When Diplomacy Fails Podcast

Diplomacy: Britain vs America #11

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In this penultimate episode of our series, we learn how the Earl of Aberdeen managed to cajole, manipulate, persuade and basically leverage every trick in the book to convince Britons and his peers that national honour was not at stake in Oregon, and thus, not worth war with America. Aberdeen's quest paid off with the Oregon Treaty, but in domestic politics, storm clouds threatened to drown out this positive news via the ruin of the Tory Party as it was then known...

30YearsWar #76: The Emperor's Dilemma [1645]

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The Battle of Jankau in 1645, followed by Allerheim later in the year, confirmed that the Emperor could expect few miracles from the battlefield. Bavaria seemed teetering on the edge, making secret moves towards the French, while the Spanish buckled, and the Swedes rampaged throughout the Habsburg Hereditary Lands. Ferdinand III understood that his greatest chances for self preservation lay in Westphalia, and his agent, Trauttmansdorf, was sent with very specific instructions....

Diplomacy: Britain vs America #10

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By the end of 1845, Foreign Secretary the Earl of Aberdeen felt he had little left to lose. The Tory government under Sir Robert Peel looked destined to divide over the Corn Laws, imbuing Aberdeen with a certain sense of fatalism. He would solve the Oregon question, with or without national support, and with the aim of avoiding a war. However, at his disposal Aberdeen boasted several invaluable tools, tools which he intended to leverage to make the resolution of the thankless ...

Diplomacy: Britain vs America #9

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Super juicy diplomacy time has arrived, as we draw from a range of sources to depict the sense of distrust between the British, American, and French camps, twinned with a sense of looming despair over a war which no power seemed able to prevent. In addition, a stunning Anglo-French invasion plan for California, and domestic troubles at home which toppled the British government, all seemed to hint that a new crisis was soon at hand.

Thanksss for listening dear patrons, an...

30YearsWar #75: Westphalian Woes [1645-46]

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The wide range of interests and powers that gathered at the two Westphalian cities each tell a fascinating story. Whether it was the two French agents that loathed one another; the Dutch tradition of representing each of the seven provinces; Swedish desires to legalise its control over Pomerania; Johan Oxenstierna's frequently drunken state, when he wasn't insisting on trumpets blasting to announce his presence; the Franco-Swedish request on having all Imperial estates represe...

Diplomacy: Britain vs America #8

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With the Maine boundary resolved, the final issue of note between the US and UK by 1844 was that of Oregon. Its status had been unusual and contested from the beginning, but with a new President on the scene, refusing to honour old bargains and urging total control of the territory, a new showdown between London and Washington seemed inevitable. But just how far would Aberdeen be willing to go for lands far outside the imagination of the British public? For national honour, he...

Diplomacy: Britain vs America #7

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After a few weeks patting themselves on the back, Sir Robert Peel's government soon came to realise that the Webster-Ashburton Treaty wasn't all they had hoped for. Worse, Palmerston's warnings seemed justified, as the United States became more confrontational, particularly over the matter of Oregon. Meanwhile, the Russian Tsar appeared in London, hoping for a settlement of the Eastern Question, and Old Pam prepared himself to enter government, only to find opposition closer t...

30YearsWar #74: Destination Westphalia [1645]

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After so long dancing around the issue, here we finally look at the moment when the Westphalian towns of Osnabruck and Munster hosted delegates from all across Europe and the Empire. Why were the French so eager to arrive with an enormous entourage? How did the delegates get their mail? How did warmer creatures cope with the cold, rainy mud of Germany? We get into it here, as well as contextualising these key early steps of the most famous peace congress of the early modern er...

Diplomacy: Britain vs America #6

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Herein we examine the months of autumn 1842, where reaction to the Webster-Ashburton Treaty varied and changed as the year progressed. Were the agreements made with Washington the beginning of something special in Anglo-American relations, or did they represent concessions, and the start of a worrying trend, where the US would be given more than they had any right to expect, only to ask for more? You can probably guess where Palmerston stood on the question, but even Aberdeen,...

Diplomacy: Britain vs America #5

The journey to the Webster-Ashburton Treaty was long and painful, but the Earl of Aberdeen would have to persevere if the improvement in Anglo-American relations - and the boost in trade - was to be grasped. The Americans protested over Right of Search, a bugbear to US national honour, and a hint for how problematic the slavery question was to become. France was also eager to assert its own perspective, and made it plain that if war did erupt, French forces would stand once more on the Americ...

30YearsWar #73: The Pen and the Sword [1644]

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Yes, I do still exist! 

In this episode we examine how the French coped with the sudden absence of Sweden, which had turned its attention to the Danes. France had to contend with several fronts, particularly along the Rhine, in the Netherlands, and in Catalonia, but Swedish diplomacy had worked to ensure that Cardinal Mazarin would not have to fight alone, as a familiar face re-entered the chat. Assessing his deteriorating odds, we find King Philip IV of Spain incre...

Diplomacy: Britain vs America #4

In this latest installment, we see how Alexander McLeod's fate was finally sealed. Did he serve as the cause of an Anglo-American War? SPOILER - not quite, but he did compel the new Conservative government under Sir Robert Peel to send out a diplomatic mission to Washington. For the first time in many decades, Britain was knocking on America's door, and the reception was unlikely to be welcoming. As Palmerston scoffed, Lord Ashburton carried the banner for improved relations, and his list of ...

30YearsWar #72: Torstensson's War [1643-45]

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By late 1643, one could be forgiven for expecting Lennart Torstennson, the Swedish commander in Germany, to take stock of his situation and plan for a new campaign in the new year. But such plans were placed on hold, because a letter from the Swedish Chancellor directed him towards a new goal, and a brand new campaign. Torstennson was to abandon Germany, and march double time to launch a pre-emptive strike against the old Danish foe. Why? What? How? Listen in to learn about th...

Diplomacy: Britain vs America #3

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Thanksss so much for supporting WDF! 

By spring 1841, Palmerston was running out of patience. New York remained entirely uncooperative, and Washington refused to intervene in Alexander McLeod's predicament. Unwilling to understand or accept the constitutional complexities of the question, Palmerston raised the temperature, sending a clear message about British red lines. As he seethed, and McLeod rotted in jail, it was necessary to keep one eye on the French. It cou...

National Honour and Victorian Diplomacy

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It's about time I dropped my research on you guys, so in this episode we'll be plumbing the depths of something I've mentioned many times, but rarely taken the time to define or explain properly - national honour. What was it, where did it come from, what role did it play in mid-Victorian diplomacy, and how did contemporaries use it in their construction and presentation of foreign policy? All these questions and more will be addressed, so if you're ready for a chunky episode ...

Diplomacy: Britain vs America #2

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Just when you thought it was safe to step outside of Lockport jail, a New York mob trains a cannon on your cell! This was the situation facing Alexander McLeod in late 1840. McLeod had been deemed the scapegoat by an enraged New York populace, who were convinced he was responsible for the burning of the Caroline. In fact, McLeod had been miles away from that incident, but he had been telling porkies, and these porkies now threatened to create an Anglo-American crisis. How woul...

Introducing Diplomacy: Britain vs America 1838-1846

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Oh boy, it's finally time! Now you get to see what I've been working on over the Christmas break, an extremely chunky and detailed twelve part series examining Anglo-American relations from 1838-1846. Expect fractious diplomacy, war scares, major tensions, close calls and settlements which dramatically affected how each side saw the other, with consequences that are felt to this day.

In this introductory episode, I set the scene and justify my interest in this period, as...

30YearsWar #71: Au Revoir Richelieu

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The Battle of Rocroi was a signal French triumph, but it did not transform the face of the war, either in the Netherlands or in Europe. A Bavarian victory later in the year at Tutlingen made 1643 a year of ups and owns, but of far greater consequence than who won, was who left the scene after so many years. Within a season, Cardinal Richelieu, King Louis XIII and the Count Duke Olivares all departed, leaving behind a war which was to change the face of early modern Europe. For...

30YearsWar #70: Enter Torstensson [1641-42]

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1641 was the year when Lennart Torstensson was finally appointed commander of Sweden's mostly German army. Having hunkered down for many years in the north of the country, Torstensson understood that Sweden had to strike hard against the Imperials if anything was to change. Possessed of a fierce determination and great strategic mind, the new commander pressed his advantage and seized a new triumph in the graveyard of Gustavus Adolphus' most famous victory. Torstensson knew a ...

30YearsWar #69: Maiming Spain [1640-41]

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By 1640, two rebellions shook Madrid to its core, and had a dramatic knock on effect on Spain's ability to support its Habsburg cousins in Vienna. In summer, Catalonia erupted in revolt after years of provocations and intransigence. When Portuguese soldiers were sent to quell the rising, those soldiers took home news of Spanish weakness, and by December, Portugal had broken away, and declared itself independent under King John IV. 

It was plain that Spain couldn't s...

Frederick the Great and the Invasion of Silesia - With Alec Avdakov

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In this episode I'm joined for a great conversation about Frederick the Great's 1740 invasion of Silesia, by a guy who knows a whole lot about it - Alec Avdakov from the Life and Times of Frederick the Great Podcast! Listen in and make sure you find Alec's show by clicking below. Thanksss Alec!

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2022-11-19 17:41:21 +0000 UTC View Post

30YearsWar #68: With Allies Like These [1640-41]

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By 1640, both the Habsburgs and their foes had reached something of a crisis. There were opportunities to be had, if a new campaign could be pursued, but where to find the money, and how to support the soldiers in lands no longer suitable for massive armies? As they sized each other up, diplomacy continued in the background. Could the Swedes and French finally achieve that seizmic victory they desperately needed? 

Could anything plug the gaping hole in Habsburg fina...

30YearsWar #67: The Ravages of War

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War is hell, as the saying goes, but just how bad was the war by the late 1630s, after two decades of fighting? As we learn here, the worst aspects of the conflict didn't come from the deaths in battle, but what went along with the battle - armies that marched over aching, increasingly desolate lands; the ruination of the delicate agricultural system; the acute crisis of starvation that followed, and the spread of disease that followed it. 

The picture was depressing...

30YearsWar #66: A Tale of Two Crowns [1639-40]

King Philip IV of Spain and King Charles of Britain had a surprising amount in common by the late 1630s. Both were presiding over a deteriorating situation domestically and abroad, and during the Battle of the Downs in October 1639, both came off worse than before. 

For Charles, the problem was one of authority, which had suffered terribly following years of wrong headed religious and political policies. With Scotland in revolt, and only pacified with painful concessions by spring ...

The Future of WDF

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When will I be finished the PhD? What series do I have planned to follow the Thirty Years War series? What will patrons get next? Will we ever see a second Delegation Game? all of these are pressing questions, and if you'd like the answer to these and so many more, please listen in here, where I'll be painting a picture all history friends will be sure to appreciate. Thanksss for the last ten years, now here's to the future!

My Ten Favourite Podcast Guests

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After ten years of podding, we've seen a wide range of fascinating guests brave enough to nerd out with yours truly, but who is my favourite? Find out here, in this long-delayed episode, to see if your fave made the cut, and don't forget to track them down in our large back catalogue!

30YearsWar #65: A Tour of the War [1637-38]

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The war which began in the Habsburg humiliation at Prague had arguably crystallized by the late 1630s, and thus begins perhaps my favourite period of the conflict! We now have battles raging in Northern Germany, where Johan Baner's Swedish-German force faced down Matthias Gallas' Imperials. Further towards the Rhine, Octavio Piccolomini watched the border near the Spanish-Dutch war, where Spain poured its resources into a never ending grinder of men and money. With Portugal an...

{FIXED} 30YearsWar #64: Death of an Emperor [1637]

Get 50% off your first month and a week's free trial when you sign up to Perlego with my link! Use the code WDF2022 and access an incredible catalogue of academic and library books - I'd be lost without Perlego, and I think you'll be really excited and impressed when you check them out. Their history co...