The Korean War was fought from 1950-1953, and while many of us today have a rough idea of how it went, to most it is those two lines in a textbook, an irrelevant blip on the Cold War radar. An unimportant, unappreciated event in the crowded literature of the 20th century. To me, the Korean War is many things, and over the last few months I have been working tirelessly to create the most comprehensive, authentic and accurate account of the diplomatic and political origins of this conflict. Not on...
Jan 05, 2018•15 min
Here we are as promised, opening up the new year with a detailed look at where WDF is going next, why it's going there and why you should care! We address the following issues within: - massive thanksss given all round for a fantastic year. - we read out the Patrons at the end - we talk about having to launch an archive feed! - we talk about whether or not we should launch a Facebook group - we unwrap the upcoming series; the Korean War, the Patrons' exclusive 1956, the Versailles Anniversary Pr...
Jan 01, 2018•35 min
Dear and valued listeners, we return instantly with the second part of my Christmas present to you! Was Louis' fp a success or not, let's find out! Here we examine Louis' reign from the early 1680s, and consider the damage he inflicted on European public opinion, juxtaposed with the material and military gains accrued to France because of Louis' largely victorious wars. I hope you enjoy this concluding episode of our two-parter history friends and patrons. Thanksss for listening, happy Christmas...
Dec 22, 2017•29 min
As a special Christmas present to all my lovely listeners, after you have given me such a fantastic year, here is the first of a two parter which I released to Patrons at the $5 level earlier this year, now freeto listen for YOU! Make sure you let me know if you enjoyed this episode, as we close out the eventful year of 2017 with a BANG! Thankssss! Herein we ask the question - was Louis XIV's foreign policy a success? We know he experienced military success and tore Europe asunder; we know he wa...
Dec 22, 2017•25 min
It's here! The conclusion to our 16 part story which we've been building towards for several weeks, months and years. Since we began the tale of the Thirty Years War, our narrative has, in several ways, been moving towards this incredible culmination of east meeting west. On 12th September 1683, the forces of the Ottoman Empire under Kara Mustafa met and did battle with the relief army comprised of several troops from countries as diverse as Poland, Saxony, Austria, France, Bavaria, Spain and mo...
Dec 22, 2017•37 min
They're Here! After several months of waiting and buildup, we finally reach that incredible tale - when for two grisly months, the defenders of Vienna worked miracles to protect their city from the relentless Turk, and when Count Stahremberg used every fibre of his being to keep his men in high enough spirits to continue onwards in their bloody business. Incredible tension, great drama and a story almost too fantastic to be true are contained in this episode, so I hope you enjoy it! Even though ...
Dec 18, 2017•49 min
They're here! After so many weeks of marching, Kara Mustafa's terrifying host reaches the walls of Vienna, but after a few critical days' worth of preparations, Vienna's remaining populace were as prepared as they would ever be for what was to come. Grimly reconciled to the arrival of their greatest foe, only great acts of bravery, tenacity and ingenuity would hold back the Grand Vizier's determined assault. As we can see in this handy homemade diagram of the Vienna defences, such defences were ...
Dec 11, 2017•33 min
Something special for all lovely fans of WDF for the month of December, it's...something completely unrelated to Christmas! In this episode of WDF THINKS we ask the very relevant question - was Queen Elizabeth I of England all that great at diplomacy? Sure there was that whole Armada thing, but what about her actual talents and abilities as a diplomatist, particularly a female diplomatist in a world where few such things existed? Well, WDF is proud to take up the challenge by examining a lesser ...
Dec 06, 2017•42 min
First things first - DON'T MIND ME! Whatever I call it, it's the River Raab not the River 'Raba'. I think the phlegm has moved into my brain! In our latest episode examines the moment when Kara Mustafa finally did it. Overcoming the expectations and assumptions of the high command of the Habsburgs in their Vienna seclusion, the Ottomans outmanoeuvred Charles of Lorraine completely, heading due north-west, crossing the River Raab, bypassing Gyor and utterly flummoxing the Habsburg family. As Leop...
Dec 04, 2017•32 min
Our story continues, as in episode 12 of the Long War, the Habsburgs scramble their forces together in the midst of increasingly worrying news across all fronts. Ernst Stahremberg (pictured) makes an appearance, and sets to work building up the defences of Vienna for whatever may transpire. Meanwhile, Charles of Lorraine is celebrated as the man in charge of Habsburg forces, but this ragtag bunch of Europeans will have to shape up before they face up to the terrible might of the Turks. All the w...
Nov 27, 2017•36 min
We're not QUITE ready to watch the Turk batter down the walls of Vienna - instead, we're spending a few more minutes examining the motives of the Ottoman's two leading men. Is it really possible to properly grasp what led these two figures, Kara Mustafa and Sultan Mehmed IV, in their charge for the Golden Apple? Furthermore, is it possible to gauge a point when peace ended and war began, or are things far less straightforward than that? Indeed history friends, sometimes simple formulas do not qu...
Nov 20, 2017•34 min
Our coverage of the complex and juicy diplomacy continues! While the main event is the examination at last of the Habsburg-Polish treaty of alliance, the events leading up to such an event are also something to behold. The French threat remained strong and Louis XIV's presence across the Rhine remained a menace to those German potentates who otherwise would have jumped at the chance to crusade against the Turk. This, as we've by now learned, was no accident. By keeping the Habsburgs and their Ge...
Nov 13, 2017•37 min
Albert Caprara has a really bad time in this episode, as he is plucked from his far more enjoyable job in the University of Bologna and selected by Leopold to negotiate with the Turks. These same Turks who had been preparing themselves for war for the last few months, were found by Caprara to have been - surprise surprise - preparing themselves for war, rather than preparing themselves to sign a new peace treaty with the Habsburgs. News of this development comes slowly to Vienna though, and in t...
Nov 06, 2017•35 min
What an incredible treat we have for you today! Norman Ohler, internationally bestselling author responsible for one of the most significant new perspectives on the Third Reich and Adolf Hitler joins us on the podcast for a very special collaboration. Ohler's ideas have been plucked straight from the previously underrated notes of Dr Theodor Morell, Hitler's personal physician, so you know they hold water, as Morell saw Hitler more than anyone else in the last portion of his life. A window into ...
Nov 01, 2017•48 min
You have all been very patient, so I am so excited to finally begin unpacking the incredibly fascinating and interconnected era of the 1680s. This episode here should tie us back to the first three episodes we did on Louis XIV, because it relates Leopold’s concerns to the military and diplomatic situation in the west, and explains why exactly Leopold believed until it was almost too late that France, rather than the Ottomans, posed the gravest threat to the Habsburgs in Europe. While the Habsbur...
Oct 22, 2017•35 min
Episode 7 of the Long War hits us like a Hungarian-shaped bang, as we are introduced first to the Sultan's method of war making as the resources, men and monies were gathered together by spring 1683, but also to the major incentive which moved the Ottomans to make war.In this episode I explain why I believe the Ottomans chose to attack the Habsburgs after 20 years of peace. The Hungarian situation was simply too ideal to let go, as the nemesis of the Habsburg rule in Hungary, a noble by the name...
Oct 15, 2017•38 min
In the second part, Sebastian talks to us about all things to do with the Last Siege of Vienna, an event which has really captured our narrative and which will hold our attention for the next few months, so it should come as no surprise that Mr Major was enthralled by it too! What does he like about the event, what myths really struck him about it, and what are some of the dangers about the myths which can be commonly perpetuated? Find out here, in our final part of a lovely collab. A huge thank...
Oct 10, 2017•38 min
In this episode we examine the relationship between the Ottoman Empire and its most important vassal, the Crimean Tartars. How this relationship was formed, the extent to which the Ottomans relied upon this steppe people and the utter devastation which said people could inflict - all of these are critically important topics to wrap our heads around if we're to grasp what was to come for Europe was a particular vengeance in summer 1683...Remember history friends, I rely on your support both moral...
Oct 08, 2017•34 min
Hello there! It's a good day to be a listener of WDF, because I've managed to convince myself to share the first episode of the EXCLUSIVE biography on Jan Sobieski, a 12 part series which will keep us fed and watered in the Xtra feed for the remainder of this year, and which will be releasing every single week until the final week of 2017! YOWZA! What can you expect from this series, and what exactly did Sobieski do when he wasn't charging to the rescue of his peers outside Vienna in 1683? Well,...
Oct 05, 2017•25 min
Sebastian Major, otherwise known as the man, the myth, the legend behind Our Fake History, joins us for the first of two parts in this very special collab.In this first part, we talk to Sebby on a personal level, history podcaster to history podcaster, and find out what makes him tick, why he decided to begin history podcasting, what his day job is and why exactly the concept of Our Fake History so appealed to him in the first place. So much more goes on in here that I can't even recount it all,...
Oct 03, 2017•1 hr 3 min
Check the screen and a map of the Hungarian plain should be there - if not do let me know!In this episode we continue our narrative of the period immediately following the fall of Hungary and the escalation of the Ottoman-Habsburg rivalry. We investigate why that rivalry was so potent and how effected the relationships and development of the two states. The 17th century had taught the Habsburgs much, but the Ottomans seemed surprisingly content to rest on their laurels, even while they confronte...
Oct 01, 2017•31 min
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 friends and patrons, as we begin our climb towards the peak o...
Sep 24, 2017•31 min
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 in Vienna!Remember history friends, I rely on your support both moral and monetar...
Sep 17, 2017•36 min
Welcome back 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 possible, and no better example of this exists than what Louis XIV did in Lorraine, a duchy on the ...
Sep 10, 2017•36 min
[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 huge thanksss again ...
Sep 05, 2017•58 min
At long last, we're back! In our special series covering the Long War, we bring you the series of interconnected conflicts which waged across Europe between 1679-1699, and included everything from Reunions, to the last siege of Vienna, to the Glorious Revolution, to the War of the League of Augsburg...PHEW! We're in for the long haul with this LONG war, so I hope to have you with me for the very entertaining ride. Since WDF is now officially my job - partly at least - we are here to bring you th...
Sep 03, 2017•44 min
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 I can't te...
Sep 02, 2017•13 min
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/thetragicheirIn this episode we examine the tragic but fascinating case of Alexis, son and heir to the greatest ruler Russia had ever known, Peter the Great. Peter did great things for Russia, and is...
Aug 29, 2017•41 min
Continuing our analysis of Louis XIV's Arms & Armies in the month of August, we've got some absolutely brilliant content on the way for all $5 patrons of this podcast! Remember to check us out at www.patreon.com/WhenDiplomacyFails if you want to join the party, but what's in the box here? Well in our four episodes for August we have the following tasters:Episode 6: the importance of quartering is further examined, as is the massive emphasis in the French command on siege warfare, as Vauban d...
Aug 20, 2017•19 min
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 you guys the chance to have ...
Aug 05, 2017•41 min
