friends - especially Zack from When Democracy Fails!

Finally after a long, long, long break, HoFiE is back. We pick up where we left off - with a look at Caesar's Gaul and his relationship with a druid of some note. We also have a Cocktail Party Slapdown looking at a French calvary charge that captures a Dutch fleet. Yeah, you read that right.

Episode 38 is an overview of Gaul as the Gauls were before and after Roman rule. We look at how they dressed and looked, their art and culture and the impact of Rome on the Gauls and on the Romans as a result of the Gauls. And of course, we have a Cocktail Party Slapdown with a shoutout to Zack Twalmey because hey, we're covering a battle from the 30 Years War. The Battle of Lens was the last major battle in the war. France won, of course.

This week we sort of recap how we got to the point we're at and set the scene for what is left of Gaul and who lives there and what's going to happen next. We also have shout outs and Cocktail Party Slapdown.

This week we take a break from the chronological history of France and take a look at the famous Gaul Claudius. Yeah, that Claudius. We also have a Cocktail Party Slapdown with the Battle of Patay of the Hundred Years War.

This week we wrap up the war in Gaul between the Romans and the Gauls and Caesar and Vercingetorix... sadly. The Battle of Alesia puts an end to the Gallic hopes for freedom, but it does mean better trade relations! Also we look at a sad story that spells the end of a village during the Second World War.

Caesar meets Vercingetorix and has a nasty time of it, almost getting chased out of Gaul. Meanwhile in Cocktail Party Slapdown, the French take St. John's thanks to some good planning on their part and bad planning on the British side. And St. John's and Newfoundland are awesome!

We continue our chronological history of France with Caesar still messing with Gaul in 52 BCE plus a Cocktail Party Slapdown and the Battle of Toulon in 1707 - a big French win on land and a bad decision in the harbour. Sigh.

This week, we return to the chronological story of the history of France as Gaul meets Caesar. Of course can't get enough of Gaul and so takes pretty much all of it. We also see Charles 'The Hammer' Martel stop the Muslim expansion in Europe at the battle of Poitiers. He's very sneaky.

We wrap up the look at France's major contributions to science and inventions with a lot of different things and people including work by Pasteur and Marie Curie. We also have the French contributions to the art of war with the Cocktail Party Slapdown and are played into that by a guitar-playing Stephen Guerra of History of the Papacy Podcast. He also intros us and silky-voiced Sandra announces to kick things off.

This week we start off a series of special podcasts on the history of France's contributions to science. We start at the end of the Dark Ages and wrap up this week with advances to the end of the French Revolution. We also have a Cocktail Party Slapdown examining French contributions to the art of war.

This week in the History of France in English, we celerbate the life of a Frenchman who fought for the United States during the American Revolution, designed the first Congress building, the homes of the rich and famous of his new adopted homeland and designed the look of Washington, the capitol, Pierre Charles L'Enfant. We also have a Cocktail Party Slapdown  - the Battle of Grenada, a French Naval Victory of the Royal Navy.

This week we wrap up our look at the Gallic influence in the Third Servile Revolt or the Third Slave Revolt, featuring Spartacus and the Gaul Crixus. We also look at the Battle of Amiens in the Cocktail Party Slapdown but not before Zack Twamley of When Diplomacy Fails introduces the podcast and plays us in to the Cocktail Party Slapdown. Thanks Zack!

This week we look at the History of France in English in the year 73 BCE as the slave revolt erupts in the Italian Peninsula we see familiar faces with Gauls and Greeks and Germans all fighting Romans for freedom. We find out why Crixus and his fellow Gauls went to war on the Romans alongside Spartacus. First off, we're introduced by friend of the podcast, Stephen Guerra, host of History of the Papacy Podcast. The Cocktail Party Slapdown is a follow-up on the slave rebellion with a look at the battle by Mount Vesuvius.

This special edition, introduced by award-winning journalist Randy Richmond, updates us on the latest news from the podcast's favourite mummy, Oetzi the Iceman.

This week, Sandra returns to help out Tom as he copes with the Roman and French names of this episode. We deal with Rome as it tries to settle things on its borders and improve relations with its allies. We also check out the latest episode of A River Runs Through It, and take a gander at the Rhone River. We also have a Cocktail Party Slapdown and this week it's another Battle of La Rochelle. But it's all kicked off by When Diplomacy Fails, Zack Twalmey.

This week, we have a special guest with Sandra helping out with the presentation of the History of France in English podcast. We look at the loss of Cisalpine Gaul to the Romans after invasion by the Teutons and the Cimbri or Kymrians. As usual, some Gauls side with one side while some side with the other. The Teuton forces and the Cimbri are wiped out. In our new feature, A River Runs Through It, the Loire, the longest river in France, is examined in all its glory. Cocktail Party Slapdown takes a look at the French victory of Fleurus, which saw the French Republic forces beat back the royalist supporting First Coalition armies of Britain, Austria, the Hapburghs and Netherlands.

A recent find that matches up nicely with last week's podcast on the princess of Vix tomb is examined as we see warrior graves and the graves of women from the second iron age found south east of Paris, about 100 kilometres. We also add a new segment this week and look at the first of the French river systems, the Seine. And we wrap things up with the Cocktail Party Slapdown, but all of this is preceded by some shoutouts and thank yous to you, the listeners!

We return to the chronological story of the History of France and head north to the centre of France or Gaul as it is known, and check out the resting place of a Gallic princess. We also get back into the Cocktail Party Slapdown with the follow-up to George Washington's defeat to Canadien militia as he follows British general Edward Braddock back up the trail be helped build to aother defeat. Don't forget, we're a listener supported podcast. Please go to iTunes to rank us and leave us a comment there or go to historylab.ca and click on the hofie button and leave us a comment there.

Part 2 of the History of French Cuisine wraps up the special two part series in the History of France in English podcast.

The week is part one of the history of French Cuisine. Who eats with their fingers and who uses a fork. The greasy answer is inside this week's episode and more!

We break away from Hannibal's fight alongside the Gauls against the Romans to see how the Gauls are doing on their own against their nemesis. Hey, they're doing pretty well. And in Cocktail Party Slapdown, The Sow offers some sage advice to the King of France prior to the Battle of Bouvines in the 13th Century.

This week's History of France in English we look at the massive destruction of the Roman army at Cannae and the role the Gauls played in it. We also look at how they got there and why they were so angry when they did.

The Gauls and Hannibal's Carthaginians outfox the Romans again with the biggest ambush in history, which is good because the locals are getting tired of the big hungry army hanging around. In Cocktail Party Slapdown, Montcalm's 3,000 French and French Canadians smash a British-American colonial assault force of 18,000 men in the battle of Carillon during the Seven Years War.

The Gauls and Carthaginians are still showing no love for the Romans as they get down to business on the banks of the Trebia River. In Cocktail Party Slapdown we salute the French Fighter pilots who volunteered to battle Nazis on the Eastern Front. And we thank a fellow Canuck for some kind words at iTunes!

This week in the History of France in English, Hannibal and the Gauls are getting together to open a can of whupass on the Romans in Northern Italy. We also have a Cocktail Party Slapdown and check out Napolean as he bursts on the scene showing off his party dress and getting all fancy with math and stuff like he was Barbie... um. Yeah. He's at the siege of Toulon and he's working on the side of the Revolution, as opposed to the Rebellion.

This week we see how important the Gauls are to Hannibal and why as he moves through the Alps and into Italy, where he will see his greatest victories. Also we hear how the French dealt the first successful attack against the German blitz in 1940. Don't forget to rate us on iTunes or historylayb.ca/podcasts to be entered in a draw for a tee shirt or a labcoat.

This week's History of France in English is a great example of just how complicated history can be. We have Romans asking Gauls for help while beating down on them in Italy. We have some Gauls helping Rome hold off Rome's greatest enemy while other Gauls are helping beat Rome. We have a Cocktail Party Slapdown with religious wars that sort of go beyond the bounds of religion and help forge a stronger nation. And we find out what those pointy sticks poking out of the water in a illustration on the History of Europe Facebook page. See here: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=214831151996297&set=a.194279187384827.64990.178158845663528&type=1&theater¬if_t=photo_comment Don't forget to like History of France in English podcast's facebook page and to comment and rank us on iTunes and comment on historylab.capodcasts. Get a labcoat or a t-shirt - listen to find out how!

This week in  the History of France in English we return to the Gauls out of Gaul and find our favourite people back in the Italian boot and looking for decorating ideas... in a weird way. We also have a cocktail party slapdown and this time it's Vercingetorix vs Caesar. We also have details on a new contest, so check it out.

This week, History of France in English wraps up our look at the roaming Gaul's eastern expansion and their establishment of Galatia in what would become Turkey. We also check out the French progress in the Med during the Seven Years War as they push the Brits off Minorca and keep them off for the whole war. Remember, this is a listener supported podcast. Visit us at historylab.ca/podcasts and leave us a comment or even better, go to iTunes and rank us there and leave a comment. If you want to contact me with ideas for future shows, comments or concerns, you can email me: tom@historylab.ca and I'll get back to you right away.

This week we look at the roaming Gauls as they head on over to Greece and Macedonia and meet Alexander the Great. Then they sack and pillage and finally get chased off and set up house in the area of the Hellespont. Cocktail Party Slapdown is about the sea battle for Minorca and the classic match between France and the British Royal Navy. France wins this even match and a British admiral is executed. If you have any thoughts, concerns, questions or ideas, email me at tom@historylab.ca and I'll get back to you.

Due to a publishing error on our part, we messed up somehow and this didn't get uploaded to iTunes. So we offer you a short but sweet episode of HoFie with some bits about Christmas, including the Christmas Clovis converts to Christianity. We'll be still doing our regular episode this week.

Due to a technical mix-up Episode 9 wasn't properly loaded. The technician has been 'dealt with' and will hamper operations no longer. This week's episode, the Real Episode 9, but called 9A, has a piece about the Brits getting a French immersion program in 1066 and the Romans being taken to school by Brennus! There are also some shoutouts.

This week we have more on the history of France with a look at the flood of Kymrians that entered Gaul ahead of a flood and bad weather in the 400s BCE, forcing more movement by the Gauls and an earlier wave of Kymrians. We also have George Washington's first defeat and a look at the early soon to be American revolutionary general in his earliest days as a commander when he loses to French Canadian forces in the backwoods of the frontier, not far from where Pittsburgh is today in western Pennsylvania. Oh and we have a new podcast called Seemed Like A Good Idea and it's about things that seemed like a good idea at the time and it's kinda funny and kinda informative and you can get it on iTunes or on libsyn or on Historylab.ca so give it a try! Merciiiiiiii.

This week in the History of France in English, we return to the Ligurian question, find Gauls, get back to Marseilles and head on down the oldest road in France. Also we have a Cocktail Party Slapdown with a battle during the war of many names. The French under a commander named Luxembourg win, of course.

This week, The History of France in English takes a look at the first mentions of proto-French or Gaulish peoples with a look at the Ligurians. We also have our Cocktail Party Slapdown with the story of the Saumur Calvary School Cadet defence against 10,000 German soldiers. And a shoutout. And cake and bacon for those that want it.

This week in the History of France in English, Episode 5, we take a look at the copper age in what would become Gaul, specifically we'll look at the life and death and discovery of Otzi or Oetzi, the Ice Man of Austria and Italy. Otzi is the name given to the man found after glaciers melted in the Alps, revealing his body after 5,300 years. He was found in an area that Gauls would occupy later on in northern Italy when it was called Cisalpine Gaul. We'll also have another Cocktail Party Slapdown with the story of the French cavalry along with the Provincial Marine, riding to save the day at the Battle of Balaclava. For maps and more, check out our website, www.historylab.ca and click on Podcasts in the menu tabs.

This week in the History of France in English Podcast we look at the prehistoric landscape of what would become France, the people and animals who called it home and how the folks lived way back then. Oh, it's homey. If you like roaving packs of vicious wild pigs, that is, if not, well, maybe hide in the cave, but watch for the cave bears! Also, we have the return of the Cocktail Party Slapdown where Rommel meets a man called Marie who ruins the Desert Fox's day.

This week's episode includes shout-outs to some of the people who expressed support to the podcast, a special Christmas in the New World focused on French colonies section, a look at an early New World Christmas carol, the wrap-up of the history of wine in France and another cocktail party slapdown with a look at the Battle of Grand Port, one of the biggest and bloodiest frigate battles of its time.

The first episode of the History of France in English features a piece on the history of wine in France, starting about 600 BCE and takes us through the Roman period. There is also a cocktail party slapdown for those of French heritage when challenged by some stereotypical babble on cheese-eating surrender monkeys. Offer this piece of French Naval history with a victory over the mighty British Royal Navy during the American Revolution.