The Siècle

Follow the money and where does it lead? In the Bourbon Restoration, the financial lifeblood of France was the Paris Stock Exchange, where trading in government bonds made and lost fortunes, secured comfortable retirements, and shook the very ship of state. I'm joined by historian Tyson Leuchter to break down the role of debt and finance in Restoration life. Visit thesiecle.com/supplemental18 for a full transcript. Use coupon code "siecle" at intelligentspeechonline.com to get 10% off your ticket to the 2023 Intelligent Speech Conference — a one-day online conference for history fans, by history podcasters. I'll be among the presenters on Nov. 4, 2023. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

France's economy in 1830 stunk. But what does that even mean for an agricultural, pre-modern economy? And how did this bad economy impact France's controversial prime minister Jules de Polignac? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Aug. 8, 1829, a new French ministry was appointed featuring Charles X's friend Jules de Polignac. This made a lot of people very angry and has been widely regarded as a bad move. Visit thesiecle.com/episode34 for a full transcript of this episode with pictures, links, and 82 annotated footnotes.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

During the Bourbon Restoration, one man's songs were everywhere. He wrote about politics and about love, for the rich and for the poor, and persevered despite the best efforts of the government to shut him up. Meet the Bob Dylan of the Restoration: Pierre-Jean de Béranger — including audio clips! This episode is an interview with Prof. Sophie-Anne Leterrier, author of Béranger: des Chansons pour un Peuple Citoyen. Note that Prof. Leterrier is not a native English speaker. As always with The Siècle, you can check out an annotated transcript online at http://thesiecle.com/supplemental17. My thanks to my Patreon supporters, whose backing enabled me to license recordings for this song and pay to have the interview transcribed. You can join them for as little as $1 per month at patreon.com/thesiecle. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Buffeted by a bad election, King Charles X is forced to appoint a more moderate ministry. Can Prime Minister Martignac forge a middle course before his boss gets fed up with concessions? Support The Siècle for as little as $1 per month on Patreon, or make a one-time donation, online at thesiecle.com/support. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Restoration France had an elected parliament, but its elections were radically different from the voting we're familiar with today. Here's how they did it, from tax-based voting rights to not-so-secret ballots to candidates running and winning in multiple districts at once. Visit thesiecle.com/supplemental16 for a full transcript of this episode with notes, pictures and charts.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

King Charles X's reign was marked by web of conspiracy theories about the alleged role of two secretive Catholic organizations: the Jesuits and the enigmatic Congregation. Let's dive in to what was true, what was false, and why ultimately it didn't really matter what the facts were. Visit thesiecle.com/episode32 for a full annotated transcript, and Patreon to support the show for as little as $1 per month. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many people have quoted a famous quip about the Bourbon Restoration, that "The Bourbons have learned nothing and forgotten nothing." While this is a real quote, more or less, almost everything people think they know about it is wrong. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"The enemy redoubles his efforts," King Charles X wrote in September 1827, shortly before he dissolved the French parliament in a risky political gambit. "However, I am resolved to act with firmness and wisdom and am entirely confident that in the end we will overcome all obstacles." Did he? Let's find out.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A Delacroix painting, a Rossini opera and a Dumas novel help demonstrate the profound impact that the Greek War of Independence had on French art and literature. Visit thesiecle.com/supplemental15 for a full transcript of this episode with notes, illustrations and music.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Greeks go into revolt against the Ottoman Empire — a revolt that fires the imaginations of France and the rest of Europe. The French government reacts with ambivalence, but many French men and women enthusiastically adopt the Greek cause. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A small but crucial group of Restoration politicians were centrist liberals who championed constitutional monarchy against enemies to the right and left. Meet the brilliant and controversial clique who are known to history as the Doctrinaires. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thousands of French men and women fled the country during the Revolution. Who were they, what were their lives like in exile — and how did they handle it when they finally came back home? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I join Benjamin Jacobs from the Wittenberg to Westphalia podcast for a deeper dive into "scrofula," the skin condition whose sufferers Charles X touched at his coronation in a medieval ritual believed to hold the power of healing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Professor Jonathan Spangler joins the show to explain the French institution of "Monsieur" and how it shaped French courts over the centuries. Be sure to follow The Siècle on Twitter @thesiecle, or on Facebook.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

King Charles X begins his long-awaited reign in a warm glow of popularity, but his honeymoon phase won't last forever as he begins to push a controversial agenda for France. Be sure to follow The Siècle on Twitter @thesiecle, or on Facebook.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A famous — or infamous — chapter in Victor Hugo's masterpiece Les Misérables is "The Year 1817," a length recitation of a series of minor events that happened in France in that year. As a special bonus episode, take a dive into that chapter — and see how many of his obscure events you now recognize! To learn more, visit the show's website for abundant annotations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The restoration of the Bourbons also meant a restoration of Catholicism as the state religion of France — delighting some, and outraging others. Not only is religion vital to fully understand Restoration France, it's especially vital to understand the new King Charles X. Be sure to follow The Siècle on Twitter @thesiecle, or on Facebook.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Restoration France as analyzed by an outsider with intimate knowledge of France both on the battlefield and in the salons — Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I'll be giving a talk at the upcoming Intelligent Speech online history podcast conference on April 24, 2021, about the experience of French émigrés during and after the Revolution. Visit intelligentspeechconference.com to buy tickets and use the offer code "siecle" for 10 percent off. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices