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In this episode of The Box of Oddities, Kat, and Jethro unbox a double dose of historical weirdness and cultural curiosity. First, meet Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher—Prussian war hero, chaos gremlin, and the kind of guy who believed he was pregnant with an elephant. (Spoiler: He wasn't.) His wild behavior helped defeat Napoleon but also raised a few powdered eyebrows. Then, we head to the island of Pere in Papua New Guinea, where death isn't just a biological inconvenience—it's a suspicious social faux pas. In these ancient belief systems, people don't just die… someone causes it. Naturally. Because obviously. Ghosts, generals, and a little gastrointestinal confusion—what more could you want?
On this episode of Battles & Banter, Avery is joined by recurring guest hosts Ryan Quint and Justin Voithofer to cover BnB's first dive into the Napoleonic Wars of the early 19th Century by taking on the Battle of Waterloo. Fought on June 18, 1815, the massive armies of Napoleon Bonaparte, the Duke of Wellington (Arthur Wellesley), and Gebhard Leberecht von Blucher converged on the open fields around the village of Mont-Saint-Jean about a mile south of the village of Waterloo, Belgium and proceeded to fight one of the most infamous battles in European history. Avery, Justin & Ryan discuss the battle and the lasting impacts of the final War of the Coalitions, and how the history surrounding Waterloo has shaped public memory of historic figures like Napoleon himself. Enjoy!
La battaglia di Waterloo si svolse il 18 giugno 1815 durante la guerra della Settima coalizione fra le truppe francesi guidate da Napoleone Bonaparte e gli eserciti britannici del Duca di Wellington e prussiano del feldmaresciallo Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher. Fu una delle più combattute e sanguinose battaglie delle guerre napoleoniche, nonché l'ultima battaglia di Napoleone, segnando la sua definitiva sconfitta e il conseguente esilio a Sant'Elena. La battaglia in realtà ebbe luogo nel territorio del villaggio di Mont-Saint-Jean, situato alcuni chilometri a sud della cittadina di Waterloo, nella quale si trovava il quartier generale del Duca di Wellington. (fonti: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXWob8GTIvw&t=201s https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battaglia_di_Waterloo)
I have really enjoyed Michael Leggiere‘s earlier work, including the excellent Napoleon and Berlin : The Franco-Prussian War in North Germany, 1813 (2002), like this work, part of the Campaigns and Commanders series at the University of Oklahoma Press. In Blucher: Scourge of Napoleon (University of Oklahoma Press, 2014), Leggiere rescues Gebhard Leberecht von Blucher from the shadow cast by Wellington (and Wellington’s many and prolific admirers). It was Blucher, argues Leggiere, who continually bedeviled Napoleon after 1812 and who created the conditions for the Emperor’s few but decisive defeats, including Leipzig (1813) and Waterloo (1815) – hence the subtitle. Partly because of the focus on Wellington, partly because of myth-making on the part of German nationalists and military leaders, Blucher is too often presented as a strategic imbecile, a mere hard-charging hussar, deserving of the label applied by his troops: “Marshal Forward.” But Leggiere highlights Blucher’srestraint, his canny retreats, as well as his political savvy, to present a much more nuanced picture. Blucher: Scourge of Napoleon was the winner of the 2015 Society for Military History Distinguished Book Award. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
I have really enjoyed Michael Leggiere‘s earlier work, including the excellent Napoleon and Berlin : The Franco-Prussian War in North Germany, 1813 (2002), like this work, part of the Campaigns and Commanders series at the University of Oklahoma Press. In Blucher: Scourge of Napoleon (University of Oklahoma Press, 2014), Leggiere rescues Gebhard Leberecht von Blucher from the shadow cast by Wellington (and Wellington’s many and prolific admirers). It was Blucher, argues Leggiere, who continually bedeviled Napoleon after 1812 and who created the conditions for the Emperor’s few but decisive defeats, including Leipzig (1813) and Waterloo (1815) – hence the subtitle. Partly because of the focus on Wellington, partly because of myth-making on the part of German nationalists and military leaders, Blucher is too often presented as a strategic imbecile, a mere hard-charging hussar, deserving of the label applied by his troops: “Marshal Forward.” But Leggiere highlights Blucher’srestraint, his canny retreats, as well as his political savvy, to present a much more nuanced picture. Blucher: Scourge of Napoleon was the winner of the 2015 Society for Military History Distinguished Book Award. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
I have really enjoyed Michael Leggiere‘s earlier work, including the excellent Napoleon and Berlin : The Franco-Prussian War in North Germany, 1813 (2002), like this work, part of the Campaigns and Commanders series at the University of Oklahoma Press. In Blucher: Scourge of Napoleon (University of Oklahoma Press, 2014), Leggiere rescues Gebhard Leberecht von Blucher from the shadow cast by Wellington (and Wellington’s many and prolific admirers). It was Blucher, argues Leggiere, who continually bedeviled Napoleon after 1812 and who created the conditions for the Emperor’s few but decisive defeats, including Leipzig (1813) and Waterloo (1815) – hence the subtitle. Partly because of the focus on Wellington, partly because of myth-making on the part of German nationalists and military leaders, Blucher is too often presented as a strategic imbecile, a mere hard-charging hussar, deserving of the label applied by his troops: “Marshal Forward.” But Leggiere highlights Blucher’srestraint, his canny retreats, as well as his political savvy, to present a much more nuanced picture. Blucher: Scourge of Napoleon was the winner of the 2015 Society for Military History Distinguished Book Award. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
I have really enjoyed Michael Leggiere‘s earlier work, including the excellent Napoleon and Berlin : The Franco-Prussian War in North Germany, 1813 (2002), like this work, part of the Campaigns and Commanders series at the University of Oklahoma Press. In Blucher: Scourge of Napoleon (University of Oklahoma Press, 2014), Leggiere rescues Gebhard Leberecht von Blucher from the shadow cast by Wellington (and Wellington’s many and prolific admirers). It was Blucher, argues Leggiere, who continually bedeviled Napoleon after 1812 and who created the conditions for the Emperor’s few but decisive defeats, including Leipzig (1813) and Waterloo (1815) – hence the subtitle. Partly because of the focus on Wellington, partly because of myth-making on the part of German nationalists and military leaders, Blucher is too often presented as a strategic imbecile, a mere hard-charging hussar, deserving of the label applied by his troops: “Marshal Forward.” But Leggiere highlights Blucher’srestraint, his canny retreats, as well as his political savvy, to present a much more nuanced picture. Blucher: Scourge of Napoleon was the winner of the 2015 Society for Military History Distinguished Book Award. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
I have really enjoyed Michael Leggiere‘s earlier work, including the excellent Napoleon and Berlin : The Franco-Prussian War in North Germany, 1813 (2002), like this work, part of the Campaigns and Commanders series at the University of Oklahoma Press. In Blucher: Scourge of Napoleon (University of Oklahoma Press, 2014), Leggiere rescues Gebhard Leberecht von Blucher from the shadow cast by Wellington (and Wellington’s many and prolific admirers). It was Blucher, argues Leggiere, who continually bedeviled Napoleon after 1812 and who created the conditions for the Emperor’s few but decisive defeats, including Leipzig (1813) and Waterloo (1815) – hence the subtitle. Partly because of the focus on Wellington, partly because of myth-making on the part of German nationalists and military leaders, Blucher is too often presented as a strategic imbecile, a mere hard-charging hussar, deserving of the label applied by his troops: “Marshal Forward.” But Leggiere highlights Blucher’srestraint, his canny retreats, as well as his political savvy, to present a much more nuanced picture. Blucher: Scourge of Napoleon was the winner of the 2015 Society for Military History Distinguished Book Award. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
I have really enjoyed Michael Leggiere‘s earlier work, including the excellent Napoleon and Berlin : The Franco-Prussian War in North Germany, 1813 (2002), like this work, part of the Campaigns and Commanders series at the University of Oklahoma Press. In Blucher: Scourge of Napoleon (University of Oklahoma Press, 2014), Leggiere rescues Gebhard Leberecht von Blucher from the shadow cast by Wellington (and Wellington’s many and prolific admirers). It was Blucher, argues Leggiere, who continually bedeviled Napoleon after 1812 and who created the conditions for the Emperor’s few but decisive defeats, including Leipzig (1813) and Waterloo (1815) – hence the subtitle. Partly because of the focus on Wellington, partly because of myth-making on the part of German nationalists and military leaders, Blucher is too often presented as a strategic imbecile, a mere hard-charging hussar, deserving of the label applied by his troops: “Marshal Forward.” But Leggiere highlights Blucher’srestraint, his canny retreats, as well as his political savvy, to present a much more nuanced picture. Blucher: Scourge of Napoleon was the winner of the 2015 Society for Military History Distinguished Book Award. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices