Stay ConnectedWDF examines how wars broke out, how they were concluded, and their consequences. Expect juicy diplomacy, sneaky intrigue, fascinating characters, and incredible drama. By Dr Zack Twamley, qualified history nerd.
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Listen here to our penultimate episode on the Trent Affair, and the moment when peace or war hung in the balance!
After a tense wait, Britain's ultimatum finally arrived in Washington. How would Lincoln and Seward respond to its terms? The Confederate commissioners would have to be returned, and a suitable apology offered, if the British were to be satisfied, but there was room for some manoeuvre. This breathing space was thanks to the fact that nobody was particularly enthusiastic about the prospects of an Anglo-American war, even though many had become resigned to the fact that it was inevitable.
Back in Britain, Palmerston's government was preparing for the worst, while hoping for the best. National honour demanded nothing less than complete satisfaction, however painful for the Americans to grant. They would be courteous, polite and respectful, but the message was a sobering one. War was inevitable if America did not concede. Could diplomacy succeed, and persuade Lincoln to relent at the last moment? Let's find out, in our penultimate episode of the Trent Affair!
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Welcome to our third episode of the Trent Affair, here we confront an important question!
Would the Americans choose peace, or would they choose war? The ultimatum had been sent on 2 December. The restrictions of communication meant that the British would be waiting a while for the answer - as much as a fortnight. But, in the meantime, what did the British government do? Incredibly, the British prepared for the unthinkable: the third Anglo-American war in under a century.
Indeed, the British devised a fascinating war plan. It involved a naval landing in the State of Maine, which would surely see sense and leave the American orbit once the redcoats landed. The defences of Canada would be strengthened, the Confederacy would be recognised and supported, and a wholescale blockade of the Union's ports would be implemented. This would turn the tables on the Yankees, and burn their candle at both ends.
While the British people and government awaited America's answer, these plans were developed, and even partially put into action. Reinforcements were sent to Canada; naval squadrons in North America received new vessels, and imports of war materiel to the US ceased. The British were deadly serious, and thanks to the demands of national honour, nothing less than satisfaction would do.
The Americans could submit, or they could have war. There could be no third way.
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4) Matchlock and the Embassy, our new historical fiction novel, is out NOW! Get it here
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Welcome to the second episode of this special miniseries! Happy christmas and thanksss for tuning in!
When news of the Trent Affair reached Britain, the British cried foul. The Government made immediate preparations to wrest a satisfactory reply from the Americans. Only the return of the commissioners and an American apology would satisfy Palmerston government. The British people demanded justice for broken laws and their dishonoured flag, but what did such ideas mean?
Why was something as difficult to define as national honour able to have such an impact on British hearts and minds? Why were the principles of international law considered so sacrosanct, when the very idea of such a law had only been a relatively new invention? Law and honour were two issues which the Americans could not ignore, and in episode 2 of our Trent Affair analysis, we delve into what they looked like, and what impact each issue had on the development of the crisis.
Don't worry - it's much more exciting than it sounds!
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4) Matchlock and the Embassy, our new historical fiction novel, is out NOW! Get it here
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Hello and merry christmas history friends and patrons! To say thanksss for your support and patience over the last year, I thought I'd give you a special miniseries, set in an unfamiliar but fascinating era. Allow me to introduce you to the Trent Affair, also known as the crisis which nearly sparked off a third Anglo-American War!
In November 1861, an American vessel boarded the Trent, a British steamer, and whisked away two Confederate commissioners who were bound for Europe. The act violated the standards of international law at the time, but more outrageous was the fact that Britain - the Empress of the Seas - had just been insulted.
When the news broke in Britain, it caused a sensation, and to the British Government, there could be only one course: either there would be satisfaction, complete with an American apology, or there would be WAR! How would such a crisis in Anglo-American relations be resolved? Tune in here to the first of five episodes to find out, or access the five episodes in one large block!
**DON'T FORGET TO FOLLOW THESE LINKS!**
1) To support the podcast financially in return for some extra audio content, check out Patreon!
2) To find a community of history friends, look at our Facebook page and group!
3) To keep up to date with us, follow us on Twitter!
4) Matchlock and the Embassy, our new historical fiction novel, is out NOW! Get it here
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By summer, 1630, the stage had been set for a Swedish intervention in the German War. But how did Sweden get to the point where this became feasible, or justifiable? What had caused diplomacy to fail between the Habsburgs and Stockholm? What gripes did King Gustavus Adolphus have with the Habsburgs? Would you believe me if a told you that a tangled web of diplomacy is all to blame? Would you also believe me if I told you that it's an absolutely fascinating story, and one which is rarely, if ever told when people speak of the Thirty Years War? This episode here demonstrates how international the war had become. The Bohemian revolt had mutated from Pandora's Box. There could be no going back now...
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4) Matchlock and the Embassy, our new historical fiction novel, is out NOW! Get it here
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By the dawn of 1630, the Emperor's triumph was secure in the Empire, but now he would have to reckon with the princes and electors of that Empire. They had some steep demands of their own - the dismissal of Wallenstein, and a lasting peace plan which would guarantee their security. The Emperor's wish for a declaration of war on the Dutch, and the confirmation of his son as heir, would have to wait.
Further afield, storm clouds loomed on the horizon which threatened the hard won triumphs. The Spanish demanded a higher contribution from their Austrian cousins; the war in North Italy had turned against their interests, and required more and more soldiers from the Emperor's reserves. The Dutch continued to defeat Spain in detail, and the French continued to finance their exploits. But even worse news was to come.
King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden, armed with a long list of grievances and a large army, landed in Germany just as the Regensburg meeting was settling. He had picked an ideal moment to do so. The Empire was divided religiously thanks to the Edict of Restitution; Wallenstein had been dismissed; the German princes were all wary of the Emperor's promises and weary of war, and on top of this, the bulk of Habsburg forces had been diverted far from North Germany, and in the quagmire in North Italy. All that remained, was for the King of Sweden to land his first blow, and all the triumphs of the last decade could come crumbling down...
**DON'T FORGET TO FOLLOW THESE LINKS!**
1) To support the podcast financially in return for some extra audio content, check out Patreon!
2) To find a community of history friends, look at our Facebook page and group!
3) To keep up to date with us, follow us on Twitter!
4) Matchlock and the Embassy, our new historical fiction novel, is out NOW! Get it here
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By late 1628, the Habsburgs appeared supreme. The Danes were on the ropes, and all of the Empire was firmly in the grip of Wallenstein.
But appearances were deceptive. The Emperor's triumph was assured, but his cousins were having less luck. Spanish problems in North Italy demanded a united Habsburg response. Spain needed all the help it could get in its Dutch War, but it was the North Italian front, specifically in Mantua, that the Spanish seemed most invested.
Wallenstein was even petitioned. He could spare some men, right? Well, actually, keeping the German peace was a difficult enough task, and the Emperor didn't make it any easier! Flush with victory, Emperor Ferdinand issued the Edict of Restitution, a document so ill-timed and contentious, it changed everything.
The Empire had soured on the Emperor and his trusty generalissimo. The Edict was the final straw.
By summer 1630, Wallenstein was dismissed to appease Vienna's court, just as Germany was fracturing internally, and a new threat appeared on the scene. It was the King of Sweden, and Wallenstein had been warning of his arrival for some time. Worse, he was backed by French money, and a France newly freed from its own domestic troubles.
The Thirty Years' War had truly begun.
**DON'T FORGET TO FOLLOW THESE LINKS!**
1) To support the podcast financially in return for some extra audio content, check out Patreon!
2) To find a community of history friends, look at our Facebook page and group!
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4) Matchlock and the Embassy, our new historical fiction novel, is out NOW! Get it here
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The 1628 portion of the siege of La Rochelle was an anxious time for Cardinal Richelieu, as much as it was for the inhabitants of Casale, the bastion of the Duchy of Montferrat. Because of extensive commitments to the French Protestant conflict, Richelieu could spare little for North Italy, where the Habsburgs had become deeply involved. Braving winter snows and angry Italians, the Spanish had rushed to besiege Casale while the French were preoccupied.
But unfortunately for Count Olivares back in Madrid, the very worst outcome to these plans would come to pass. France would emerge from the Siege of La Rochelle by the autumn of 1628, victorious and newly possessed of a large army. Where to send it? To North Italy, and the siege of Casale, which was still dragging on in Spain's name. Far from a one-off confrontation, Casale was the beginning of the end of peace between France and the Habsburg dynasty, a war that had been building - arguably - since the end of the 17th century. Listen into to this dramatic account of the breakdown in great power diplomacy, from fiction author Zack Twamley (wink wink nudge nudge).
**DON'T FORGET TO FOLLOW THESE LINKS!**
1) To support the podcast financially in return for some extra audio content, check out Patreon!
2) To find a community of history friends, look at our Facebook page and group!
3) To keep up to date with us, follow us on Twitter!
4) Matchlock and the Embassy, our new historical fiction novel, is out NOW! Get it here
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Huguenots and the English landing on the Isle of Re presented a serious challenge for Richelieu in the summer of 1627, but it was in North Italy, in the Duchies of Mantua and Montferrat, that the Franco-Spanish rivalary truly began to heat up. Indeed, this confrontation in North Italy would prove to be the prelude for French intervention in the war, in 1635. But not yet! Richelieu had to put down the Huguenots first. Only then could he take the steps on the European stage that would make his name so legendary....
**DON'T FORGET TO FOLLOW THESE LINKS!**
1) To support the podcast financially in return for some extra audio content, check out Patreon!
2) To find a community of history friends, look at our Facebook page and group!
3) To keep up to date with us, follow us on Twitter!
4) Matchlock and the Embassy, our new historical fiction novel, is out NOW! Get it here
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
So, the Thirty Years War eh? What's in it for me, and why do you never shut up about it Zack? Well, if you'll let me, I want to explain why, while I also explain the reasons why yes EVEN YOU will be interested in the Thirty Years War...
If an in-depth examination of the Thirty Years War isn't your thing, how about a historical fiction series set during that era, which will let you dip your toe in, until you jump in utterly obsessed! I recommend you check out Matchlock and the Embassy, the first instalment of my new series which begins in 1622! I'm so excited about it!
Order your copy of Matchlock and the Embassy by clicking here.
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