When Diplomacy Fails Podcast

WDF 30: The Long War IV

[PATRONS] This is a good one!

Louis II, King of Hungary and many other places, ruled over a kingdom that hid a terrible secret. Not only had his nobility eroded the central power of the Crown, but on his doorstep was a great and terrifying enemy which he was terminally unable to halt. As unbalanced as the power match was, neither he nor his neighbours could imagine what would befall the spectators of Europe following the 1526 Battle of Mohacs. Stop by here history fri...

WDF XTRA #16: Louis XIV's Arms & Armies X

[PATRONS} Here we are now, wrapping up the final part of Louis' arms with a look at the impact of the mortar on the battlefield. We ask how Louis put them to use, why he relished using them so much, and what happened when they were strapped to boats and brought to bear on the barbary states in North Africa. We ask whether we can judge Louis for using them and we wrap up our series by saying a huge thanksss for everyone that supported us over the last few months!

WDF 30: The Long War III

[PATRONS] Here's episode three, a week early for lovely patrons like yourself!

In this episode we examine the War of the Reunions, as Spain finally gets sick of Louis' penchant for milking treaties and history. What follows is a bit of a smacking about of Spain, since everyone else is either busy or doesn't care. By the time of its conclusion, Louis will have grabbed what he wanted, but at what cost? Let's find out, in our last episode in the West before we turn our attention to the goings on ...

Hello my lovely patrons, I have a question...

It's come to my attention that you are all quite wonderful, but that a large number of you have already asked how you can help the podcast grow even more. To you guys and girls and to every other lovely patron, I want to pose the following 5 questions. By getting through each of these, (maybe answer below or email me wdfpodcast@hotmail.com if you want to talk in private) you'll be really helping me out and shedding some light on what you think of us on Patreon. With such feedback I can ensure ...

WDF Collab: Daniele Bolelli

[PATRONS] Welcome to our first collab after Five Weeks To Run Wild! Joining us today is the one and only, Daniele Bolelli, and he and I have a great conversation about all sorts of goings on in the world of history podcasting. How did Daniele get into academia? What's his thought process when designing a new episode? Which medium does he truly prefer? All of these are questions asked and answered here, so I hope you enjoy this brilliant talk between two history podcasters. 

A h...

WDF 30: The Long War II

[PATRONS] HAVE ANOTHER EPISODE BECAUSE I LOVE YOU!

Welcome back my lovely patrons to the post-Nijmegen age of the early 1680s - you haven't been gone long! Herein we detail how Louis XIV planned to get what he wanted and turn the situation around in Europe. The war with the Dutch hadn't been universally satisfying, and to compensate, Louis sought to bring the peace to its logical conclusion. Before war would be arrived at, it remained to push the envelope as far as po...

WDF 30: The Long War I

[PATRONS] TWO DAYS EARLY BY THE NINE DIVINES!!!

I couldn't resist the urge my lovely patrons I just had to share, and we have a stacked week ahead as it is. Remember that you'll have access to the SECOND part of the Long War right away, so go check it out after this, and you'll be one week ahead of the curve all the way through. A huge thanksss again for your guys' incredibly generous support - this is now my part-time job, which is as insane as it is sublime! This wo...

WDF State of the Podcast Address 2Sept2017

[PATRONS] Amazing! That is the best word to describe our situation now. Thanks to your guys' support with Patreon, When Diplomacy Fails Podcast is now officially MY JOB! It's finally happened and I couldn't be more excited to let you guys in on this brilliant news, as well some other great updates, so have a listen in here if you guys are interested! Thankssss to my lovely patrons for making this transition in my life possible. Thanks to all of you, I now get to do what I LOVE for a living, and ...

WDF THINKS: A Tragic Heir

[PATRONS] Hey guys, welcome to the first proper feature episode of WDF THINKS! Here we begin what will hopefully be a common trend, of releasing an episode in line with an accompanying blog post, so follow this link here if you're interested in checking the episode out.

http://www.wdfpodcast.com/thevassalstate/thetragicheir

2017-08-29 17:11:03 +0000 UTC View Post

WDF Xtra #15: Louis XIV's Arms & Armies IX

[PATRONS] In this episode we conclude our examination of the French navy for now, as we investigate the significant shift in French naval policy from that of fighting its enemies to essentially serving as a mass privateer force. How this force operated, the conditions of service and what made it so attractive for would be pirates and lucrative for the state are issues which come under our microscope here. I hope you enjoy the episode history friends, remember to let me know what you thought @...

WDF Xtra #14: Louis XIV's Arms & Armies VIII

[PATRONS] Continuing our investigation of the French navy, we delve into some of the more nitty gritty details of how exactly the French waged war at sea. Why was naval warfare so apparently costly in casualties, but so indecisive overall? Did the expenditure in resources and expenses paid to the intendents and munitionnaires ever see much in the way of returns, and what strategy did the successors of the Colbert family plan to implement to make use of the changing nature of the balance of se...

WDF Xtra #13: Louis XIV's Arms & Armies VII

[PATRONS] In this episode we delve into the watery question of the French navy for the first time in our narrative. Though normally not my forte or interest, I really found all of this detail fascinating, so I hope you guys do too - we examine everything from the problems the French faced, to the vision of Colbert, who was the man in charge of all things navy, to the nature of naval supply and strategy. I hope you'll give it a listen and let me know what you thought! 

Remember Patr...

WDF Xtra #12: Louis XIV's Arms & Armies VI

[PATRONS] In this kind of jack of all trades installment, we examine the question of why the era in which Louis reigned tended to be one of indecisive warfare, and what this can tell us about the circumstances in which armies were sent against those of Louis' enemies. We detail some of the problems associated with arming and preparing armies on the march, and effectively conclude our examination of the military complex on land, to be followed next time with a watery break from the norm, so I ...

State of the Podcast Address 5th August 2017

[PATRONS] Welcome to the WDF newsroom! 

Here we have a very informative episode which aims to bring you guys up to speed on some very exciting news. We are making better use of the Facebook page, and plan to build up a regular schedule of posts over the week to keep our FB followers entertained, so don't miss out! Also make sure you check out the Twitter @wdfpodcast where we'll be making polls and reaching out to all interested history friends. WDF THINKS is incoming, and gives...

WDF Xtra #11: Louis XIV's Arms & Armies V

[PATRONS] Here we return with another Xtra episode, this one looking at the process of the siege, and why it was so fundamental to French security. You think you know sieges? How were they conducted? How did they did so close and not get shot? Why were so much lines necessary? Many hours were spent slaving away digging trenches, lines and walls, and through this work, the map of Europe of transformed - shovel by shovel, fort by fort, day by day. Have a listen my lovely Patrons - let me know w...

WDF Xtra #10: Louis XIV's Arms & Armies IV

[PATRONS] In this episode we delve into the incredible psychological manipulation which was inculcated in the drill. The 17th century was a terrible place to be a soldier, and to coexist with the horrendous terms it presented, the solider had to become something else entirely. Not a man, but a beast. How was this done? This episode examines all of this, and it tackles how this impacted the French armies of Louis' reign, so I hope you'll give it a listen and let me know what you thought.

WDF Xtra #9: Louis XIV's Arms & Armies III

[PATRONS] Here we delve into Louis' arms and armies from the perspective of levying contributions, why you needed to a very wealthy man before you considered a life at the head of an army, and what such an army actually looked like when you broke down the numbers. Muskets, battalions, squadrons, artillery - we unwrap all of it, and explain why Louis' armies looked as they did in the latter 17th century. I hope you enjoy it, be sure to let me know what you thought history friends! 

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WDF Xtra #8: Louis XIV's Arms & Armies II

[PATRONS] In this part of our examination, we unwrap the logistical web which ensured that French armies remained supplied and prepared at all times. We introduce you guys to intendents and munitionnaires, individuals with very important jobs for the overall French war efforts. We then switch gears and look at the supply issues of items like food and uniforms, so I hope you enjoy it! Remember to tell your history friends about these episodes, and how Zack is going waaaay out...

WDF Xtra #7: Louis XIV's Arms & Armies I

[PATRONS] We resume our lives after the intense party that was the 5 year remastered birthday. After running wild and drinking all the cheap beer, we're back for Patrons only for the next 9 weeks, since preparation is my middle name and I love you guys. For these episodes we'll be giving you exclusive examinations of the life of a soldier in the 17th century, of the method of warfare and of the geopolitical ramifications for the wars which punctuated Louis' reign, so I hope you'll join me and...

WDF Rem*: Epilogue

[PATRONS] Sick of me yet? Honestly history friends, I wouldn't blame you by this stage! Listen in here for my rundown on how I feel this whole crazy project went. Five Weeks To Run Wild - was it all worth it, what would I do differently, how was the feedback and what should you expect from WDF in the future. Whether you're a patron or just a regular listener, we've got lots planned, and there's a whole load to be excited about ahead. 

For the sake of closure, for the sake of ending this w...

Thanksssss & Welcome!

You guys are awesome, so awesome in fact that I had to take this exclusive post run photo shoot to show how much you mean to me! Your support over the last few weeks has been incredible, and you've all made WDF such an exciting and rewarding place to be since we began this mad birthday party. We're still running wild for a good while yet, but I just felt that I had to thank you guys for all you've done for me and this baby of mine. 5 years ago I could never have imagined that we'd get this far ...

WDF Rem* 19: Benjamin Ashwell Collab

[PATRONS] To wrap up our coverage of the First Italo Ethiopian War and to serve as our final word on the Remastered project (sniff sniff) we have none other than Mr Italy himself, Benjamin Ashwell. Benjamin's a great guy who's been on WDF's radar since the beginning, so it was only right we got him on for a conversation that sheds true light on the plight of Italy, and delves into issues and questions which my analysis could not. Make sure to check Mr Ashwell out by going to 2017-05-18 00:28:01 +0000 UTC View Post

WDF Rem* 19: The First Italo-Ethiopian War II

[PATRONS] As the war is provoked between Italy and Ethiopia, Francesco Crispi attempts to bring about a victory overseas which would bolster Italian unity at home and Italian prestige in the world concert of powers, but all of these ambitions would be foiled by a tenacious defender far from Italian sensibilities, who, would you believe it, was in fact a lost white man! I hope you enjoyed this, the last uniform remastered episode in this project. Please do get in touch and let me know what you th...