The French History Podcast
A weekly history podcast covering France from 3 million years ago to the present. Presented by Dr. Gary Girod, with contributions from numerous scholars.
Episodes
From France to Hungary with Ferenc Hüvös
A brief history of the Franco-Hungarian connections from Saint Martin to World War II
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History Podcasting in the World of AI
Straight from the heart from someone who believes storytelling is a sacred art.
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95: Mary Magdalene's Skull
Two holy sites claim ownership of Mary Magdalene's remains. Only one skull can be the genuine bone belonging to Mary Magdalene. What follows is an epic tale of faith, fraud and the remaking of the European mind.
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Sacred Betrayal: The Catholic Church & French Jewry in WW2 with Dr. Aliza Luft
Dr. Aliza Luft discusses how high-ranking leaders in the French Catholic Church abandoned Jews during their hour of need during World War 2.
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94: La Ville Rose
We're talking all about one of France's greatest cities: Toulouse.
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The Maginot Line Reevaluated with Dr. Kevin Passmore
Was the Maginot Line a colossal failure or an unappreciated work of genius? Dr. Kevin Passmore breaks down its history and its role in France's strange defeat.
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93: The Republic of Toulouse
Toulouse dominates Occitania but who will control Toulouse?
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Naming the Guillotine with Drs. Paolo Aversa & Paul Gouvard
Why is France's head-chopping machine named after someone who didn't invent or use it? Find out!
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Make America French Again with Dr. Scott Carpenter
Dr. Scott Carpenter talks about the historic Franco-American connections & why we should Make America French Again.
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92: Countesses and Queens
We cover a number of great ladies of medieval Occitania.
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Jewish Women & the Memory of the Holocaust with Dr. Ashley Valanzola
Dr. Ashley Valanzola discusses how seven women's experiences in the Holocaust and its commemoration.
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Civilizing Germany? The French Occupation of Germany with Dr. Drew Flanagan
Did France 'civilize' Germany after WW2? Many French leaders certainly tried and Dr. Drew Flanagan talks all about it.
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91: Occitan Society
All about life in sunny Occitania before the Albigensian Crusade.
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Working together: Spain & France in the American Revolutionary War with James Giesler
Author James Giesler talks about Francisco de Saavedra, the man who coordinated Spain and France's joint war efforts in the American Revolutionary War.
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From Public Execution to Penal Modernity by Wyatt Wiggins
The end of our series on violent punishment in early modern France and its empire by Wyatt Wiggins.
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The Empire’s Edge- Exporting Pain to Colonial Spaces by Wyatt Wiggins
Wyatt Wiggins explores punishment and power in the French Empire.
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How Punishment Changes (And Stays The Same) by Wyatt Wiggins
The power of the state in the time of Revolution and Empire by Wyatt Wiggins.
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90: Occitania’s Heartland
Occitania: the land of courtly love, sun and poetry, before its ruin.
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France on the High Seas with Dr.s Christopher Hodson & Brett Rushforth
Dr.s Christopher Hodson & Brett Rushforth discuss their magnum opus which took them 15 years to write: the history of French conquerors, explorers, adventurers & pirates on the high seas.
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Women Talking: Advice Columnists in 20th century France with Dr. Sarah Fishman
Dr. Sarah Fishman discusses two popular women columnists who reshaped French society in the 1950s-onward.
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Assassinating a King in Marseille, 1934 with Dr. Chris Millington
Dr. Chris Millington talks all about how Eastern European terrorists asssassinated the King of Yugoslavia in 1934 Marseille.
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Burning Flesh in the French Empire by Wyatt Wiggins
Wyatt Wiggins talks about how French imperial agents branded human beings as a demonstration of power.
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Becoming a Terrorist with Dr. Jeff Horn
Dr. Jeff Horn talks about how a young idealist spread The Terror in Revolutionary France.
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Making Friends with Germany, 1925-1963 with Dr. Elana Passman
Dr. Elana Passman talks about the French and Germans who tried to bring peace to both countries in 1925-1963.
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89: Provence Part 2
Provence suffers civil war, invasion and imperial intrigue but somehow still experiences a miniature golden age under the Counts of Barcelona.
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Nouvelle Cuisine with Luke Barr
Best-selling author Luke Barr talks all about the French craze that revolutionized what's on your plate.
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De Gaulle's Shadow with Craig Willy
Political expert and researcher Craig Willy discusses the history of Gaullism and its influence on modern French geopolitics.
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Victor Hugo's Shipwreck Lighthouse Cycle by Peter Russella
Scholar Peter Russella talks about lights in the dark and how Hugo depicted them.
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89: Provence Part 1
Time to head south to a sunnier climate and a far different history from the north!
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88: The Medieval Tour de France
We're starting a whole new journey, looking beyond 'France' to all the parts of it that made it, well, France!
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Retracing the French Revolution with Will Clark of Grey History
Will Clark leads us through the sites of the French Revolution, highlighting some underserved areas in his exciting new tour.
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The Acadians Then & Now with Nicole Gallant-Nunes
Genealogist Nicole Gallant-Nunes talks about her work tracking the lost Acadians.
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Fourteen Fun French Facts
Fourteen bizarre and incredible facts about French history.
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Sex & Empire: Colonial Brothels by Marie Robin
Scholar Marie Robin investigates military brothels in the French empire.
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Jacques Cartier and France’s Atlantic Horizons by Elvira Viktória Tamus
Explorer Jacques Cartier's voyages into the unknown mapped parts of the New World, but were also rooted in European geopolitics. Scholar
Elvira Viktória Tamus explains Cartier's place in exploration, war and power.
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Cannibalism at the Siege of Sancerre with Amanda Coate
When there's nothing left to eat, the French begin eating each other: a special episode on cannibalism by Amanda Coate.
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The Flower of Chivalry with C.J. Adrien
Popular author and scholar C.J. Adrien talks about the origins of the chivalric code.
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The Tragic Marriage of Philippe d’Orléans and Henrietta-Anne of England
A story about the tumultuous marriage of two royal figures by scholar Lance Pederson.
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What's Coming Up
A quickie on the plan going forward.
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France's Last Empress with Petie Kladstrup & Evelyne Resnick
Authors Petie Kladstrup & Evelyne Resnick discuss how important Eugénie de Montijo's life and legacy.
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Merchants of Love with Dr. Andrea Mansker
Con artists or merchants of love? Dr. Andrea Mansker talks about professional matchmakers in 19th century Paris.
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Napoleon's American Prisoners with Anne Morddel
Anne Morddel talks about the American sailors captured on the high seas by French ships during the Napoleonic Wars and what happened to them.
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87: The Eternal Prince Louis
Louis VIII ruled for a short 3 years but before that he was the most fiercesome prince in Europe.
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Revolutionary Amusement by Ane Cornelia Pade
Ane Cornelia Pade tells us all about an amusement park in Paris that opened just before the French Revolution.
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Slaves in Paris with Dr. Miranda Spieler
Dr. Miranda Spieler discusses the condition of 6 enslaved people in Paris. Was France the land of the free? How different was it from the colonies?
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Simone Weil in Wartime London by Elias Forneris
Famous French mystic Simone Weil's tragic final years and ideas are explored by scholar Elias Forneris.
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86: Calm Amidst the Storm
Philippe II's reign comes to an end. He leaves behind a France that is stronger than it has ever been.
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World Expos in France with Charles Pappas
Renowned expo expert Charles Pappas talks about the World Expos that made France what it is today.
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85: King Philippe II's Reign
A look at Philippe II Augustus remarkable rule of the Kingdom of France.
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Lesbianism in France with Dr. Tamara Chaplin
Dr. Tamara Chaplin discusses the modern history of lesbians in France. Click here for Adventure Travel inspiration from our friends at Explore Worldwide. Don’t Just Travel, Explore.
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84: The Battle of Bouvines
Philippe II wins one of the most important battles in European history. Click here for Adventure Travel inspiration from our friends at Explore Worldwide. Don’t Just Travel, Explore.
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Making Modern Counterinsurgency with Dr. Terrence Peterson
Dr. Terrence Peterson talks about how the Algerian War led to modern counterinsurgency. Click here for Adventure Travel inspiration from our friends at Explore Worldwide. Don’t Just Travel, Explore.
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Rival Empresses: Eugénie and Elisabeth with Nancy Goldstone
Nancy Goldstone talks all about two rival empresses and how they reshaped Europe.
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Slavery & Freedom in the French Indian Ocean World with Dr. Sue Peabody
Dr. Sue Peabody tells the incredible story of a man who spent decades fighting for his freedom in France's Indian Ocean World. Click here for Adventure Travel inspiration from our friends at Explore Worldwide. Don’t Just Travel, Explore.
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83: Destroying an Empire, Uniting a Kingdom
Philippe II goes to war with England's King John, uniting France and destroying the Angevin Empire. Click here for Adventure Travel inspiration from our friends at Explore Worldwide. Don’t Just Travel, Explore.
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82: Grappling with a Lion
Philippe II wars with Richard the Lionheart for control of France. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp.
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81: The King's Crusade
Philippe II and Richard the Lionheart go on Crusade, though they might spend more time fighting each other than the enemies of God.
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80: Philip Augustus
Philippe Auguste ascends to the throne of France. Half of his kingdom was in the hands of the Angevins. From humble beginnings, Philippe becomes the greatest of all the Capetian monarchs. The French History Podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp
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French-Canadians in America with Denis Ledoux
Denis Ledoux talks all about the trasnformation of French settlers of Canada from French to French-Canadians, then French-Americans with anecdotes from his own life as a Frenchie.
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79: Louis VII "The Young"
A prince groomed for the church ends up on the throne. Louis VII will war across France and lead the Second Crusade, but is he up to the challenge?
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The Green Fairy and France with Dr. Nina Studer
Dr. Nina Studer talks about the absinthe craze and peril in France from the 1830s to its ban in 1915.
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The People's Revolution of 1789 with Dr. Micah Alpaugh
Dr. Micah Alpaugh talks about how all of France and its colonies participated in the French Revolution.
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The Lost Gauguin with Dr. Stephanie Brown
Dr. Stephanie Brown talks about a missing painting by the great Paul Gauguin and how it was found.
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The French in Modern Haiti with David Ritter
Documentarian David Ritter talks about the ethnic French population in modern Haiti.
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Viking attacks on Noirmoutier with C.J. Adrien
Scholar and popular author C.J. Adrien talks about a little-known island off the coast of West France & how it remade the Viking world.
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78: Louis VI “The Fat”
Louis VI defies a king, and emperor and his barbaric vassals to assert his right to rule.
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Beur & Banlieue Cinema by Kévin Drif
A look at 20th century cinema by Arab immigrants to France.
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Mass Surveillance in France & Britain: The Age of the Individual
Terrorists, anarchists and Irishmen! Government surveillance transitions from the masses to subversive individuals.
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Mass Surveillance in France & Britain: The Age of the Masses
The history of mass surveillance in France and Britain from the French Revolution until the 1880s.
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Mass Surveillance in France & Britain: The Aristocratic Age
Part 1 of 3 looking at the history of government surveillance in France and Britain from the Norman Conquest to World War I
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77 The First Crusade Complete
An epic 9-hour long history of the First Crusade
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77 Epilogue: How the First Crusade Changed the World
A retrospective on an event that changed human history.
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77 Chapter 15: Remaking the Holy Land
The Holy War conquers the Holy Land. Caught between an empire and a caliphate, the lords forge their own path.
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77 Chapter 14: The Holiest of Holies
The holy war finally reaches its destination.
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Napoleon's Library with Louis Sarkozy
Louis Sarkozy discusses Napoleon's little-known obsession with literature.
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Madame Tussaud and the French Revolution by Dr. Gavin Whitehead
Gavin Whitehead talks all about Madame Tussaud, the French Revolution and the oddities that ensue.
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History of the Louvre Chapter 10: The Louvre under Siege
WW2 threatens the destruction of the Louvre and its masterpieces
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77 Chapter 13: The Battle of Antioch
The holy war is starved and trapped by an army twice its size. Only a miracle can save the Western armies from dying thousands of miles from their home.
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Occitania
A special episode about the land and language of southern France
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The Desecration of Saint-Denis by Everything, Everywhere Daily
Everything, Everywhere, Daily talks about the French Revolutionaries' attack on one of France's most historic churches.
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