Historyzine 012: The Battle of Blenheim

Posted on 2008-08-27 by jimmowatt

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In Historyzine 12 our main feature is 1704 and the battle of Blenheim. John Churchill (Duke of Marlborough) is rampaging around Bavaria with the Dutch, Hesse, Austrian, Hanoverian and English troops. Gathering against him under the command of Marshall Tallard, Marshall Marsin and the Elector of Bavaria are the troops of France and Bavaria accompanied by various mercenaries.

Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria.

Despite his careful planning Marlborough finds no siege train waiting for him in Germany. The food he requested is not there and various troops have been diverted into Italy and Hungary. Undaunted the Duke and the Prince (Prince Eugene of Savoy) bring the Franco Bavarian forces to battle at Blenheim. In this history podcast I describe the battle of Blenheim and try to show how the various general’s decisions made the difference on that fateful day.

Salamander Cutts

Salamander Cutts

1st Baron Lord Cutts was nicknamed Salamander due to his penchant for always being where the fire was hottest. He was referred to by the Satirist Jonathan Swift as being as ‘brave and brainless as the sword by his side.’ Cutts lead Marborough’s left wing attack upon the village of Blenheim.

In the more general section of this podcast we look at the word Jacobean and attempt to straighten out a few myths regarding the Jacobite cause.
The history podcast review this time concerns the Stanford University series of lectures on Hannibal.
Some of the sources I use for this podcast can be found at Amazon.co.uk in the UK
or at Amazon.com in the United States.

If you wish to comment on the podcasts then please visit the website, historyzine.com or visit the contact page and leave me an email using the contact form there.

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Historyzine 011: The 2nd special from Oudenaarde

Posted on 2008-07-16 by jimmowatt

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The 2nd special episode from the reenactment weekend of 12th, 13th of July 2008 in the town of Oudenaarde in Belgium.
This was the 300th anniversary of the battle of Oudenaarde in which the forces of the Anglo Dutch Austro German alliance managed to achieve a convincing victory over Louis XIV and the forces of the French and Spanish crowns.
We interview some of the reenactors (including Colonel Holcroft Blood’s Regiment)

and try to capture some of the atmosphere of the town square at night.

Hope you enjoy it.

I’ve taken many many pictures of the reenactors in their glorious costumes.
I’ve uploaded a few of them to flickr including a bunch from the parade around Oudenaarde town square on Saturday.
Saturday Parade in Oudenaarde
Photos from the reenactment

and I’ve put together a few photos and little video clips from the parade and reenactment into a very short youtube video.

Some of the sources I use for this podcast can be found at Amazon.co.uk in the UK
or at Amazon.com in the United States.

If you wish to comment on the podcasts then please visit the website, historyzine.com or visit the contact page and leave me an email using the contact form there.

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Historyzine 010: A special from Oudenaarde

Posted on 2008-07-12 by jimmowatt

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A special episode featuring a report from the reenactment of the battle of Oudenaarde over the weekend of 12th and 13th of July, 2008. I’ve travelled over to Belgium and am staying in the town of Oudenaarde as they commemorate this battle from 300 years just outside the town. Reenactors from all over Europe are here with guns, cannons, horses and bags of enthusiasm.
This is only a short podcast and is out of sequence with the series on the Spanish Succession that we’ve been doing. We’re on 1704 at the moment and Oudenaarde is 1708 but I wanted to try and communicate some of my delight at being here while I’m actually in Oudenaarde.

Hope you enjoy it.

I’ve taken many many pictures of the reenactors in their glorious costumes.
I’e uploaded a few of them to flickr including a bunch from the parade around Oudenaarde town square on Saturday.
Saturday Parade in Oudenaarde
Photos from the reenactment

Some of the sources I use for this podcast can be found at Amazon.co.uk in the UK
or at Amazon.com in the United States.

If you wish to comment on the podcasts then please visit the website, historyzine.com or visit the contact page and leave me an email using the contact form there.

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Historyzine 009: The March to Blenheim

Posted on 2008-07-10 by jimmowatt

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This issue features a review of the Richard Holmes book on Marlborough and in the section on the War of the Spanish Succession we look at the march of the allied troops across Europe and take a peek at some of the planning and attention to detail that made this march a success.


John Churchill

Some of the sources I use for this podcast can be found at Amazon.co.uk in the UK
or at Amazon.com in the United States.

If you wish to comment on the podcasts then please visit the website, historyzine.com or visit the contact page and leave me an email using the contact form there.

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Historyzine 008: War of the Spanish Succession 1703

Posted on 2008-05-28 by jimmowatt

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It’s 1703 and all is not going well for the allies. Churchill’s ‘Great Design’ goes awry; the Hungarians revolt against the Empire and the Elector of Bavaria joins up with the French forces to directly threaten Vienna.
Europe
This map should give you some idea of the threats to Austria in this year with armies in both Bavaria and Hungary posing serious threats.

Anneisaman reviews The Missing Link Podcast and we look at the word CABAL.
Some of the sources I use for this podcast can be found at Amazon.co.uk in the UK
or at Amazon.com in the United States
If you wish to comment on the podcasts then please visit the website, historyzine.com or visit the contact page and leave me an email using the contact form there.

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Historyzine 007: 1702, Admiral Rooke attacks Cadiz

Posted on 2008-02-27 by jimmowatt

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In this episode we explore the phrase to gird your loins. We examine the case of Admiral Byng

who was executed to encourage the others and we interview Tony Cox of the Binge Thinking History Podcast.
There’s a shout out for a splendid forum at http://historum.com. I hope to meet up with some of you on there.

In our section on the War of the Spanish Succession we continue to follow the events of 1702. We follow Admiral Rooke into Cadiz and then ponder the black-hearted treachery of Max Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria.

If you wish to comment on the podcasts then please visit the website, historyzine.com or visit the contact page and leave me an email using the contact form there.

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Historyzine 006: Siege Warfare

Posted on 2008-02-07 by jimmowatt

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In episode 6 of Historyzine we look at early 18th century sieges, the changing nature of warfare and some of the reasons behind the reticence to commit troops to a fully fledged battle in this War of the Spanish Succession. We will focus particularly on the great French engineer Vauban, his fortresses and his techniques for laying siege to a fortress. There’s a plan of a Vauban type fortress here

If you take a look at this pdf document you will be able to see some really good aerial photographs of Vauban fortresses that give a fine indication of how it works as a piece of defensive technology.

Finally here’s a picture showing the lines of circumvallation and contravallation and the three parallels the besiegers would dig as part of the siege of a fortress town.

We mention in the podcast one of the finest references on the net for the War of the Spanish Succession www.spanishsuccession.nl and also give a shout out to the Genealogy Gems podcast plus a mention for a site simply jammed full of history podcast reviews http://anneisaman.blogspot.com/
Latest news on the Oudenaarde re-enactment for the 300th anniversary of the battle of Oudenaarde is that I have booked my hotel room and the reenactment will be taking place over the weekend 12th and 13th of July.

Our review this time is of a podcast from the History Network and is an audio tour of a walk around Soho in London.

If you wish to leave feedback on the podcast then do so through the site http://historyzine.com/ or use the contact page to send a form email http://historyzine.com/contact/

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Historyzine 005:1702, taking back the River Meuse

Posted on 2008-01-15 by jimmowatt

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In episode 5 of Historyzine we have a review of the National Archives Podcast Series;
Historical webby gems Harry Lamin’s war correspondence
Harry Lamin
Here we go around Wakefield Prison’s Mulberry Bush.

And

Episode 5 of our series on The War of the Spanish Succession features the campaigns of the Allies against the French forces on the Meuse in 1702. Marlborough is twice thwarted in his attempts to bring the French to battle, once by his Dutch deputies and then by the delightful General Opdam but then engages in a fine series of sieges which takes back the Meuse and reconnects the English and Dutch forces with Maastricht.
Jon Churchill

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Historyzine 004: John Churchill given overall command of allied armies

Posted on 2007-12-23 by jimmowatt

This is episode four of Historyzine.

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In this episode we review Parnell’s History Podcast and History Podcast plus we look at the requirement to read the Banns before a wedding can be legalised.

In the feature on the War of the Spanish Succession the allies are busily arguing among themselves at the Hague trying to decide who will lead the allied armies. The French are threatening Nijmegen and John Churchill who is eventually appointed as leader of the alliance rushes off to try and organise his forces.
The focus this time is upon the Duke of Marlborough and we do a potted history of the Duke and try to get a feel for the genius of this great English General.
John Churchill - Duke of Marlborough

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Historyzine 003: Prince Eugene in Northern Italy

Posted on 2007-11-27 by jimmowatt

This is episode three of Historyzine.

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In this episode we take a look at the podcast series, Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History.
We pick apart the phrase, ‘sleep tight, mind the bed bugs don’t bite’ and of course we have the next part of our series looking at the War of the Spanish Succession.
This week Eugene performs some fancy footwork in Northern Italy and the rest of the allies try to sort out some sort of compromise which will give them an excuse not to go to war against Louis XIV.

Sources for the War of the Spanish Succession

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or, to send a form email visit this page http://historyzine.com/contact/

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