1 00:00:10,800 --> 00:00:27,920 Speaker 1: H B jure, friends and neighbors, ridiculous historians, uh, long 2 00:00:28,000 --> 00:00:31,200 Speaker 1: time listeners and new listeners alike. Welcome to the show. 3 00:00:31,360 --> 00:00:34,559 Speaker 1: My name is Ben, my name is Noel. Oh and 4 00:00:35,560 --> 00:00:37,920 Speaker 1: and we want to, of course give a shout out 5 00:00:37,960 --> 00:00:43,199 Speaker 1: to our super producer, Casey pegram Only today he has 6 00:00:43,360 --> 00:00:46,520 Speaker 1: he has but here in spirit. That is true, Noel, 7 00:00:46,600 --> 00:00:50,680 Speaker 1: that is true. Today is our first episode while our 8 00:00:50,960 --> 00:00:57,240 Speaker 1: longtime friend is adventuring abroad. It didn't feel right. I 9 00:00:57,320 --> 00:01:00,080 Speaker 1: think we're in good hands because we're not alone in 10 00:01:00,160 --> 00:01:04,319 Speaker 1: this endeavor. We are joined by one of Casey's longtime friends, 11 00:01:04,360 --> 00:01:10,880 Speaker 1: our super producer, Paul Decant. I like to think, you know, 12 00:01:11,160 --> 00:01:15,080 Speaker 1: we're we're all friends here. We hang out with Paul. Yeah, 13 00:01:15,080 --> 00:01:20,160 Speaker 1: Paul is solid gold hit. Yes indeed, and uh, listeners, 14 00:01:20,240 --> 00:01:23,960 Speaker 1: you may recognize him from some other shows we have done, 15 00:01:24,040 --> 00:01:26,720 Speaker 1: including stuff they don't want you to know where he 16 00:01:26,800 --> 00:01:30,720 Speaker 1: earned the Moniker mission control only. This is the first 17 00:01:30,720 --> 00:01:34,640 Speaker 1: time we've personified him with a sound effect, So hopefully 18 00:01:34,640 --> 00:01:37,240 Speaker 1: we can we can bring that back. Yeah, hopefully so. 19 00:01:37,640 --> 00:01:40,960 Speaker 1: And you know, Paul, I'm really glad you're here for 20 00:01:41,000 --> 00:01:46,160 Speaker 1: this one. I think you are going to enjoy this show. 21 00:01:47,040 --> 00:01:51,400 Speaker 1: Let's let's lay it out very quickly. Maybe we go 22 00:01:51,480 --> 00:01:56,040 Speaker 1: in with a little bit of biography, because today our 23 00:01:56,320 --> 00:02:00,680 Speaker 1: episode has a couple of primary character. I'm gonna go 24 00:02:00,680 --> 00:02:06,600 Speaker 1: ahead and say, the protagonist for today's show is Napoleon Bonaparte. 25 00:02:06,640 --> 00:02:08,400 Speaker 1: Do you think so? Yeah, Yeah, I guess so. I 26 00:02:08,400 --> 00:02:11,400 Speaker 1: guess he's the protagonist. Yeah, he's. He's sort of a 27 00:02:11,600 --> 00:02:13,960 Speaker 1: he's he's a bit of an antagonist in the big 28 00:02:13,960 --> 00:02:17,480 Speaker 1: picture story. But in today's story, he is the one 29 00:02:17,600 --> 00:02:21,800 Speaker 1: what gets a thrashing. He's sort of an Elmer fund 30 00:02:21,919 --> 00:02:24,240 Speaker 1: character in this one, to be honest, really is. He's 31 00:02:24,320 --> 00:02:28,000 Speaker 1: quite quite cartoonish. Indeed, and we are talking of course 32 00:02:28,040 --> 00:02:32,959 Speaker 1: about uh that Napoleon. The Napoleon, not Dynamite, but Bonaparte, 33 00:02:33,200 --> 00:02:36,800 Speaker 1: who was born in August of seventeen sixty nine, the 34 00:02:36,880 --> 00:02:41,679 Speaker 1: fifteen and passed away in May of eighteen twenty one. 35 00:02:41,760 --> 00:02:43,680 Speaker 1: I did not know this. He was actually born in 36 00:02:43,760 --> 00:02:49,320 Speaker 1: corsica Um and you know which which was actually succeeded 37 00:02:49,360 --> 00:02:52,920 Speaker 1: to France. But he grew up in more of an 38 00:02:52,960 --> 00:02:57,320 Speaker 1: Italian culture and then moved to mainland France and learned 39 00:02:57,320 --> 00:03:00,680 Speaker 1: the French language and went to military academy. Me Rose 40 00:03:00,800 --> 00:03:04,760 Speaker 1: quickly in the ranks, and as we know, uh spoiler alert, 41 00:03:04,840 --> 00:03:10,440 Speaker 1: became one of the greatest conquerors in military history. And also, 42 00:03:10,520 --> 00:03:13,880 Speaker 1: you know, one of the shortest guys in military history 43 00:03:13,960 --> 00:03:17,840 Speaker 1: also always had his hand tucked into his his hoodie. Yeah, 44 00:03:17,880 --> 00:03:22,000 Speaker 1: We've got a pretty fascinating article from our parent website, 45 00:03:22,040 --> 00:03:25,600 Speaker 1: how Stuff Works dot com by Lori L. Dove, who 46 00:03:25,600 --> 00:03:27,680 Speaker 1: recognized from a couple of other shows should give her 47 00:03:27,680 --> 00:03:30,120 Speaker 1: a sound effect like a like a cooing dove or something. 48 00:03:30,360 --> 00:03:32,639 Speaker 1: M you know what, I'm gonna write to her, Yeah, 49 00:03:32,800 --> 00:03:35,880 Speaker 1: see what what kind of because hopefully she doesn't hate doves, 50 00:03:36,280 --> 00:03:38,040 Speaker 1: that's true. We want to see what kind of what 51 00:03:38,120 --> 00:03:41,200 Speaker 1: kind of bird she likes? Okay, fair enough? Uh? She 52 00:03:41,240 --> 00:03:46,320 Speaker 1: wrote this article called was Napoleon really short? And at 53 00:03:46,360 --> 00:03:49,840 Speaker 1: the time of his death he measured five ft two 54 00:03:49,840 --> 00:03:53,960 Speaker 1: inches in French units in modern measurement units as the 55 00:03:54,000 --> 00:03:57,000 Speaker 1: equivalent of five feet six and a half inches or 56 00:03:57,000 --> 00:04:01,760 Speaker 1: a hundred and you know, it's a below average It's not, 57 00:04:02,240 --> 00:04:05,920 Speaker 1: you know, it's it's roughly average for person that time. 58 00:04:05,960 --> 00:04:09,080 Speaker 1: It's definitely on the shorter end of the spectrum. But 59 00:04:09,400 --> 00:04:14,120 Speaker 1: this played into some propaganda for sure, and people would 60 00:04:14,160 --> 00:04:17,800 Speaker 1: say you know, that's where the Napoleon complex comes from. 61 00:04:18,000 --> 00:04:19,520 Speaker 1: It's also one of these things where when you think 62 00:04:19,520 --> 00:04:22,320 Speaker 1: of a military tough guy, you know, you kind of 63 00:04:22,320 --> 00:04:24,800 Speaker 1: want to think of like a hulking, big burly dude, 64 00:04:25,080 --> 00:04:27,560 Speaker 1: and the notion of him being a little more um 65 00:04:27,800 --> 00:04:32,240 Speaker 1: uh slight is a little bit counterintuitive, right, and it 66 00:04:32,320 --> 00:04:34,880 Speaker 1: makes people think perhaps he's a bit banned ham or 67 00:04:35,080 --> 00:04:38,479 Speaker 1: you know, cocky for lack of a better phrase. There's 68 00:04:38,520 --> 00:04:41,040 Speaker 1: there's a funny thing though, because he did not help 69 00:04:41,320 --> 00:04:47,440 Speaker 1: his situation in terms of his perceived height. He surrounded 70 00:04:47,520 --> 00:04:53,159 Speaker 1: himself with very tall soldiers. He exaggerated the effect because 71 00:04:53,279 --> 00:04:56,280 Speaker 1: when he's around all, like if you were to hang 72 00:04:56,360 --> 00:05:00,800 Speaker 1: around uh the Chicago Bulls or something, just hang out 73 00:05:00,880 --> 00:05:03,880 Speaker 1: during the day as you do, you would look short 74 00:05:04,560 --> 00:05:08,440 Speaker 1: because they're tall giants. So it's a compared to interest. 75 00:05:09,160 --> 00:05:13,920 Speaker 1: And he also, regardless of his height, he was notorious 76 00:05:14,000 --> 00:05:20,240 Speaker 1: for having a belligerent means spirited personality. He was that 77 00:05:20,360 --> 00:05:23,760 Speaker 1: militaristic person you are describing. I mean he he basically 78 00:05:24,279 --> 00:05:28,160 Speaker 1: was a dictator. Um. He overthrew the French government, which 79 00:05:28,279 --> 00:05:31,280 Speaker 1: was a revolutionary government that was installed after the end 80 00:05:31,320 --> 00:05:35,719 Speaker 1: of the French Revolution. That the primary concern was just 81 00:05:35,800 --> 00:05:40,359 Speaker 1: kind of big upping revolutionary figures and folks that that 82 00:05:40,440 --> 00:05:44,839 Speaker 1: helped overthrow the Bourbons the monarchy. Um, but they're not 83 00:05:45,000 --> 00:05:48,880 Speaker 1: such a great um efficient government, a lot of corruption, 84 00:05:49,320 --> 00:05:53,040 Speaker 1: a lot of problems. And Napoleon was already off winning 85 00:05:53,080 --> 00:05:58,159 Speaker 1: big military victories during this time and basically set up 86 00:05:58,200 --> 00:06:03,320 Speaker 1: a coup and knocked those boys right out of the frame. Yes, yeah, 87 00:06:03,560 --> 00:06:07,120 Speaker 1: he had at a time a a tenuous script on 88 00:06:07,160 --> 00:06:11,480 Speaker 1: power because, as you said, he was pursuing military goals 89 00:06:11,520 --> 00:06:16,600 Speaker 1: in Egypt. I believe in Italy he was already traveling abroad. 90 00:06:16,640 --> 00:06:21,360 Speaker 1: But today we can look back on Napoleon through any 91 00:06:21,440 --> 00:06:26,200 Speaker 1: number of lenses, and we chose to look at a 92 00:06:26,480 --> 00:06:31,960 Speaker 1: story that is I would say, well, first off, it's funny. Yeah, 93 00:06:32,000 --> 00:06:37,600 Speaker 1: it's ridiculous, apocryphal. Perhaps perhaps it it smacks of um 94 00:06:38,360 --> 00:06:42,240 Speaker 1: legend exaggeration, at least I think so too, um, but 95 00:06:42,400 --> 00:06:44,799 Speaker 1: it it's it's a lot of fun and it involves 96 00:06:44,920 --> 00:06:51,119 Speaker 1: Napoleon being swarmed, dare we say, overtaken by a cute 97 00:06:51,160 --> 00:06:56,000 Speaker 1: little money rabbits, a force of rabbits doing what many 98 00:06:56,080 --> 00:06:59,840 Speaker 1: armies could not. And as the Internet memes are so 99 00:07:00,000 --> 00:07:03,320 Speaker 1: fond of telling us. The thing about Napoleon is that 100 00:07:03,480 --> 00:07:09,840 Speaker 1: he attacked, but he also protect I don't know. I'm 101 00:07:09,840 --> 00:07:12,760 Speaker 1: gonna send it to you. It's it's don't worry about it. 102 00:07:12,800 --> 00:07:16,000 Speaker 1: Can we posted on Ridiculous Historians, Yes we can our 103 00:07:16,080 --> 00:07:21,720 Speaker 1: Facebook community. Yes. Check out our Facebook community page Ridiculous Historians. 104 00:07:21,720 --> 00:07:24,119 Speaker 1: You'll get to meet your fellow listeners. You can even 105 00:07:24,200 --> 00:07:28,480 Speaker 1: see kids pictures of the quister himself, which was a 106 00:07:28,520 --> 00:07:32,320 Speaker 1: bit of a coup for us. Indeed, so we we 107 00:07:32,400 --> 00:07:37,320 Speaker 1: first need to set the scene for this hilarious misadventure. 108 00:07:38,040 --> 00:07:43,160 Speaker 1: You see, Napoleon, being a brilliant military mind, understood the 109 00:07:43,200 --> 00:07:48,640 Speaker 1: importance of not just military conflicts, but of larger diplomatic actions, 110 00:07:49,160 --> 00:07:54,240 Speaker 1: and he was involved in the negotiations of treaties. One 111 00:07:54,320 --> 00:07:59,200 Speaker 1: incredibly important one was the series of Agreements to agreements 112 00:07:59,400 --> 00:08:02,160 Speaker 1: known collect of lee as the Trees of Tilsit. Yeah, 113 00:08:02,200 --> 00:08:07,240 Speaker 1: he had wiped the floor with Austria, Russia and Prussia, 114 00:08:07,720 --> 00:08:12,720 Speaker 1: and basically the Russian Czar Alexander the First just tapped 115 00:08:12,720 --> 00:08:16,800 Speaker 1: out and said, look, this is embarrassing. Um, you have 116 00:08:17,040 --> 00:08:21,200 Speaker 1: outnumbered us, outgunned us, outmanned us, and outclassed us. He 117 00:08:21,240 --> 00:08:24,800 Speaker 1: didn't I'm not quoting I paraphrasing here. Um, but he said, 118 00:08:24,880 --> 00:08:30,720 Speaker 1: let's talk Napoleon. Um. And so he, along with the 119 00:08:30,760 --> 00:08:37,959 Speaker 1: Prussian King Frederick William UM, got Napoleon to agree to uh, parley, right, 120 00:08:38,040 --> 00:08:40,760 Speaker 1: is that the right term? Parley? Yeah? Yeah, they held parley. 121 00:08:40,840 --> 00:08:46,200 Speaker 1: They they met in the town of Tilsit in eighteen 122 00:08:46,240 --> 00:08:50,640 Speaker 1: oh seven in July, after his victory at Friedland's. Yes, 123 00:08:50,679 --> 00:08:55,120 Speaker 1: and that would have been modern day Sovetsk, Russia. Um. 124 00:08:55,200 --> 00:08:57,840 Speaker 1: And what happened was, in order to meet on sort 125 00:08:57,840 --> 00:09:03,360 Speaker 1: of relatively neutral territory, UM, Napoleon and his crew built 126 00:09:03,440 --> 00:09:09,160 Speaker 1: a crudely fashioned rafts that they floated up on the 127 00:09:09,200 --> 00:09:14,920 Speaker 1: banks of the River Niemen, where they met the Prussian 128 00:09:15,040 --> 00:09:17,680 Speaker 1: and Russian envoys. UM. Well it was actually you know, 129 00:09:17,760 --> 00:09:20,720 Speaker 1: the king and this are along with their what do 130 00:09:20,760 --> 00:09:24,439 Speaker 1: you call it a coatry? Yeah, and they decided to 131 00:09:24,480 --> 00:09:28,880 Speaker 1: negotiate peace. Um. Alexander the First said that this piece 132 00:09:28,960 --> 00:09:32,120 Speaker 1: would be just good for the world. Is this what 133 00:09:32,160 --> 00:09:34,640 Speaker 1: everyone wants? So what everyone needs? Although it seemed pretty 134 00:09:34,679 --> 00:09:38,720 Speaker 1: self serving, right, and there were winners and losers in 135 00:09:39,160 --> 00:09:43,560 Speaker 1: these negotiations. And sorry, Alexander the First UM was quoted 136 00:09:43,600 --> 00:09:47,320 Speaker 1: in saying that this piece would quote ensure the happiness 137 00:09:47,400 --> 00:09:52,040 Speaker 1: and tranquility of the world. It's a bold way of 138 00:09:52,040 --> 00:09:54,240 Speaker 1: looking at it, although it seemed a little more self 139 00:09:54,240 --> 00:09:57,360 Speaker 1: serving since they more or less had no choice because 140 00:09:57,440 --> 00:10:01,440 Speaker 1: Napoleon had taken them to the mattress. Is right, He 141 00:10:01,960 --> 00:10:05,480 Speaker 1: Alexander at least needed a way to spin it as 142 00:10:05,559 --> 00:10:09,079 Speaker 1: a win for his government and his people. That happens 143 00:10:09,120 --> 00:10:13,880 Speaker 1: today with treaties in every situation. Additionally, Napoleon was on 144 00:10:14,000 --> 00:10:18,960 Speaker 1: the cusp of establishing hegemony, to absolute control of a region, 145 00:10:19,080 --> 00:10:22,360 Speaker 1: total dominance, and that was his primary concern, was spreading 146 00:10:22,440 --> 00:10:26,680 Speaker 1: French control across the world. And you know eventually, I 147 00:10:26,679 --> 00:10:28,760 Speaker 1: mean he would say French, but he was really thinking 148 00:10:28,880 --> 00:10:33,600 Speaker 1: Napoleonic control exactly. He was a dictator, right. So here's 149 00:10:33,600 --> 00:10:37,960 Speaker 1: what happened in the treaty. Alexander one accepted the reduction 150 00:10:38,200 --> 00:10:43,480 Speaker 1: of Prussia from eighty nine thousand, one twenty square miles 151 00:10:44,000 --> 00:10:47,760 Speaker 1: to forty six thousand and thirty two square miles or 152 00:10:48,559 --> 00:10:52,880 Speaker 1: one nineteen thousand, two hundred three square kilometers for everybody 153 00:10:52,880 --> 00:10:56,240 Speaker 1: outside of Namibia, the United States and mem Mark. Well, 154 00:10:56,240 --> 00:10:58,280 Speaker 1: what did King Frederick William have to say about this? 155 00:10:58,480 --> 00:11:00,480 Speaker 1: And everything I've read. He sure seemed like he was 156 00:11:00,520 --> 00:11:04,120 Speaker 1: second banana to to Alexander the first. Was he even there? 157 00:11:04,320 --> 00:11:07,040 Speaker 1: I think he was there, he was just in the room. Yeah. 158 00:11:07,080 --> 00:11:10,000 Speaker 1: Here's the thing too, that that barge or raft that 159 00:11:10,080 --> 00:11:12,720 Speaker 1: we mentioned that Napoleon and his crew floated up to 160 00:11:12,760 --> 00:11:16,560 Speaker 1: the banks with um had these giant white tents built 161 00:11:16,600 --> 00:11:18,360 Speaker 1: on top of them where he could kind of have 162 00:11:18,559 --> 00:11:21,000 Speaker 1: his UM camp. I guess that was sort of a 163 00:11:21,040 --> 00:11:24,240 Speaker 1: mobile floating camp. And on each side of the tent, 164 00:11:24,480 --> 00:11:27,199 Speaker 1: where an initial on one side was in for Napoleon, 165 00:11:27,280 --> 00:11:29,960 Speaker 1: on the other side was a for Alexander. But the 166 00:11:30,000 --> 00:11:32,560 Speaker 1: Prussians were a little bit salty about the fact that 167 00:11:32,600 --> 00:11:35,280 Speaker 1: their king didn't get an initial and sort of set 168 00:11:35,280 --> 00:11:40,040 Speaker 1: the tone. Didn't then, Yeah, but Alexander one was I 169 00:11:40,080 --> 00:11:43,240 Speaker 1: think the operative force on the other side of the negotiations, 170 00:11:43,440 --> 00:11:46,240 Speaker 1: so I named the reduction of Prussian land. But that 171 00:11:46,400 --> 00:11:52,439 Speaker 1: wasn't all, uh. They also had to create a Duchy 172 00:11:52,640 --> 00:11:56,440 Speaker 1: of Warsaw from Napoleon's ally the King of Saxony, past 173 00:11:56,480 --> 00:12:01,920 Speaker 1: the Duchy past the Duchy right, and the establishment of 174 00:12:01,960 --> 00:12:06,560 Speaker 1: the Kingdom of Westphalia in northern Germany. This solidified his 175 00:12:06,600 --> 00:12:12,760 Speaker 1: hegemony because Westphalia was also harshly composed of former Prussian lands, 176 00:12:12,800 --> 00:12:16,320 Speaker 1: and Prussia itself was going to be occupied by French 177 00:12:16,480 --> 00:12:22,480 Speaker 1: troops until the French government had received one hundred and 178 00:12:22,559 --> 00:12:27,160 Speaker 1: twenty million francs and Um, speaking of keeping it in 179 00:12:27,160 --> 00:12:30,360 Speaker 1: the family or making it all about Napoleon rather than France. 180 00:12:30,520 --> 00:12:34,559 Speaker 1: Westphalia was established largely Um to give his brother Jerome 181 00:12:34,800 --> 00:12:38,200 Speaker 1: something to rule over. Jerome was the Jerome, the first 182 00:12:38,360 --> 00:12:42,000 Speaker 1: of Westphalia. You might not hear as much about as 183 00:12:42,040 --> 00:12:45,600 Speaker 1: you would know Jerome Old Jerome also in the story. 184 00:12:46,559 --> 00:12:51,400 Speaker 1: In addition to these publicly acknowledged aspects of the treaties, 185 00:12:52,040 --> 00:12:54,880 Speaker 1: there were secret provisions. Oh I don't know about this 186 00:12:54,880 --> 00:12:58,000 Speaker 1: many Yeah, yeah, yeah, there were secret provisions. Napoleon agreed 187 00:12:58,040 --> 00:13:04,920 Speaker 1: to help Russia liberal right eastern Turkey. Yeah, if Turkey 188 00:13:05,080 --> 00:13:10,640 Speaker 1: rejected French mediation in its conflict with Russia. Then secretly 189 00:13:10,720 --> 00:13:14,920 Speaker 1: the two the two powers agreed that France would say, Okay, 190 00:13:14,920 --> 00:13:17,480 Speaker 1: you don't want me to make peace with you, guys, 191 00:13:17,559 --> 00:13:21,680 Speaker 1: I'm going to help Russia eat you eastern half. That 192 00:13:21,720 --> 00:13:25,680 Speaker 1: sounds intense. And then Alexander in return promised to join 193 00:13:25,800 --> 00:13:30,800 Speaker 1: the Continental system against British trade. If Britain rejected Russian 194 00:13:31,000 --> 00:13:37,520 Speaker 1: mediation and its conflict with France. Then I'm glad. I'm 195 00:13:37,520 --> 00:13:43,800 Speaker 1: glad you mentioned that because they because these two guys 196 00:13:43,880 --> 00:13:48,439 Speaker 1: got along famously, and you and I found a strange 197 00:13:48,920 --> 00:13:52,520 Speaker 1: turn that their relationship took, because you see, the public 198 00:13:52,720 --> 00:13:57,400 Speaker 1: was aware of these negotiations between Alexander the First and Napoleon, 199 00:13:58,080 --> 00:14:01,960 Speaker 1: and the public really took this in ran with it. 200 00:14:02,040 --> 00:14:04,920 Speaker 1: They shipped them. Do you guys know about shipping? It's 201 00:14:04,920 --> 00:14:08,920 Speaker 1: like like uh fan fick right, where somewhere a fan 202 00:14:09,240 --> 00:14:13,560 Speaker 1: or a community of fans wants two characters to be 203 00:14:13,640 --> 00:14:18,000 Speaker 1: involved in a specific type of relationship. Yeah, specifically a 204 00:14:18,280 --> 00:14:20,400 Speaker 1: bit of a steamy relationship. And here's what we do 205 00:14:20,480 --> 00:14:25,000 Speaker 1: know about the relationship between Alexander and Napoleon. Like you said, Ben, 206 00:14:25,000 --> 00:14:27,960 Speaker 1: they got along famously. Apparently. Um, they spent a lot 207 00:14:28,000 --> 00:14:31,800 Speaker 1: of time together dining during these negotiations that lasted for 208 00:14:31,800 --> 00:14:35,600 Speaker 1: several days. Um, they would be hanging out alone together, 209 00:14:36,240 --> 00:14:39,200 Speaker 1: uh late into the evening. Um, they were seeing hugging 210 00:14:39,200 --> 00:14:43,120 Speaker 1: each other and holding hands. They exchanged handkerchiefs, h and 211 00:14:43,200 --> 00:14:45,520 Speaker 1: even a cravats. What is that like a like a 212 00:14:45,520 --> 00:14:48,400 Speaker 1: little tie. Yeah, Yeah, it's it's like a kind of 213 00:14:48,680 --> 00:14:52,080 Speaker 1: decorative neck like an ascot. Yes, similar, the thing that 214 00:14:52,080 --> 00:14:55,480 Speaker 1: Freddie would wear and Scooby doo ah, Yes similar. Similar. 215 00:14:55,560 --> 00:14:57,960 Speaker 1: It goes around your debt. So he's the thing. Alexander 216 00:14:58,400 --> 00:15:01,440 Speaker 1: UM and Napoleon really dug each other. In fact, there's 217 00:15:01,440 --> 00:15:03,760 Speaker 1: a quote from Napoleon from a letter that he wrote 218 00:15:03,760 --> 00:15:08,200 Speaker 1: home to his wife Josephine, where he said, if Alexander 219 00:15:08,520 --> 00:15:12,520 Speaker 1: had been a woman, I would have made him my mistress. Um. 220 00:15:12,640 --> 00:15:16,080 Speaker 1: So this fan fick thing really started to take off, 221 00:15:16,120 --> 00:15:18,600 Speaker 1: where you've got all these images of of these two 222 00:15:18,680 --> 00:15:21,960 Speaker 1: dudes embracing each other. There's even a few of them 223 00:15:22,080 --> 00:15:27,720 Speaker 1: um kissing, and it really took the public's imagination by storm, 224 00:15:28,120 --> 00:15:31,080 Speaker 1: right they it did, and this was the letter was 225 00:15:31,120 --> 00:15:36,040 Speaker 1: written in eighteen o seven, same year of the negotiations, 226 00:15:36,600 --> 00:15:41,320 Speaker 1: and as far as we can tell, the letters seems sincere. Additionally, 227 00:15:41,840 --> 00:15:47,360 Speaker 1: Napoleon described Alexander in a quote as especially handsome, like 228 00:15:47,400 --> 00:15:50,440 Speaker 1: a hero with all the graces of an amiable Parisian. 229 00:15:50,640 --> 00:15:55,160 Speaker 1: This is awesome, it seems, it seems awesome. And one 230 00:15:55,200 --> 00:15:58,400 Speaker 1: thing we do know is that Napoleon, at least in 231 00:15:58,400 --> 00:16:04,760 Speaker 1: this will they won't they relationship Napoleon was in it 232 00:16:04,800 --> 00:16:08,960 Speaker 1: to win it. He genuinely believed this, but other other 233 00:16:09,080 --> 00:16:13,240 Speaker 1: experts and historians I think that perhaps this was a 234 00:16:13,280 --> 00:16:17,400 Speaker 1: misstep on his part. In a PBS examination of this, 235 00:16:17,920 --> 00:16:22,240 Speaker 1: historians note that this was quote Napoleon's biggest mistake. He 236 00:16:22,320 --> 00:16:26,560 Speaker 1: thought he actually did charm Alexander. What Napoleon didn't understand 237 00:16:26,880 --> 00:16:29,840 Speaker 1: was that Alexander would never stick to their agreement. But 238 00:16:30,080 --> 00:16:33,440 Speaker 1: for Napoleon, the Tilson Peace seemed to be his finest 239 00:16:33,520 --> 00:16:36,280 Speaker 1: moment for him and his empire. He came back to 240 00:16:36,320 --> 00:16:39,960 Speaker 1: Paris in eighteen o seven to a huge celebration, and 241 00:16:40,120 --> 00:16:45,440 Speaker 1: as you mentioned earlier, knowll some very strange and specific art. 242 00:16:46,000 --> 00:16:50,280 Speaker 1: In a way, this thread or this this thought about 243 00:16:51,120 --> 00:16:55,000 Speaker 1: Napoleon's relationship to Alexander continues in the modern day, with 244 00:16:55,800 --> 00:17:01,000 Speaker 1: some historians, such as Frank M. Richardson even syculating that 245 00:17:01,560 --> 00:17:05,880 Speaker 1: he was what we would consider bisexual. Yeah. I think 246 00:17:05,880 --> 00:17:07,879 Speaker 1: that's kind of not given a whole lot of sand 247 00:17:07,960 --> 00:17:11,920 Speaker 1: by the Napoleon historian community at large. But there is 248 00:17:11,960 --> 00:17:17,240 Speaker 1: a book written by that gentleman called Napoleon the Bisexual Emperor. Yeah, 249 00:17:17,400 --> 00:17:20,560 Speaker 1: and uh, we we see this because we love this 250 00:17:20,640 --> 00:17:27,400 Speaker 1: idea of these great state powers becoming buddy buddy, and 251 00:17:28,400 --> 00:17:31,560 Speaker 1: you know, I hope they at least got along. Even 252 00:17:31,600 --> 00:17:35,200 Speaker 1: though it sounds like many historians think Alexander the First 253 00:17:35,280 --> 00:17:38,920 Speaker 1: was playing Napoleon, I hope there was a spark that, 254 00:17:39,040 --> 00:17:41,679 Speaker 1: oh my god, I'm shipping them right, I'm doing it. 255 00:17:42,080 --> 00:17:46,160 Speaker 1: I want I want some actual Napoleon Alexander fan fick 256 00:17:46,800 --> 00:17:49,000 Speaker 1: to surface, ween to look into that and see if 257 00:17:49,000 --> 00:17:55,760 Speaker 1: any of that exists. But here's the thing. Alexander did 258 00:17:56,280 --> 00:18:00,240 Speaker 1: give Napoleon something pretty sweet, aside from you know, giving 259 00:18:00,320 --> 00:18:03,760 Speaker 1: up a whole crap ton of his land. Um. He 260 00:18:03,760 --> 00:18:08,240 Speaker 1: he had the church, the Russian Orthodox Church withdraw uh 261 00:18:08,280 --> 00:18:12,199 Speaker 1: this notion of Napoleon as being the Antichrist. In eighteen 262 00:18:12,200 --> 00:18:16,400 Speaker 1: o six there had been a public um proclamation uh 263 00:18:16,440 --> 00:18:20,439 Speaker 1: an anathemization of Napoleon as being the Antichrist, And that 264 00:18:20,560 --> 00:18:23,000 Speaker 1: largely had to do with I didn't know this, ben Um. 265 00:18:23,200 --> 00:18:26,000 Speaker 1: Napoleon in his earlier years, those of those battles we 266 00:18:26,000 --> 00:18:29,320 Speaker 1: were talking about in Egypt and Italy, he saw the 267 00:18:29,359 --> 00:18:34,040 Speaker 1: plight of the Jewish people and was quite a friend 268 00:18:34,119 --> 00:18:36,960 Speaker 1: to them, and UM it took a lot of steps 269 00:18:37,040 --> 00:18:41,520 Speaker 1: to essentially um free them from some of the restrictions 270 00:18:41,560 --> 00:18:44,480 Speaker 1: placed on them in that society, and that did not 271 00:18:44,600 --> 00:18:47,800 Speaker 1: go over well, uh in in certain parts of Europe, 272 00:18:47,800 --> 00:18:52,160 Speaker 1: because there was a lot of anti Semitism, Yeah, widespread discrimination, 273 00:18:53,040 --> 00:18:57,840 Speaker 1: active pogroms in the ghettos. Yeah yeah, yeah, discrimination terms 274 00:18:57,880 --> 00:19:00,440 Speaker 1: of housing, which jobs you could have, where you would live. 275 00:19:01,160 --> 00:19:05,280 Speaker 1: And so he got this ranking or he got this 276 00:19:05,400 --> 00:19:09,399 Speaker 1: opprobrium heaped on him because he was doing a decent things, 277 00:19:09,960 --> 00:19:12,080 Speaker 1: which again I think of him as being kind of 278 00:19:12,080 --> 00:19:17,440 Speaker 1: this megalomaniacal dictator dude. Um. And you know, it turns 279 00:19:17,480 --> 00:19:21,560 Speaker 1: out he did do some pretty forward thinking stuff. Yeah. 280 00:19:21,720 --> 00:19:26,640 Speaker 1: And he wasn't all uh doom and gloom and blood 281 00:19:26,680 --> 00:19:30,240 Speaker 1: and treasure. He liked to celebrate, he liked to unwind, 282 00:19:30,280 --> 00:19:31,919 Speaker 1: He like to have a good time, especially after he 283 00:19:31,960 --> 00:19:35,080 Speaker 1: felt he had earned some time off. He's a work hard, 284 00:19:35,119 --> 00:19:37,080 Speaker 1: play hard type of dude. And we finally made it 285 00:19:37,119 --> 00:19:39,480 Speaker 1: to the subject today's episode. We have finally made it 286 00:19:39,520 --> 00:19:43,399 Speaker 1: to the summer of eighteen o seven. After signing the 287 00:19:43,440 --> 00:19:49,600 Speaker 1: Treaties of Tilsa and perhaps having some uh more than 288 00:19:49,680 --> 00:19:54,719 Speaker 1: friendly feelings towards his buddy Alexander this are, he decided 289 00:19:54,760 --> 00:19:57,880 Speaker 1: to celebrate the signing by going off and having some 290 00:19:58,040 --> 00:20:00,399 Speaker 1: rabbit hunting. He said, that's sort of want to do. 291 00:20:00,720 --> 00:20:03,000 Speaker 1: I want to relax. I want to shoot some rabbits, 292 00:20:03,280 --> 00:20:07,440 Speaker 1: and he pointed at his chief of staff. I'm speculating 293 00:20:07,440 --> 00:20:09,359 Speaker 1: a little bit here, but I like to imagine him 294 00:20:09,400 --> 00:20:11,920 Speaker 1: pointing to his chief of staff. Oh, you know what, 295 00:20:12,560 --> 00:20:16,119 Speaker 1: let's let's have a Casey on the case here. Hey, Casey, 296 00:20:16,200 --> 00:20:27,240 Speaker 1: how do you pronounce Alexander Berthier? Oh? Wow, Hey guys, 297 00:20:28,200 --> 00:20:30,080 Speaker 1: I don't know how you found me. I've got like 298 00:20:30,119 --> 00:20:34,760 Speaker 1: a different simcard, phone number and stuff over here. Um, 299 00:20:34,760 --> 00:20:38,560 Speaker 1: not exactly looking to be contacted, but anyway, since you 300 00:20:38,600 --> 00:20:40,960 Speaker 1: did manage to get a hold of me, uh, you 301 00:20:41,080 --> 00:20:48,159 Speaker 1: pronounced it as such Alexander Deltier. Now, if you'll excuse me, 302 00:20:48,240 --> 00:20:50,440 Speaker 1: I'm I'm writing the metro right now, I'm gonna miss 303 00:20:50,440 --> 00:20:54,480 Speaker 1: my stop. So, um do your favorite loses number? All right? 304 00:20:54,880 --> 00:21:01,200 Speaker 1: I thought you want to get back? Ah man, I'm sorry. 305 00:21:02,320 --> 00:21:05,160 Speaker 1: We should have just let let you chill. Sorry, dude, 306 00:21:05,520 --> 00:21:11,199 Speaker 1: that's been Casey on the case. We're going to be 307 00:21:11,200 --> 00:21:13,280 Speaker 1: in the doghouse for that one. We should probably let 308 00:21:13,320 --> 00:21:15,240 Speaker 1: him do his thing. But hopefully he'll still send this 309 00:21:15,359 --> 00:21:18,360 Speaker 1: one of those sweet audio postcards we keep teasing, so 310 00:21:19,119 --> 00:21:22,520 Speaker 1: as we were speculating, as as I'm daydreaming this moment. 311 00:21:22,680 --> 00:21:27,240 Speaker 1: He points at Alexander Birthdier and says, rabbits, get it done. 312 00:21:27,359 --> 00:21:31,679 Speaker 1: I'm hunting them. Be very very quiet. Perhaps, Yeah, there 313 00:21:31,720 --> 00:21:34,080 Speaker 1: we go, kind of going back to Elmer Fudd idea. 314 00:21:34,320 --> 00:21:39,640 Speaker 1: And also for people who want to grasp of Napoleon's 315 00:21:39,680 --> 00:21:44,359 Speaker 1: personality at this moment, think about those interviews you've read 316 00:21:44,520 --> 00:21:48,840 Speaker 1: about the way Prince the musician would interact with people. 317 00:21:49,000 --> 00:21:51,040 Speaker 1: It's like, get me three girafts in a mountain lion 318 00:21:51,480 --> 00:21:55,640 Speaker 1: stat Yeah, and and it's not malevolent, it's just I 319 00:21:55,680 --> 00:21:58,760 Speaker 1: asked for it, because therefore it will happen. Have you 320 00:21:58,800 --> 00:22:00,200 Speaker 1: seen have you seen that bit in the new John 321 00:22:00,240 --> 00:22:02,480 Speaker 1: Mulaney stand up where he's talking about Mick Jagger and 322 00:22:02,520 --> 00:22:06,879 Speaker 1: he's like, no, ye, give me a coke, and then 323 00:22:06,920 --> 00:22:09,639 Speaker 1: the coke just appears in his hand like that funny, 324 00:22:09,920 --> 00:22:14,240 Speaker 1: not funny, No, that's that. Yeah, that's probably how Napoleon talked. 325 00:22:14,320 --> 00:22:20,560 Speaker 1: He also said, he's also we're pointing vehemently, so yeah, 326 00:22:20,600 --> 00:22:22,760 Speaker 1: he gets this guy, his chief of staff, his his 327 00:22:22,880 --> 00:22:26,320 Speaker 1: major domo, his number one dude to fetch him some 328 00:22:26,480 --> 00:22:30,000 Speaker 1: rabbits and not being one to half ask anything. I 329 00:22:30,040 --> 00:22:35,560 Speaker 1: guess this guy reportedly um got quite a lot of 330 00:22:35,560 --> 00:22:38,840 Speaker 1: these little creatures, didn't he Ben, Yes, Louis Alexander at 331 00:22:38,880 --> 00:22:43,280 Speaker 1: both Ya. That's not like a dozen rabbits, but somewhere 332 00:22:43,320 --> 00:22:46,720 Speaker 1: between hundreds and more than a thousand. It's tough to 333 00:22:46,720 --> 00:22:50,440 Speaker 1: find a specific number, but we do know the ballpark, 334 00:22:50,760 --> 00:22:55,080 Speaker 1: and the ballpark is at least several hundreds of rabbits. 335 00:22:55,200 --> 00:22:59,320 Speaker 1: And the reason he did this, this is this is 336 00:22:59,359 --> 00:23:01,480 Speaker 1: my thinking. Tell me when you think about this. The 337 00:23:01,520 --> 00:23:03,840 Speaker 1: reason he did this is because he was, as he said, 338 00:23:03,840 --> 00:23:05,959 Speaker 1: a real go get her. He's chief of staff. The 339 00:23:06,040 --> 00:23:08,320 Speaker 1: worst thing that could happen is for him to get, 340 00:23:08,520 --> 00:23:12,040 Speaker 1: you know, a dozen rabbits and for Napoleon not to 341 00:23:12,080 --> 00:23:15,080 Speaker 1: be able to find any, because they're just gonna let 342 00:23:15,119 --> 00:23:17,560 Speaker 1: them loose in the woods. They're not going to hold 343 00:23:17,600 --> 00:23:19,760 Speaker 1: them by the neck and have Napoleon, you know, bop 344 00:23:19,800 --> 00:23:22,280 Speaker 1: them on the head. There's a pretty fantastic account of 345 00:23:22,320 --> 00:23:25,840 Speaker 1: what happened next from the Liverpool Harold from April six 346 00:23:25,920 --> 00:23:28,800 Speaker 1: of nineteen o one, and it references one of Napoleon's 347 00:23:28,840 --> 00:23:34,200 Speaker 1: general's t ball. Yeah yeah, I'm like in that yeah um. 348 00:23:34,240 --> 00:23:37,480 Speaker 1: And he did not apparently think too highly of Berthier. 349 00:23:37,840 --> 00:23:41,640 Speaker 1: He harbored a quote hearty contempt um for Berthier, who 350 00:23:41,680 --> 00:23:44,919 Speaker 1: he regarded as a toady. I love toady, sort of 351 00:23:44,920 --> 00:23:47,960 Speaker 1: a kiss ass yeah kiss, and a carpet knight. I 352 00:23:48,000 --> 00:23:49,840 Speaker 1: don't know that one, but I can picture it. I 353 00:23:49,880 --> 00:23:52,760 Speaker 1: wonder if it's like paper paper tiger maybe, or maybe 354 00:23:52,800 --> 00:23:55,760 Speaker 1: it means someone who is a knight entitle but has 355 00:23:55,920 --> 00:23:58,720 Speaker 1: very little knowledge of actual fighting. I'm like in that one, 356 00:23:58,760 --> 00:24:02,480 Speaker 1: bad um. So the Marshal, I'm gonna quote from this article. 357 00:24:02,520 --> 00:24:04,480 Speaker 1: The Marshal, in the early days of the Empire invited 358 00:24:04,560 --> 00:24:07,800 Speaker 1: his master to a rabbit shoot on his estate and 359 00:24:07,920 --> 00:24:12,000 Speaker 1: bought a thousand of these animals to furnish sport. But 360 00:24:12,040 --> 00:24:14,080 Speaker 1: how can I tell it or be believed? Says Baron 361 00:24:14,160 --> 00:24:16,920 Speaker 1: Thibout in his memoir which have just been published. All 362 00:24:16,960 --> 00:24:19,680 Speaker 1: those rabbits, which should have tried in vain, even by 363 00:24:19,720 --> 00:24:23,080 Speaker 1: scattering themselves to escape the shots which the August Hand 364 00:24:23,280 --> 00:24:27,560 Speaker 1: destined for them, suddenly collected first in knots, then in 365 00:24:27,640 --> 00:24:30,720 Speaker 1: a body. Instead of having recourse to a useless fight, 366 00:24:31,040 --> 00:24:33,960 Speaker 1: they all faced about, and in an instant, the whole 367 00:24:34,160 --> 00:24:38,800 Speaker 1: phalanx flung itself upon Napoleon. Can you translate that nineteen 368 00:24:38,880 --> 00:24:43,480 Speaker 1: hundreds newspaper speak, ben Sure. The idea was that the 369 00:24:43,560 --> 00:24:47,560 Speaker 1: rabbits would scatter from a threat in all directions, that's 370 00:24:47,560 --> 00:24:50,160 Speaker 1: what they were expecting, and that they would be pursued 371 00:24:50,200 --> 00:24:54,680 Speaker 1: by Napoleon and company and then ultimately either eradicate all 372 00:24:54,720 --> 00:24:59,879 Speaker 1: the rabbits were enough to satiate Napoleon's recreational blood lust. However, 373 00:25:00,160 --> 00:25:04,640 Speaker 1: what happened instead was that the rabbits, being tame and 374 00:25:04,840 --> 00:25:09,879 Speaker 1: farm raised, did not associate humans with predation. They associated 375 00:25:09,960 --> 00:25:14,720 Speaker 1: humans with food. So how was the fatal flaw? So 376 00:25:14,800 --> 00:25:19,159 Speaker 1: there's a huge mass of rabbits and they are in 377 00:25:19,200 --> 00:25:22,479 Speaker 1: a new environment, they see a human being, they assume 378 00:25:22,560 --> 00:25:25,840 Speaker 1: that human being can only be there to feed them. 379 00:25:25,880 --> 00:25:29,680 Speaker 1: And I found I found a really interesting look at 380 00:25:30,480 --> 00:25:35,480 Speaker 1: rabbit aggression. What makes for an aggressive rabbit? And they're 381 00:25:35,640 --> 00:25:40,359 Speaker 1: there are two tick marks that speak to this situation. 382 00:25:40,440 --> 00:25:43,240 Speaker 1: One is that a change in rabbit's environment or routine 383 00:25:43,760 --> 00:25:50,080 Speaker 1: can cause them to display aggression, and they're very routine oriented. Uh. 384 00:25:50,240 --> 00:25:55,800 Speaker 1: The second is, of course, if they're hungry or if 385 00:25:55,920 --> 00:26:00,560 Speaker 1: they are unaltered, meaning not spade or neutered. And of 386 00:26:00,600 --> 00:26:05,760 Speaker 1: course at this time these were unaltered rabbits. Unaltered rabbits 387 00:26:06,000 --> 00:26:10,119 Speaker 1: unaltered that is the uh, that is the polite term. 388 00:26:10,240 --> 00:26:11,719 Speaker 1: Here's how, you know how I pictured this whole thing 389 00:26:11,760 --> 00:26:15,280 Speaker 1: going down like this amazing clip from Monty Python and 390 00:26:15,320 --> 00:26:19,720 Speaker 1: the Holy Grail. Rabbit's got a Fisher street a mile wide? 391 00:26:19,920 --> 00:26:24,840 Speaker 1: Is a killer? Do you want to cheat? Mate? Manky 392 00:26:25,040 --> 00:26:28,920 Speaker 1: Scott's gate. I'm wanting you what's he doing? Ni, he's 393 00:26:28,960 --> 00:27:02,359 Speaker 1: got heat shop, he can leap about. Look at the bone. 394 00:27:03,920 --> 00:27:06,760 Speaker 1: Oh man, So I really like to picture, uh, this 395 00:27:06,880 --> 00:27:09,240 Speaker 1: being at least somewhere in the vein of how things 396 00:27:09,280 --> 00:27:12,840 Speaker 1: went down, because these rabbits were just swarming Napoleon and 397 00:27:12,880 --> 00:27:15,639 Speaker 1: his men. They were climbing up Napoleon's legs on his coat, 398 00:27:15,920 --> 00:27:20,359 Speaker 1: and he had um groups of men who were called beaters, 399 00:27:20,680 --> 00:27:23,480 Speaker 1: and they were hitting at the rabbits with like writing crops, 400 00:27:23,600 --> 00:27:26,080 Speaker 1: right right, yeah, as you said. No, the rabbits were 401 00:27:26,160 --> 00:27:29,879 Speaker 1: all over them, expecting their daily cabbage, which they had 402 00:27:30,000 --> 00:27:35,840 Speaker 1: not received at the time, and they followed Napoleon and co. 403 00:27:36,160 --> 00:27:39,359 Speaker 1: And eventually Napoleon ran away to his carriage just like 404 00:27:39,400 --> 00:27:42,600 Speaker 1: can runaway than the python clip its. It's exactly like that, 405 00:27:42,640 --> 00:27:44,760 Speaker 1: because you know, they thought they would be safe in 406 00:27:44,800 --> 00:27:47,800 Speaker 1: the carriage, right, it's got doors, but no, Apparently the 407 00:27:47,880 --> 00:27:50,560 Speaker 1: rabbits were just like coming at them, trying to like 408 00:27:50,640 --> 00:27:53,080 Speaker 1: get into the carriage, come hell or high water. They 409 00:27:53,080 --> 00:27:58,200 Speaker 1: were leaping, flinging themselves into the carriage. So they literally 410 00:27:58,240 --> 00:28:04,160 Speaker 1: had to drive way escaped this torrent of bunnies. Right, 411 00:28:04,440 --> 00:28:08,840 Speaker 1: the bullwhips that were cracking didn't stop the rabbits. Getting 412 00:28:08,920 --> 00:28:11,160 Speaker 1: hit with a crop or riding crop didn't stop them, 413 00:28:11,280 --> 00:28:14,480 Speaker 1: or sticks from these beaters. And according to his storian 414 00:28:14,600 --> 00:28:19,240 Speaker 1: David Chandler, with a finer understanding of Napoleonic strategy the 415 00:28:19,320 --> 00:28:22,200 Speaker 1: most of his generals, the rabbit horde divided into two 416 00:28:22,200 --> 00:28:25,600 Speaker 1: wings and poured around the flanks of the party heading 417 00:28:25,680 --> 00:28:31,240 Speaker 1: for the imperial coach. Then some of the reportedly leaped 418 00:28:31,600 --> 00:28:34,800 Speaker 1: into the carriage, and the attack only stopped as the 419 00:28:34,920 --> 00:28:43,680 Speaker 1: coach was rolling away. Can you imagine what it was 420 00:28:43,720 --> 00:28:47,120 Speaker 1: like to be Birthier at this moment. I bet he 421 00:28:47,240 --> 00:28:51,800 Speaker 1: was feeling pretty silly. The luncheon was ruined, that's for sure, 422 00:28:52,680 --> 00:28:54,800 Speaker 1: because you know the fatal flaw he talked about he 423 00:28:54,840 --> 00:28:58,280 Speaker 1: should have gotten wild rabbits. They would have given Chase properly. 424 00:28:58,520 --> 00:29:03,440 Speaker 1: They would have made or a delightful, uh if bloodthirsty 425 00:29:03,760 --> 00:29:08,479 Speaker 1: afternoon of you know, organized violence. But instead it was 426 00:29:08,520 --> 00:29:12,720 Speaker 1: an absolute ship show. Yeah it was. He had, as 427 00:29:13,400 --> 00:29:16,240 Speaker 1: reports at the time we're describing it, he had purchased 428 00:29:16,360 --> 00:29:20,280 Speaker 1: rabbits from the hutch rather than the warren, so from 429 00:29:20,280 --> 00:29:23,800 Speaker 1: from a farm rather than from wild And for all 430 00:29:24,200 --> 00:29:31,080 Speaker 1: his military acumen, for all his international reputation, to these rabbits, 431 00:29:31,560 --> 00:29:36,040 Speaker 1: Napoleon was a little more than a reticent purveyor of lettuce. 432 00:29:36,560 --> 00:29:39,360 Speaker 1: We just wasn't given up the goods. Yeah, not because 433 00:29:39,360 --> 00:29:40,880 Speaker 1: he had none to give up. They weren't there to 434 00:29:40,880 --> 00:29:43,200 Speaker 1: feed the bunnies. It wasn't a petting zoo. This was, 435 00:29:43,680 --> 00:29:47,280 Speaker 1: you know, a murder party. I should correct the slaying 436 00:29:47,360 --> 00:29:50,160 Speaker 1: there that I fell into. It was actually cabbage that 437 00:29:50,240 --> 00:29:52,560 Speaker 1: they probably thought he was pervying. Oh yeah, I guess 438 00:29:52,640 --> 00:29:56,960 Speaker 1: that was the food of choice for domesticated bunnies. For 439 00:29:57,000 --> 00:29:59,960 Speaker 1: the discerning rabbit. Oh man, you could be a cab 440 00:30:00,000 --> 00:30:04,040 Speaker 1: but spokesperson. It's the gray papon of It's the equivalent 441 00:30:04,080 --> 00:30:09,200 Speaker 1: of great papon for rabbits. You know why right, because 442 00:30:09,280 --> 00:30:11,640 Speaker 1: when you cook it, some people just hate the smell. 443 00:30:11,720 --> 00:30:14,240 Speaker 1: But the secret is caraway seats. Is that right? Yeah, 444 00:30:14,440 --> 00:30:17,040 Speaker 1: to give that a shot has nothing to do with Napoleon. 445 00:30:17,120 --> 00:30:21,920 Speaker 1: I think it's fine. But this, this is so fascinating 446 00:30:21,960 --> 00:30:25,560 Speaker 1: to us, because you know, the images that we have 447 00:30:25,720 --> 00:30:31,680 Speaker 1: of Napoleon is not that of someone who would turn 448 00:30:31,800 --> 00:30:36,520 Speaker 1: tail and run. But maybe maybe it's just so surprising 449 00:30:37,400 --> 00:30:42,400 Speaker 1: and so unexpected. And there's again so many rabbits that 450 00:30:43,000 --> 00:30:46,280 Speaker 1: he ran because of the surrealism of it, you know, 451 00:30:46,520 --> 00:30:49,600 Speaker 1: rather than fearing for his life. I'm surely he didn't 452 00:30:49,600 --> 00:30:52,240 Speaker 1: fear for his life. It's just really unusual and freakish, 453 00:30:52,480 --> 00:30:55,760 Speaker 1: and that is pretty cool. The whole Um Treatise of 454 00:30:55,800 --> 00:31:00,680 Speaker 1: Tilsit thing um allied France with Russia. Uh, But like 455 00:31:00,720 --> 00:31:03,640 Speaker 1: you mentioned earlier, Um, it was kind of considered to 456 00:31:03,680 --> 00:31:05,960 Speaker 1: be a bit of a blunder on Napoleon's part because 457 00:31:07,200 --> 00:31:10,480 Speaker 1: it was not particularly likely that Czar Nicholas the First 458 00:31:10,560 --> 00:31:15,120 Speaker 1: was going to maintain that peace accord, and and as 459 00:31:15,160 --> 00:31:17,760 Speaker 1: we know, everything kind of fell apart, and then Napoleon 460 00:31:17,800 --> 00:31:21,440 Speaker 1: had to try to take back Russia in eighteen twelve 461 00:31:21,880 --> 00:31:28,360 Speaker 1: in a calamitous invasion where he got his backside handed 462 00:31:28,400 --> 00:31:34,240 Speaker 1: to him, and writer Nicholas Karamzine wrote of Napoleon that 463 00:31:34,320 --> 00:31:38,800 Speaker 1: he arrived like a tiger, but bolted like a rabbit. Audh. 464 00:31:39,200 --> 00:31:43,520 Speaker 1: So now now we can connect the dots, right, ridiculous historians, 465 00:31:43,560 --> 00:31:47,960 Speaker 1: We can see what they were alluding to. The Napoleonic 466 00:31:48,120 --> 00:31:53,280 Speaker 1: Empire pretty shortly after that collapsed. In time span from 467 00:31:53,320 --> 00:31:56,920 Speaker 1: eighteen fourteen to eighteen fifteen, we saw the empire fall 468 00:31:57,120 --> 00:32:02,560 Speaker 1: and saw Alexander acquired most of the duchy that we mentioned, 469 00:32:02,800 --> 00:32:05,280 Speaker 1: and it went on to survive for years and years 470 00:32:05,280 --> 00:32:08,840 Speaker 1: and years under Russian rule as the so called Congress 471 00:32:08,960 --> 00:32:11,480 Speaker 1: Kingdom of Poland. That's the nature of the duchy man. 472 00:32:11,560 --> 00:32:13,280 Speaker 1: You could you pass it and then you got to 473 00:32:13,280 --> 00:32:16,719 Speaker 1: get it passed back eventually. Um. But yeah, like for 474 00:32:16,760 --> 00:32:22,520 Speaker 1: all of Napoleon's conquests and military um strategies, he kind 475 00:32:22,520 --> 00:32:24,760 Speaker 1: of ended up right back where he started in terms 476 00:32:24,760 --> 00:32:28,200 Speaker 1: of dominion, right, And then he actually was ultimately exiled 477 00:32:28,360 --> 00:32:31,160 Speaker 1: to the island of Elba. And then if he came 478 00:32:31,200 --> 00:32:33,360 Speaker 1: back briefly and ruled for like this thing called the 479 00:32:33,440 --> 00:32:36,320 Speaker 1: Hundred Days Campaign and then got kicked out again or 480 00:32:36,360 --> 00:32:38,719 Speaker 1: he he died in exile on another island and at 481 00:32:38,760 --> 00:32:42,880 Speaker 1: the age of I mean, yeah, not that old, not 482 00:32:43,000 --> 00:32:46,320 Speaker 1: that old the guy. The United Kingdom kept him on 483 00:32:46,360 --> 00:32:49,440 Speaker 1: the island of Saint Helena, That's the one which was 484 00:32:50,280 --> 00:32:53,080 Speaker 1: a little less than two thousand kilometers from the west 485 00:32:53,160 --> 00:32:57,120 Speaker 1: coast of Africa. And while he was in exile, he 486 00:32:57,160 --> 00:33:00,840 Speaker 1: wrote a book about one of his biggest heroes, Julius Caesar. 487 00:33:01,760 --> 00:33:06,720 Speaker 1: And then he eventually passed away, but he did reconcile 488 00:33:07,200 --> 00:33:11,880 Speaker 1: with the Catholic Church. Today, people still debate what the 489 00:33:11,920 --> 00:33:16,040 Speaker 1: cause of his death was a lot of people think 490 00:33:16,080 --> 00:33:18,800 Speaker 1: it would have been stomach cancer because his father passed 491 00:33:18,800 --> 00:33:21,560 Speaker 1: away from the same ailment. That's ending it on a 492 00:33:21,640 --> 00:33:24,440 Speaker 1: little bit of a downer note. But I like to 493 00:33:24,480 --> 00:33:27,200 Speaker 1: think on the positive side that a lot of those 494 00:33:27,200 --> 00:33:30,560 Speaker 1: buddies got away and maybe lived happy in full lives. Yeah, 495 00:33:30,560 --> 00:33:32,800 Speaker 1: but wouldn't they be like an invasive species. Wouldn't they 496 00:33:32,800 --> 00:33:35,720 Speaker 1: have just totally jacked up the ecosystem. Well, rabbits are 497 00:33:35,800 --> 00:33:38,800 Speaker 1: naturally occurring part of that ecosystem, but you're right, in 498 00:33:38,840 --> 00:33:43,560 Speaker 1: that massive number, with the way their reproduction works, then 499 00:33:43,880 --> 00:33:47,280 Speaker 1: if they were not hunted, they would eventually cause population 500 00:33:47,320 --> 00:33:50,000 Speaker 1: collapsed by the sure amount of food they consume. Yeah, 501 00:33:50,000 --> 00:33:52,600 Speaker 1: because like three thousand rabbits. Okay, let's le's be let's 502 00:33:52,600 --> 00:33:56,880 Speaker 1: be conservative, let's call it one thousand rabbits multiplying. You know, 503 00:33:57,040 --> 00:34:01,360 Speaker 1: like rabbits could pretty quickly overtake the scene, right, And 504 00:34:01,440 --> 00:34:02,920 Speaker 1: you know, it didn't sound to me like they had 505 00:34:03,000 --> 00:34:05,000 Speaker 1: much time to get any shots off at these little 506 00:34:05,000 --> 00:34:10,480 Speaker 1: guys before they you know, turntail and ducked into their carriage. Yeah. Yeah, 507 00:34:10,560 --> 00:34:16,120 Speaker 1: but the paraphrase the old, the old saying, every rabbit 508 00:34:16,239 --> 00:34:21,040 Speaker 1: has their day, and that afternoon, maybe as many as 509 00:34:21,120 --> 00:34:24,480 Speaker 1: three thousand rabbits had their day in the sun in 510 00:34:24,520 --> 00:34:27,720 Speaker 1: a very strange way. Perhaps they were speaking truth to power. 511 00:34:28,120 --> 00:34:30,719 Speaker 1: Probably not, but you know, it's nice to think about. 512 00:34:30,760 --> 00:34:33,680 Speaker 1: If we write it as a screenplay, clearly we're gonna 513 00:34:33,719 --> 00:34:36,200 Speaker 1: go a little watership down and the rabbits can talk, 514 00:34:36,239 --> 00:34:38,480 Speaker 1: you know. Yeah, we better get right to work on that. 515 00:34:38,520 --> 00:34:42,279 Speaker 1: Ben Um. So we will leave you there, Ridiculous Historians, 516 00:34:42,320 --> 00:34:44,560 Speaker 1: thank you so much for joining us for today's episode. 517 00:34:44,560 --> 00:34:47,840 Speaker 1: We would like to thank uh guest super producer Paul 518 00:34:48,000 --> 00:34:51,840 Speaker 1: Mission Controlled Decands. We'd also like to thank, of course, 519 00:34:52,160 --> 00:34:57,280 Speaker 1: uh Casey Pegram and Alexander Williams, who can post our track. 520 00:34:57,480 --> 00:35:01,239 Speaker 1: We would like to think our researcher Chris for a haciotis, 521 00:35:01,280 --> 00:35:06,160 Speaker 1: as well as Laurie L. Dove for busting the myth 522 00:35:06,239 --> 00:35:11,160 Speaker 1: about Napoleon's heights. But most importantly, we would like to 523 00:35:11,400 --> 00:35:15,160 Speaker 1: thank you for tuning in and stay tuned for next time, 524 00:35:15,280 --> 00:35:17,600 Speaker 1: because we've got something cool coming up, sure do. It's 525 00:35:17,719 --> 00:35:21,319 Speaker 1: what they call a tent pole episode. So that's all 526 00:35:21,320 --> 00:35:26,399 Speaker 1: for today, folks, bonjeou au revoir boni, whatever you got, 527 00:35:27,000 --> 00:35:27,920 Speaker 1: Thank you, easy guys,