The 'Good' Wehrmacht
The Myth of Innocence in Post War Germany
Did ULTRA win the Second World War?
The Effect of ULTRA on the Allied Victory in Europe, the Battle of the Atlantic, and Operation Overlord
The Lethargic Admiralty
Nelson, Trafalgar, and Reform in the Royal Navy 1815-1860
The Mistreatment of Africans in the First World War
The First World War was one of the first truly global wars. Not only was Europe continually in flames for four horrific years, but the...
Frankenstein and Eugenics
At the time that Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein, Europe was just at the end of the enlightenment, the ‘age of discovery’. There...
Who were the Imperial Guard?
June 18, 2015 marks the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo. I've wrote about this battle and campaign extensively before: here, here and here. This coverage...
Why did so few men survive the sinking of HMS Hood?
HMS Hood was sunk on May 24, 1941 by the German battleship Bismarck, during the Battle of the Denmark strait. Out of 1418 men aboard, only three survived. This is...
Private Enterprise Under the Umbrella of Empire (Conclusion)
For part 1, please look hereThroughout the 18th century, the British East India company continued its expansion into the Indian Subcontinent. Following the Anglo - Maratha Wars...
Private Enterprise Under the Umbrella of Empire part 1
The Honourable East India Company was the British iteration of the several East India Companies which were formed by European powers during the early 17th century. In its...
The United States & The First Barbary War
The Barbary Corsairs (Berbers) were pirates who operated for several hundred years off the Mediterranean coast of North Africa and into the Atlantic. Their primary goal was to abduct westerners...
Napoleon and Taxes
Income tax is a fact of life these days for nearly everyone, but it was not practiced everywhere until quite recently. In Roman times, there was a standard 1% tax...
The Emperors of Austerlitz
November was a busy month, but we're back The Battle of Austerlitz (2 Dec. 1805) is unique in history, in that their were three sitting heads of state present...
Book Review: Waterloo: the Aftermath by Paul O'Keeffe
The Battle of Waterloo was the last hurrah of the Napoleonic Wars. It signalled the end of the centuries of war between Britain and France, and the end of Napoleon....
The Boxer Rebellion Part 2
Following Seymour's failed rescue attempt, Allied forces in the area moved quickly. They took the strategically important Dagu forts near Tianjin, reinforcing their position with thousands of troops landing. The...
The Boxer Rebellion Part 1
China was one of the last great frontiers for the Empires of Europe. It was massive, had a huge population, and the interior had been closed to Europeans for many...
Elliot's Eye: The Curious History of the Executive Curl
A Commander's shoulder boards...
Europe, 1914
Today is the 100th anniversary of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. I will not be writing about the circumstances of that event, it's being well covered elsewhere. I will...
The Bombardment of Algiers, 1816
On March 25th, 1807, the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act was passed by the British House of Commons. Though it did not abolish the institution of slavery initially, it was...
The Hundred Days: The Battle of Ligny
Battle of Quatre Bras, Napoleon battled the Prussians at Ligny. This story starts on February 26th, when Napoleon slipped away from his exile on Elba on...
The French Foreign Legion
The notion of employing foreigners to serve in ones armed forces is an age old concept. These troops had no attachments in their adopted land, so the theory was that...
War Torn Geography: Maps of WW1 Europe
Previously, I've done a piece on propaganda posters from the First World War, but there is a plethora of maps from that era, so here's four.
The Forgotten Battle of Vimy Ridge.
I know this blog's title is Napoleonic and Naval History, and this piece will consist of nothing of the sort, but I felt that this post is warranted when I...
The Nelson Touch
Horatio Nelson was one of the greatest naval commanders ever. He was a strategic genius, and his tactics in battle came to be known as "The Nelson Touch". In contemporary...
Fighters for Freedom: The Irish of Napoleon's Army
Previously, I've mused about the role of the Irish in the British Army (which was over 1/3 Irish at the time). But that brings up another interesting point, what about...
Gunboat Diplomacy: the Subjugation of China
During the Nineteenth century, China was a backwater. The Qing dynasty was nearing the end of its long decline. To European Imperialists, particularly the British and French, China...
A Confederate Victory: How the South Could Have Won the Civil War: Conclusion
When eleven states seceded from the Union to form the Confederacy, they chose Jefferson Davis of Mississippi as their President....
A Confederate Victory: How the South Could Have Won the Civil War (Part 1)
The Civil War cannot be regarded as a Union victory, as the loss by both sides was too great. The Civil War was however,...
The Capture of an Eagle
During the Napoleonic Wars, regiments of the Imperial French army carried as their standard a gilded eagle upon a staff. The eagle was a sign of prestige,...
The War of the Insurrection in Paintings
Here's a little gallery of paintings of the American Revolution (which the British, and other colonials, called the War of the Insurrection)