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1807 saw Napoleon and the British jockeying for influence among the remaining neutral states of Europe. Average people paid the price for this competition.

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Anonymous

Great episode! Can I ask a dispatch question here? Did Napoleon ever consider breaking up Spain into various kingdoms like Navarra, Aragon, Castille, Asturias, etc.

Anonymous

Iberia...finally, the birthplace of modern popular revolution. Brilliant and succinct as always! Thank you.

Robert Fallah

Thank you for the great episode. Like others have said, I really appreciate that you noted the human cost of war, and considered the effects on civilians. One thing that I found astonishing was how badly the French blundered in planning the march through Iberia, especially Spain (less so eastern portugal). Attention to detail and logistics set them apart from their competitors. Their cartographic bureau, for instance, should have flagged the difficulties of this sort of campaign. Perhaps they did and were ignored? Obviously, acces to this sort of information wasn't easily available like it is today, but it still surprises me that the French would be caught so unawares of the climate and geography of a neighboring, allied country. Overland traders must have known about the terrain and known what routes were best . In addition, France had been in multiple wars with Spain going back centuries. Granted, many of these were not in Iberia, but surely there was some operational history which they could draw on. I suppose that if it were truly that easy, they would have been better prepared. Still, it seems like an error, driven by hubris, by French high command. I can see why Junot, personal issues aside, wasn't completely trusted as a good commander would have thought through and investigated the logistics before setting off.

Maxim Beckers

Another great episode, insightful and educational! Already looking forward to next month’s edition!