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You're. listening to an air wave

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media podcast. Welcome

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to the age of Napoleon! Episode:

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One Hundred And Ten

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Barbarians. Thanks for

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joining us always! I'd like to start

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this episode by thanking or patriot subscribers.

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Without you I would not be able

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to keep this than gone. We.

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Are still offering monthly bonus

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episodes to paid subscribers. We.

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Are finally finished Talking about the

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Napoleon movie. The last installment included

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discussions of queer life in Napoleonic

0:39

Europe and the finer points of

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bayonets Combat. I. Hope you'll join

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us. Anyway, We.

0:46

Left off last time in late eighteen or

0:48

seven. Napoleon. Had just signed

0:51

the Treaty of Fontainebleau, a secret

0:53

agreement with the sausage maker Spanish

0:55

prime minister Manuel Good Door, securing

0:58

Spanish support for an imminent French

1:00

invasion of Portugal. As

1:03

we discussed, the Portuguese wanted no part

1:05

of this war. They. Done their

1:07

best to appease Napoleon without

1:09

jeopardizing their longstanding friendship with

1:12

the British. But. In

1:14

the post till sit geo political

1:16

climate that was a hopeless task.

1:18

The. Smaller powers of Europe had

1:20

two choices: join Napoleon's continental system

1:23

and make enemies of the British,

1:25

or defy the Emperor and hope

1:27

British support or diplomacy could get

1:30

them out of any consequences. As.

1:33

You can probably imagine in all the

1:36

minor capitals of Europe, both French and

1:38

British diplomats were busy twisting arms. Competing.

1:41

To come up with the most enticing

1:43

offers of alliance and the most credible

1:45

threat of force. We've.

1:47

Already talked about the Portuguese case,

1:49

so I'd like to start this

1:51

episode by back tracking a bit

1:53

to talk about another country where

1:55

this competition was growing increasingly fears.

1:58

Denmark. We. Was

2:00

discussed Denmark in episode fifty eight

2:02

when we covered the League of and

2:05

Neutrality. That. Coalition of neutral

2:07

States led by Russia. It was

2:09

trying to pressure the British into

2:11

easing their restrictions on trade with

2:13

France back and eighteen hundred and

2:15

eighteen a one. The.

2:17

Lead had been broken up into matic

2:19

fashion. Partially. As result of

2:21

the murder of Apple Paul the first

2:24

of Russia, and partially by a daring

2:26

Royal Navy attack on Copenhagen Harbor on

2:28

April second, eighteen a one. You.

2:30

Might remember this battle as be

2:33

setting of one of the iconic

2:35

moments of Lord Ratio Nelson career,

2:37

holding up his spyglass to his

2:39

blind eye and claiming he could

2:41

not see the signal to retreat.

2:44

The. Veracity of that story has

2:47

been questioned, but his certainly memorable.

2:49

Regardless, What the Danes

2:51

probably remember from this battle

2:53

was Nelson threatening to massacre a

2:56

group of helpless Danish militiamen

2:58

unless the Danes accepted his term's.

3:01

Not. Exactly Nelson's finest hour, but it

3:03

did succeed in bringing the battle to

3:05

a close. The Danes

3:07

had learned their lesson from this defeat.

3:09

In the years after the battle, they

3:12

worked even harder to preserve their neutrality.

3:14

Studiously. Avoiding even the appearance

3:17

of taking sides in the ongoing

3:19

war, And. And case

3:21

diplomacy failed. they also work

3:23

to improve the fortifications around

3:25

Copenhagen harbor. International

3:28

trade was a big part of the

3:30

Danish economy. They were perfectly happy conducting

3:32

business with both sides, and we wanted

3:35

to keep things that way. Denmark.

3:38

Actually had a pretty good military for

3:40

small country. As. You might

3:42

remember from episode fifty eight, they had

3:44

fought tenaciously against the British six years

3:46

earlier. Remember they had come

3:49

so close to winning that that all that

3:51

the British commander actually said the signal to

3:53

retreat. Had. nelson that ignored

3:55

that signal it would have gone down

3:57

in history as a british defeat or

4:00

at least a bloody draw. However,

4:03

almost winning a single battle

4:05

is one thing. Actually resisting

4:07

sustained military pressure from France

4:09

or Britain would be quite

4:11

another. No one

4:13

was under any illusions that Denmark

4:15

could actually win a full-scale war

4:17

against one of the great powers.

4:21

The events of late 1806 and early 1807 made Denmark's position even more

4:23

difficult, as

4:28

French troops swept across Germany,

4:30

they arrived right on Denmark's

4:32

doorstep. At

4:34

this point in history, Denmark

4:36

controlled two small German duchies,

4:39

Schleswig and Holstein, just south

4:41

of the modern German-Danish border.

4:44

The French stopped short of occupying these,

4:46

but they garrisoned a large number of

4:48

troops right on the border. The

4:51

message was clear, Napoleon could order an

4:53

invasion at the drop of a hat.

4:57

After the Treaty of Tilsit, France and

4:59

Russia began ratcheting up the pressure. As

5:02

we've discussed, they wanted all neutral

5:05

countries in Europe to join the

5:07

continental system, but the Danes

5:09

were of particular interest. The

5:12

only entrances to the Baltic Sea are

5:14

through a series of very narrow belts,

5:17

all of which pass through Danish waters,

5:19

and in the early 19th century

5:21

all of these belts into the

5:24

Baltic were well fortified and carefully

5:26

controlled by the Danish military. If

5:28

the Danes could be induced to ally

5:30

with France, Napoleon would be able to

5:33

cut off the entire Baltic Sea from

5:35

all British shipping. With only

5:37

a few narrow and well-guarded passageways

5:40

into the Baltic, smugglers would have

5:42

a very hard time passing undetected.

5:46

There was also the matter of the Danish fleet. As

5:49

a small power, the Danish navy

5:51

was nothing compared to the French,

5:53

Spanish, or especially British navies. However,

5:56

they were among the best regarded

5:58

of the secondary maritime power. powers.

6:00

Danish officers and sailors were

6:03

generally experienced, well-trained, and well-motivated.

6:05

Their ships were generally modern

6:08

and well-equipped. And perhaps

6:10

most importantly, the country had

6:12

a significant maritime economy and

6:14

a long-established seafaring tradition, which

6:16

meant they had good facilities

6:18

for building, repairing, and maintaining

6:20

their ships, and a

6:22

large pool of experienced mariners, from which

6:24

to draw recruits. The

6:27

main Danish fleet at Copenhagen

6:29

boasted eighteen ships of the

6:31

line, the big battleships that

6:33

dominated Napoleonic-era sea battles, plus

6:35

dozens of smaller support ships.

6:38

To put that in perspective, at the Battle

6:40

of Trafalgar, Nelson had twenty-seven ships of

6:42

the line, and at the Nile

6:45

he had fourteen. So this

6:47

was a relatively sizable force, big enough

6:49

to fight in a major battle, but

6:52

still nowhere approaching the navies of the

6:54

great powers. Napoleon

6:57

had invested huge resources into

6:59

rebuilding his navy after Trafalgar.

7:02

Bringing the Danish navy into the war on

7:04

the French side would be a big step

7:06

towards parity with the Royal Navy, not

7:09

to mention all the help the Danes would

7:11

be able to provide in the form of

7:13

naval supplies and shipbuilding facilities. And

7:16

so, securing an alliance with Denmark

7:19

became one of France's top foreign

7:21

policy priorities. Napoleon

7:23

got his new friend, Emperor Alexander

7:25

of Russia, to apply pressure as

7:27

well. Napoleon

7:29

was hopeful that the right

7:31

combination of diplomatic pressure, favorable

7:33

terms, and the implicit threat

7:35

of French troops just across

7:38

the Holstein border would produce

7:40

the desired outcome. Of

7:43

course, London was not blind to this

7:45

threat. The British could read

7:47

a map as well as anyone, and

7:49

they had learned the capabilities of the

7:51

Danish navy from bitter experience back in

7:53

1801. The British

7:56

made their own offer to the Danes, a

7:58

treaty of alliance with favorable terms. terms, if

8:01

Denmark agreed to turn its navy over

8:03

to the British and put all its

8:05

maritime facilities at the disposal of the

8:08

Royal Navy. The

8:10

British promised to return every Danish

8:12

vessel at the conclusion of hostilities,

8:14

but still this was a huge ask.

8:17

Denmark was a maritime country, and

8:20

not only that, much of its

8:22

territory is actually separated by water,

8:24

so surrendering control of its entire

8:26

navy would not only be a

8:28

blow to the national pride and

8:30

prestige, it would severely curtail Danish

8:32

sovereignty. The country would

8:34

effectively become a vassal state of Britain

8:37

until those ships were returned, assuming

8:39

that ever happened. It

8:42

was not an attractive proposition, to

8:44

put it mildly, and the Danes

8:47

refused. Accepting

8:49

Napoleon's deal would at least leave Denmark in

8:51

control of its own navy, but at

8:53

this point in our story, the

8:55

rulers of every European country knew

8:58

full well that signing an alliance

9:00

with France meant accepting a great

9:02

deal of French influence over their

9:04

country. Today, all Napoleon wanted

9:06

was Denmark's military and commercial

9:08

cooperation against Britain. Tomorrow,

9:11

he might ask them to adopt his

9:13

civil code, or curtail the power of

9:15

the church or the nobility, or adopt

9:18

some other newfangled French innovation. He

9:20

would probably want a French garrison

9:22

in the country, which would certainly

9:24

be unpopular and cause problems, and

9:27

the Danes would probably be expected

9:29

to pay for the privilege. So

9:32

this path would also probably lead

9:34

to an erosion of Danish sovereignty.

9:38

War with Britain would also almost certainly

9:40

mean the loss of Denmark's small but

9:43

lucrative colonial empire, and major damage to

9:45

its international trade, which was a big

9:47

part of the economy. And

9:50

so the Danes rejected Bonaparte as

9:52

well. They would

9:54

defend their neutrality with the limited means

9:56

at their disposal. Fortunately for

9:58

the Danes, their country was quite

10:00

defensible. If the threat came

10:03

from France, they would invade by land

10:05

from Germany. The Danish army

10:07

was small and relatively inexperienced, but they

10:09

would only have to defend a very

10:11

narrow strip of land, where the Danish

10:13

territory of Holstein met French-occupied Germany, an

10:16

area only about 75 miles or 120

10:18

kilometers wide. Fighting on the defensive on

10:24

this narrow front would do a lot to

10:26

even the odds. If

10:28

the British came, they would likely do so

10:30

by sea. As we discussed

10:33

in episode 58, Copenhagen Harbor

10:35

was very well defended, both

10:37

with man-made fortifications and natural

10:39

hazards. The last time the

10:41

British had attacked Copenhagen, they had failed

10:43

to destroy the Danish navy, and only

10:46

achieved a partial victory by using an

10:48

underhanded tactic. And so,

10:50

in the spring and summer of 1807, Denmark

10:53

found itself in a very strange position. It

10:55

was likely that before the end of the

10:57

year, the country would find itself at war,

10:59

but there was no way of predicting who

11:01

they would be at war with. It

11:04

seemed roughly equally likely that they

11:06

would find themselves fighting the British

11:08

alongside the French, or fighting

11:10

the French alongside the British. In

11:13

the summer of 1807, London decided to force a

11:17

decision. They began organizing an

11:19

expedition to Denmark, to be

11:21

led by General Lord William

11:23

Caffkart, a highly regarded soldier,

11:26

politician, and nobleman. There would

11:28

be a large squadron of warships, along

11:30

with several brigades of ground troops. The

11:33

British hoped that the presence of

11:35

this considerable force would act as

11:37

both carrot and stick, show the

11:39

Danes that if they chose to

11:41

defy France, British health would be

11:43

immediately forthcoming, but also that

11:45

if they chose to throw in with

11:47

Napoleon, the British were prepared to make

11:50

them pay. Caffkart

11:52

had orders to continue the

11:54

government's diplomatic overtures, however

11:56

he also had secondary orders. If

11:59

the Danes continued to refuse British terms,

12:01

he was to seize the Danish

12:03

fleet by any means necessary. Failing

12:06

that, the fleet was to be

12:08

destroyed, to prevent it from falling

12:11

into Napoleon's hands.

12:13

Many within the British government were deeply

12:16

uncomfortable with the idea of an unprovoked

12:18

attack on a neutral state. King

12:21

George III himself vetoed the operation,

12:23

but was eventually convinced to give

12:25

his approval after a personal visit

12:27

from the Prime Minister. As

12:30

news of the upcoming expedition spread among

12:32

the officer corps, it set off a

12:35

wave of excitement. Despite being at

12:37

war with France for nearly a decade, there

12:39

had not been many opportunities for the officers

12:41

of the British army to distinguish themselves. They

12:45

were restless and desperate for action. Every

12:48

Redcoat officer was pulling every string at

12:50

his disposal to obtain a post into

12:52

the expedition. One young

12:54

general actually threatened to resign his commission if

12:57

he was not given a command. It

12:59

worked. 38-year-old Sir Arthur

13:01

Wellesley would lead one of the

13:03

infantry brigades. We will

13:05

have a lot more to say about General

13:07

Wellesley in future episodes. When

13:11

the expedition arrived in Denmark, they found

13:13

the Danes quite accommodating. They

13:15

were freed to by supplies and provisions,

13:17

and the officers were even able to

13:19

play tourist in the picturesque Danish coastal

13:22

towns. It

13:24

must have been a very strange atmosphere for

13:26

all involved. At some point

13:28

in the near future, they would either

13:30

be allies of a life or death

13:33

struggle or mortal enemies. But

13:35

for the time being, there was not

13:37

much going on, the British needed provisions,

13:39

and their board officers needed something to

13:41

do. Lord

13:44

Cathcart reiterated Britain's demands to the

13:46

Danish government, but it seems the

13:48

presence of the expedition did nothing

13:51

to change Denmark's position. Once

13:53

again, they refused to hand over

13:55

their fleet or sign an alliance

13:57

with London. And so, the leaders

13:59

of the expedition began formulating a

14:01

plan of attack. Lord

14:04

Cathcart made it clear that he

14:06

despised the idea of attacking a

14:08

neutral state, and it seems most

14:10

of the senior leadership agreed. Setting

14:13

aside the moral issues, there were some

14:16

huge tactical concerns as well. As

14:18

Nelson had learned six years earlier,

14:21

a direct assault on Copenhagen Harbor

14:23

was an extremely dangerous proposition. Even

14:26

Lord Nelson himself, who was practically

14:28

a saint among the British officers,

14:30

had failed to destroy the fleet,

14:32

and very nearly lost the battle.

14:35

Surely the Danes had learned lessons from

14:37

that experience, and a second attack would

14:39

be even more difficult. One

14:42

British officer had an idea. It

14:44

was a distasteful idea, but

14:46

then again, this whole enterprise

14:48

was distasteful. He suggested

14:51

the expedition land its ground forces

14:53

in the open country outside the

14:55

city, surround Copenhagen, and

14:57

place it under siege. If

15:00

the Danes still refused London's

15:02

terms, the British could then

15:04

bombard the city into submission,

15:07

effectively turning the roughly hundred

15:09

thousand civilian residents of Copenhagen

15:12

into hostages. Whatever

15:14

moral scruples the rest of the leadership

15:16

may have felt, no one had a

15:18

better alternative. And so, they

15:20

began planning an assault on the

15:23

civilian population of a neutral city.

15:27

Lord Cathcart made another overture to

15:29

the Danes, hoping to avoid having

15:31

to execute this ugly plan, but

15:33

once again, he was rebuffed. And

15:36

so, in the pre-dawn hours of August 16th,

15:40

1807, the Redcoats began landing

15:42

outside Copenhagen. The war had

15:44

come to Denmark. Copenhagen

15:48

was well fortified, and so the British had to

15:50

proceed carefully, using that time-honoured tactic of gradually closing

15:52

the noose, moving their siege lines forward

15:57

bit by bit. advancing

16:00

gradually on the city, while never

16:02

giving the Danish gunners a good

16:04

target. Progress

16:07

was agonizingly slow. This

16:09

type of operation never went very

16:11

quickly, but after a few days,

16:13

consensus emerged among the British officers

16:15

that Lord Cathcart was to blame.

16:19

It has been suggested that Cathcart

16:21

was deliberately dragging his heels. He

16:24

had made no secret of his

16:26

disgust at the immorality of this

16:28

mission, and perhaps he was hoping

16:30

that if he moved slowly, the

16:32

Danes might cave to London's demands,

16:34

or some other intervening event would

16:36

change the situation, and he would

16:39

be spared the repugnant duty of

16:41

ordering the bombardment of innocent civilians.

16:44

But if that was his goal, he

16:46

only succeeded at annoying his own officers

16:48

and destroying his reputation as a competent

16:50

leader. A member of

16:53

his own staff wrote, quote, For

16:55

my own part, I would not be

16:57

obliged to do business again with Lord

17:00

C. in the field for any consideration

17:02

upon earth, and my colleagues about

17:04

him are all of the same feeling, end

17:07

quote. Perhaps that

17:09

officer was right, and Cathcart was not

17:11

driving his heels, but simply incompetent. In

17:14

any case, within days of their landing,

17:16

a mood of frustration seems to have

17:19

predominated among the British officers. I

17:22

think perhaps there was a little projection

17:24

here. Few of them were proud

17:26

to be part of an unprovoked attack on

17:28

a neutral nation. They probably

17:30

wanted to get this shameful duty over

17:33

with as soon as possible. As

17:36

for the average soldiers, they behaved

17:38

as bored troops in a hostile

17:40

foreign country often did, causing trouble

17:43

and looting. One

17:45

British officer lamented, quote, At

17:48

least you would imagine that the discipline of

17:50

the army was preserved. No such

17:52

thing. The villages around

17:54

our lines give damning evidence to

17:56

the contrary, and the outrageous committed

17:58

by our troops are worthy. worthy

18:00

of a band of Cossacks. What

18:02

were the steps taken to repress this

18:05

spirit of indiscipline? Courts-martial

18:07

were assembled, and, instead

18:09

of the culprits being executed in front of

18:11

the army as an example to the rest,

18:14

the tender feelings of his lordship

18:16

would not permit him to approve

18:18

a court-martial, but they were all

18:20

sent home to England." In

18:24

fairness to his lordship, those men

18:27

actually were punished upon their return,

18:29

and in fact several were hanged.

18:32

But, as you can see, Cathcart's fellow

18:34

officers were no longer giving him the

18:36

benefit of the doubt. Despite

18:39

the frustration within the British expedition, they

18:41

had actually caught the Danes in a

18:44

very difficult position. The

18:46

Danes had known there was a strong

18:48

possibility of a British attack, but they

18:50

had been imagining another naval engagement, much

18:53

like the one they had fought against

18:55

Nelson six years earlier. Practically

18:57

all of Denmark's army was in

18:59

Holstein, preparing to hold off a

19:01

potential French invasion from Germany. There

19:04

were no reliable army units anywhere near

19:06

the capital, and the only way to

19:08

move the men from Holstein to Copenhagen

19:11

was by boat, where they might easily

19:13

be intercepted by the Royal Navy. But

19:16

the Danes would not go down without a fight.

19:19

They threw together an improvised

19:21

army of semi-trained fresh recruits

19:24

and part-time militiamen, probably

19:26

somewhere around 8,000 men.

19:28

This force began raiding around

19:30

the rear of the British siege

19:32

lines. By this

19:34

point, the British had as many as 25,000 men around

19:36

the city, and

19:39

these were well-trained regulars, from some of

19:41

the best regiments in the British army,

19:43

many of whom had combat experience. Still,

19:46

the Danes could not sit idle while

19:48

their new enemies strangled the capital. Something

19:51

had to be done, even if the odds

19:53

of success were small. By

19:56

August 29th, this roving amateur

19:58

army had become an of

20:00

a nuisance to the British to warrant a

20:02

response. Lord Cathcart sent

20:04

General Wellesley and his brigade to

20:06

find and destroy the Danish army.

20:10

Wellesley's men caught up with them near

20:12

the town of Koo, just southwest of

20:15

Copenhagen. The general

20:17

ordered an attack. The 95th Rifles, made

20:20

famous by Bernard Cornwell's sharp novels,

20:22

would lead the assault in skirmish

20:24

formation, followed by the Gordon

20:26

Highlanders in close order to press the attack

20:28

home. The

20:31

opposing Danish force was not terribly

20:33

menacing. One British officer remembered,

20:35

quote, They appeared poor raw troops,

20:38

and we could not help but smile

20:40

at the indifferent figure they cut. End

20:43

quote. No surprise, almost

20:45

as soon as Wellesley's assault began, the

20:48

Danes broke and ran. The

20:50

British pursued them for miles, and by

20:52

the time the fighting stopped, a quarter

20:54

of the Danish force was dead, wounded,

20:56

or captured. Most

20:58

of the rest were completely scattered, and

21:00

most had thrown away their weapons and

21:02

equipment, hoping to get away faster. The

21:05

threat to the rear of the British

21:08

siege lines was definitely over. Wellesley's

21:10

brigade only suffered about 150

21:13

casualties. In a

21:15

letter home, a British diplomat who witnessed

21:17

the aftermath of the battle admitted, quote,

21:20

In fact, the battle was not a

21:22

very glorious one. But this you will

21:24

keep to yourself, end quote. These

21:28

militia men were essentially just peasants who'd

21:30

had a musket thrust into their hands.

21:33

The government had been able to offer them almost

21:35

nothing in the way of training or equipment. In

21:38

Danish, the Battle of Koo is often referred

21:40

to as the Battle of the Clogs, because

21:43

so many of the Danish combatants lacked

21:46

proper shoes, and wore wooden

21:48

clogs instead. No wonder the

21:50

British were able to catch so many of them. With

21:54

Wellesley's victory at Koo, the British rear

21:56

was secured, and they were now free

21:58

to conduct their attack on Copenhagen. Copenhagen,

22:00

when and how they saw fit. The

22:03

success of the expedition was now

22:05

practically assured, but as you might

22:07

imagine, Wellesley didn't get much acclaim

22:09

for defeating this pathetic force. In

22:11

the course of a mission, many

22:13

found morally repugnant. If

22:16

young General Wellesley was hoping to make a name

22:18

for himself back home, he would have to wait

22:20

a little longer. When

22:24

they could, the Danish garrison of

22:26

Copenhagen made sorties to raid the

22:28

British siege lines. Some

22:30

of these attacks had some success, but they

22:33

must have known they were not doing much

22:35

more than delaying the inevitable. At

22:37

this point, that was the best the

22:39

Danes could hope for. Slow things down,

22:41

make the British pay for every advance,

22:43

and pray for a miracle. On

22:46

September 1st, they ran out of time. The

22:49

British had now set up artillery batteries close

22:51

enough to the walls to bombard the center

22:53

of the city. Lord Cathcart

22:55

issued one more ultimatum. He

22:58

knew his orders and understood his duty, but

23:01

everything in him rebelled against the

23:03

idea of ordering the bombardment. He

23:06

gave the Danes nearly a full twenty-four hours

23:08

to think it over. Once

23:10

again, they refused. And

23:13

so, just before sunset, on

23:15

September 2nd, 1807, the British

23:17

guns opened up on Copenhagen.

23:20

The bombardment would be carried out in

23:22

the dark to maximize the terror and

23:24

confusion. Over two

23:27

thousand rounds were launched into the city that

23:29

night. Fires started in several

23:31

neighborhoods. A British

23:33

civilian watched from a ship just

23:35

offshore. Quote, The city

23:37

was on fire in three places. I

23:40

never saw, nor can well conceive,

23:42

a more awful yet magnificent spectacle.

23:45

I cannot describe to you the appalling effect it

23:47

had on me. Our cabin was

23:49

illuminated by an intensely red glow, then

23:52

suddenly wrapped in a deep gloom as

23:54

the flames rose and fell, while

23:56

the vessel quivered and every plank in

23:59

her was shaking. by the louder reverberations

24:01

of the cannon. Alas, poor

24:03

Danes, I could not reveal for them."

24:09

British used a relatively new

24:11

weapon at Copenhagen, the Congreve

24:13

rocket. This was a sort

24:15

of primitive, unguided missile. If

24:17

you've ever fired a bottle rocket,

24:20

you're familiar with the principle, although

24:22

a Congreve rocket could weigh up

24:24

to 32 pounds, or 14.5 kilograms,

24:26

packed with gun powder and tipped

24:28

with a sharp metal spike. These

24:31

weapons had actually been developed in Asia.

24:33

The British had first encountered them in

24:36

India, and were so impressed by their

24:38

effect that they adapted the design for

24:40

domestic manufacture. If you're

24:43

American, you're certainly familiar with the phrase,

24:45

the rocket's red glare, from our national

24:47

anthem. The British had Congreve rockets at

24:49

the Battle of Baltimore in 1814 as

24:52

well. That's what Francis Scott Key was

24:54

referencing in that line. Compared

24:57

to traditional artillery, the Congreve rocket

24:59

had a short range, and was

25:02

woefully inaccurate. But they had

25:04

some real advantages as well. They

25:06

were light, could be fired quickly, and

25:09

it was absolutely terrifying to be

25:11

on the receiving end of rocket

25:13

fire. They were very loud,

25:15

screaming through the air like fireworks, and

25:18

the projectiles could actually be seen

25:20

with the naked eye, the inaccuracy

25:22

actually added to the terror. Imagine

25:25

watching one of these things coming roughly

25:27

towards your position, knowing that

25:29

at any moment it could twist in another

25:32

direction, and come straight at you. But

25:34

perhaps most importantly for the purposes

25:37

of this discussion, Congreve rockets were

25:39

good at causing fires, which made

25:41

them especially effective against ships and

25:44

in sieges. The

25:47

Copenhageners passed a miserable sleepless

25:49

night, desperately fighting fires, and

25:51

praying the next

25:53

cannonball or rocket would land somewhere

25:55

else. After

25:57

hours of furious effort, the fires were

26:00

extinguished, and at eight in the

26:02

morning the bombardment finally stopped. Copenhagen

26:05

had been under fire for about twelve

26:07

hours. Lord

26:09

Cathcart and his officers hoped that a night of

26:11

death and destruction would be enough to bring the

26:13

Danish government to its knees. All

26:16

through the day of September 3rd they waited for

26:18

an offer of surrender from the city, but

26:20

they waited in vain. At

26:23

dusk the shelling began again. It was

26:26

a replay of the hellish night before,

26:28

but this time the fires were worse.

26:30

Danish firefighters struggled heroically, but

26:32

they were simply overwhelmed. They

26:35

lost the battle with the flames. The

26:37

fires raged all day September

26:39

4th, but still the Danes

26:42

stood firm. Once

26:44

again sunset came, and the British batteries

26:47

opened up on the city, still burning

26:49

from the previous night's attacks. One

26:52

resident would later recall, quote, Never,

26:54

never have I lived through a more

26:56

terrible night. The sky was

26:58

full of smoke, which seemed to ascend

27:01

to heaven, invoking a curse on the

27:03

barbarians who so ill-treated an innocent

27:05

people. End quote. Shortly

27:09

before dawn, the spire of the Church

27:11

of Our Lady collapsed. This was

27:13

one of the city's most iconic landmarks,

27:15

but the overwhelmed firefighters could not save

27:17

it. Finally, the Danes

27:19

could take no more. That

27:21

morning they agreed to begin negotiations

27:24

for a conditional surrender and signaled

27:26

they were willing to accept the

27:28

main British demand, to hand over

27:30

the fleet and all naval supplies.

27:34

During those three nights of terror, around 2,000

27:38

civilians lost their lives, including many

27:40

women and children, representing about one

27:42

in every fifty residents of the

27:44

city. Many more were

27:46

injured. The city's

27:48

military garrison only suffered around

27:51

250 casualties, including wounded. The

27:53

bombardment had been deliberately directed at

27:55

the civilian parts of the city,

27:58

not its defenses. Around

28:01

four hundred buildings had been totally

28:03

destroyed, and many more damaged to

28:05

varying degrees, some of which would

28:07

eventually be condemned. Copenhagen

28:10

was left with scars that would take decades to

28:12

heal. The Church of

28:14

Our Lady was so badly damaged that its

28:17

ruins were demolished to make way for a

28:19

new church, which wasn't finally completed until 1829.

28:23

A young British officer who witnessed the

28:26

negotiations described the damage and the resilience

28:28

of the Danes. Quote.

28:31

The spectacle was lamentable and well

28:33

calculated to rouse every feeling of

28:36

sympathy. Houses were

28:38

still smoldering and, in part, crumbled to the

28:40

ground. Mothers were

28:42

bewailing the fate of their slaughtered children,

28:44

and there was not one but deplored

28:47

the loss of some fondly beloved relative

28:49

or friend. Yet they

28:51

received us with dignified, though

28:53

cool, courtesy. End quote.

28:57

As the British demanded, the Danes turned

28:59

over their fleet. Ironically,

29:01

many of these captured warships were never

29:03

actually put into service by the Royal

29:05

Navy. Several were deemed

29:08

useless and immediately burned or scuttled, and

29:10

several dozen more were lost in a

29:12

storm before they could reach Britain. Still,

29:15

the expedition had succeeded at its primary

29:18

mission of denying these vessels to the

29:20

French. In the

29:22

coming years, the Danes would extract a

29:24

measure of revenge. Probably

29:27

unsurprisingly, in the aftermath of

29:29

the atrocity, Denmark aligned itself

29:31

with Napoleon. They

29:33

had lost almost all their warships, but

29:35

the country still had a lot of

29:37

well-trained and experienced sailors and officers. Denmark

29:40

put these men to good use

29:42

as privateers and commerce raiders, preying

29:45

on British merchant shipping. Their

29:48

French allies captured more tonnage, but

29:50

they also had more ships. The

29:52

Danes definitely punched above their weight. As

29:56

You might imagine, when news of the

29:58

attack on Copenhagen spread across the world,

30:00

the across Europe he provoked a storm

30:02

of controversy. Even with in

30:05

Britain, many were outraged by this

30:07

unprovoked attack on innocent civilians. Former.

30:10

Prime Minister Henry Addington, the by

30:12

Count Sidmouth wrote quote. We.

30:15

Are pursuing the course not calculated to

30:17

promote our real interests and one which

30:19

will make us to tested by the

30:22

world. And quote. Lord.

30:24

Thomas or Skyn, a politician from

30:27

the opposition Whig party was even

30:29

more blocks quote. Is

30:31

hell did not exist before? Providence would

30:34

trade it now to punish ministers for

30:36

that damn about measure. And

30:38

quotes. Even. King George

30:40

the third call to attack immoral

30:42

although he himself had signed off

30:44

on it's. When.

30:46

Napoleon heard the news. He was

30:48

actually pleased. He. Saw this

30:50

as an act of desperation, a

30:52

sign that the British were weak,

30:55

worried, and flailing. He. Believed

30:57

any benefit they gained by due

30:59

to realizing the Danish fleet would

31:01

be cancelled out by the tremendous

31:03

damage done to their international reputation.

31:06

Ironically. As Napoleon relished the

31:08

outrage being directed towards Britain, his

31:10

own plans to attack a difference

31:13

neutral states were already in motion.

31:16

In only about six weeks, hostile

31:18

French troops would cross the Spanish

31:20

Portuguese border. Granted, The

31:23

fresh would not be deliberately targeting

31:25

civilians as the British had of

31:27

Copenhagen, but this operation would be

31:29

on a much grander scale and

31:31

Bonaparte at it. And Bonaparte and

31:33

his generals certainly knew what was

31:35

meant for the average people caught

31:37

on It's pass. As

31:41

we discussed last episode, the impetus

31:43

for this invasion was Portugal's refusal

31:45

to sever it's diplomatic and commercial

31:47

ties with Great Britain. However,

31:49

As was often the case, as

31:52

Napoleon thought about this plan, it

31:54

took on more grandiose objectives. By.

31:57

this point in our story p

31:59

had all kinds of ambitions for

32:01

Portugal, turning it into a new

32:03

French vassal state, and then using

32:05

its expansive overseas empire to jumpstart

32:07

France's own colonial dreams, which had

32:09

been moribund since the liberation of

32:11

Haiti. There were smaller

32:13

prizes to be found in Lisbon as well. The

32:16

Portuguese fleet, which much like the Danish

32:18

fleet, was too small to be a

32:20

major player on its own, but could

32:22

have a real impact on the maritime

32:24

balance of power if France or Britain

32:26

managed to get their hands on it.

32:29

And of course, there was the Portuguese

32:32

treasury. Portugal might not

32:34

have been an economic powerhouse, but with

32:36

its vast colonial empire, it did not

32:38

lack for gold or silver. This

32:41

was far more than a simple looting

32:43

expedition, but all that hard currency could

32:45

be a big help to the war

32:47

effort of whichever power controlled it. And

32:50

so, there would be a lot

32:52

of expectations on the force assembling

32:54

in southwestern France, known as the

32:56

Corps of Observation of the Girond,

32:59

and on its leader, General Jean-Andres

33:01

Jeunot. Jeunot had

33:03

been by Napoleon's side since the very

33:05

beginning. Quite literally, he had

33:07

been one of Bonaparte's personal aides at

33:09

the siege of Toulon. Jeunot

33:12

and Napoleon had been close for years,

33:14

but their relationship was strained as of

33:17

late. As I mentioned

33:19

all the way back in episode 30, Jeunot

33:21

was in the midst of a slow downward

33:23

spiral. He was in constant

33:25

pain from wounds suffered in action,

33:27

and likely also dealing with the

33:30

after effects of at least one

33:32

traumatic brain injury. This

33:34

contributed to a self-reinforcing cycle

33:36

of heavy drinking, psychological distress,

33:39

and erratic behavior. Almost

33:42

all of Napoleon's favorite comrades from the

33:45

old days had received either the title

33:47

of Marshal of France, or a noble

33:49

title, or both. All

33:52

of you know, absence from those lists

33:54

was starting to look a little conspicuous.

33:58

According to some sources, this is a very important part of the process. This assignment

34:00

to lead the invasion of Portugal

34:02

was partially a punishment, and partially

34:04

an excuse to get Junot out

34:06

of Paris. Around

34:09

this time, Junot was carrying

34:11

on an affair with Caroline

34:13

Bonaparte, Napoleon's favorite sister, and

34:15

the wife of fellow commander

34:17

and long-time Bonaparte loyalist Joachim

34:19

Murat. Perhaps

34:22

this was in part a punishment, but

34:24

it was also an opportunity for redemption.

34:27

Bonaparte promised his old friend that if

34:29

the invasion of Portugal went well, Junot

34:31

would finally get a blue baton and

34:34

a juicy noble title to match. He

34:37

would have about 25,000 men at his disposal. This

34:41

corps was a perfect example of

34:43

the changing face of Napoleon's military.

34:45

As we've discussed in past episodes, more

34:47

and more non-French troops could be found

34:50

in the ranks, as Bonaparte's allies and

34:52

vassal states were contributing more to the

34:54

war effort. Most of

34:56

Junot's units were French, but there

34:58

were also large contingents from Switzerland,

35:00

Northern Germany, and Northern Italy. The

35:03

Spanish had pledged about 25,000 men

35:05

as well, although they would be under

35:08

independent command, not part of Junot's corps.

35:11

It was a pretty insignificant force, compared

35:13

to the one Napoleon had led into

35:15

Poland a year earlier, but the Portuguese

35:17

army was so small and weak that

35:19

it was considered unlikely they would offer

35:22

any serious resistance. In

35:24

his instructions to the war ministry, Napoleon

35:26

wrote, quote, There is not a moment

35:29

to lose to forestall the English. End

35:31

quote. He was right to

35:33

be concerned. As the French

35:35

finalized their plans, London was making its

35:38

own preparations for a French invasion of

35:40

Portugal. On

35:42

October 17, 1807,

35:44

General Junot released a proclamation to his

35:46

troops, quote, Soldiers,

35:49

we are going to enter foreign territory,

35:52

but remember that this is not enemy

35:54

terrain. The Spaniards are

35:56

faithful allies of the immortal Napoleon.

36:00

soldiers, how much I care about discipline.

36:02

I have always regarded it as the sure

36:04

guarantee of victory. It is

36:07

by discipline that a soldier deserves the

36:09

esteem of friendly peoples, just

36:11

as it is by his courage that he

36:13

conquers the admiration of enemies. You

36:16

know my attachment to you. You are sure that you

36:18

will not want for anything, as long as it is

36:20

in my power to give it to you. I

36:23

will severely punish disorders. I

36:26

will do justice to all with

36:28

the most rigid impartiality. Observe

36:31

military regulations exactly. March

36:33

well in order. May the inhabitants of

36:36

Spain have no complaints against you. Be

36:38

as wise, as disciplined in crossing their country

36:41

as I am sure to find you brave

36:43

on the day of honor. I

36:45

ask you to deserve your esteem. Also,

36:47

ensure for me that our Emperor can

36:49

say, Soldiers of the Army of the

36:51

Girond, I am happy with you." Given

36:57

what had happened the previous year, I

36:59

am not sure it is totally accurate

37:01

to call the Spanish faithful allies of

37:03

Napoleon. But setting that aside,

37:06

Junot was clearly worried that discipline might

37:08

break down on the long march through

37:10

Spain. If his troops took

37:12

to Ludang or other abuses of the

37:15

locals, the whole mission might be jeopardized.

37:18

With the help of the Spanish, this

37:20

mission was pretty straightforward. Without

37:22

Spanish help, this would be a

37:24

small force strung out in rough

37:26

country cut off from home. There

37:28

would be all kinds of complications, and

37:30

it would probably prove impossible to push

37:32

on to Lisbon. As

37:35

the corps marched into Spain, they got a mixed

37:37

reception. There were incidents of disorder

37:39

among the troops, and a

37:42

suspicious number of French foragers

37:44

and stragglers disappeared, presumably killed

37:46

by Spanish peasants. However,

37:49

the leaders of the corps managed to keep

37:51

a lid on things. The

37:54

Spanish would not turn on their allies,

37:56

at least not yet. However,

38:00

that's not to say the march was easy. We

38:03

tend to think of Iberia as warm

38:05

and sunny, but northern Spain

38:07

in late fall means rain,

38:09

unceasing torrential rain,

38:12

and, as we discussed last

38:14

episode, Spanish infrastructure was almost

38:16

universally bad. Juneau's

38:18

men spent weeks slogging through the

38:21

mud and making torturous crossings of

38:23

raging rivers. In

38:25

this sparsely populated country, food, shelter,

38:27

and even firewood were often hard

38:30

to come by, and

38:32

the further they got from France,

38:34

the less reliable their supply lines

38:36

became. Sometimes, the men

38:38

had nothing to eat but the acorns they

38:40

found under the trees that sheltered them as

38:43

they slept. By

38:45

November 19th, over a month

38:47

after leaving France, Juneau and the

38:50

advance guard finally reached the town

38:52

of Alcantara, the last major

38:54

Spanish settlement before the Portuguese border. Juneau

38:57

tried to hire guides to lead the

38:59

army over the border and into Portugal,

39:02

but not only was he unable to find anyone

39:04

who knew the way, he couldn't

39:06

even find a single person who

39:08

spoke Portuguese. His maps

39:11

were no good, and the Portuguese infrastructure

39:13

was no better than that in Spain.

39:15

The corps would have no choice

39:18

but to stumble blindly into Portugal,

39:20

point themselves roughly in the direction

39:22

of Lisbon, and march. After

39:25

the punishing journey to the border, I

39:27

doubt many of Juneau's men were sad

39:29

to be leaving Spain behind them, but

39:31

they might have felt differently if they knew what

39:34

awaited in Portugal. Every problem

39:36

the corps had encountered on the first

39:38

leg of their journey was magnified many

39:40

times over as soon as they entered

39:42

hostile territory. In

39:44

planning this operation, Napoleon had looked

39:47

at his maps and traced out

39:49

the shortest, most logical route between

39:51

the French border and Lisbon. This

39:53

made obvious sense, and none of his generals

39:56

disagreed. But when Juneau

39:58

and his men actually experienced this geography,

40:00

they quickly discovered it was some

40:02

of the roughest terrain in Western

40:05

Europe. There were

40:07

huge expanses of rocky, mountainous

40:09

terrain crisscrossed by deep chasms.

40:11

Horses, mules, and even men

40:13

sometimes lost their footing and

40:15

fell into these chasms, never

40:17

to be seen again. There

40:20

were countless streams and rivers to cross,

40:23

this being the rainy season, all of them

40:25

were running high. A

40:27

Swiss captain claimed that he and his men

40:30

had to ford some kind of body of

40:32

water 10 to 20 times a

40:34

day. It seems like maybe he

40:36

was exaggerating for effect, but you get the

40:38

idea. If the current

40:40

was swift, it sometimes carried men away,

40:43

some of whom drowned. There

40:46

was not much firewood in this

40:48

desolate country, so Juneau's men

40:50

sometimes spent all day soaked to the

40:52

bone, and then, when they finally stopped

40:55

to rest, didn't even have the luxury

40:57

of a campfire to dry off and

40:59

warm up. With their

41:01

supply lines stretched over hundreds of

41:04

miles of muddy Spanish roads, food

41:06

was sometimes not issued for days at

41:09

a time. When the men did

41:11

get their rations, they were often incomplete.

41:14

A French supply officer wrote, quote, It

41:17

is impossible to describe our situation from

41:19

Salamanca to Abrantes. We

41:22

have crossed a hundred leagues of desert

41:24

and terrible mountains. All the

41:26

carriages and most of the artillery have been

41:28

left behind. The horses can

41:30

no longer walk. For eight

41:32

days, it has not been possible

41:34

to make a complete distribution of

41:36

bread, and today, after three days

41:38

of deprivation, each soldier will receive

41:40

one third of a ration. End

41:42

quote. Usually, when

41:45

faced with these circumstances, French troops

41:47

foraged food from the countryside, or

41:49

bought or stole it from the

41:51

locals, but in this part of

41:53

Portugal, these were not really options.

41:56

This part of the country was barren, practically

41:58

a desert, as that French officer described

42:00

it. Not many people lived

42:02

here, and those who did

42:04

fled their farms, pastures, and villages,

42:06

taking everything of value they could

42:08

carry. The hungry French

42:11

ransacked these abandoned settlements without

42:13

mercy, typically stealing anything they

42:15

could carry and then ripping apart the

42:18

furniture and pulling doors off their hinges

42:20

for firewood. The

42:22

Portuguese peasants got their revenge. Any

42:25

French soldier who strayed too far

42:27

from his march column tended to

42:29

wind up dead. The Portuguese army

42:32

was nowhere to be found. Portugal's

42:34

leaders believed their troops stood

42:36

no chance against Napoleon's veterans.

42:39

In fact, they were preparing

42:41

to evacuate, not resist. But

42:45

with Juneau's corps in a completely destitute

42:47

state, you have to wonder if they

42:49

had miscalculated. True, the

42:51

Portuguese army was not among Europe's best,

42:53

to put it mildly, but they would

42:55

have had a huge advantage fighting on

42:58

the defensive in this difficult terrain, with

43:00

the local people on their side and

43:02

their supply lines so much shorter than

43:04

the French. Fortunately

43:07

for Juneau's men, their only enemies

43:09

would be the conditions and outraged

43:11

peasants. Still, this

43:13

was a horrible trial. We've

43:16

seen this story before in Poland. The

43:18

French military was a well-oiled

43:20

machine, but it was calibrated

43:22

to operate on its home

43:24

turf. The prosperous, well-developed, densely

43:27

populated regions of western Europe.

43:29

When they had to operate outside

43:32

these conditions, parts of that well-oiled

43:34

machine sometimes broke down. Despite

43:37

the ordeals of the march, by

43:39

late November, elements of Juneau's corps

43:41

began to trickle into the town

43:43

of Abratis, a major settlement along

43:45

the Tagus River, about halfway between

43:47

the Spanish border and Lisbon. Here,

43:51

That difficult, rocky terrain gave way

43:53

to the relatively easy, open country

43:56

of the Tagus River valley.. The

43:58

Worst was over. At

44:00

last the French had a straight shot

44:02

to Lisbon. You. Know gather

44:05

together what troops were still fit to

44:07

march for a final push on the

44:09

Portuguese capital. Within. A few

44:11

days they arrived on the outskirts of the

44:13

city. They. Soon discovered

44:15

they had been too slow to achieve

44:17

many of their objectives. The.

44:20

Portuguese had not been idle wells, You

44:22

know what? His man struggled through the

44:24

rugged highlands of central Iberia. Almost

44:27

as soon as the fresh declaration

44:29

of war arrived on his desk,

44:31

Portugal's Prince Regent officially applied for

44:33

British assistance. As you might

44:36

imagine, London was happy to oblige.

44:38

The. British had been planning for

44:40

this contingency and we're ready to

44:42

spring immediately into action. A

44:45

Royal Navy squadron soon arrived in

44:47

Lisbon to begin be difficult task

44:50

of evacuating the Portuguese government to

44:52

safety in Brazil. It

44:55

was led by Sir Sidney Smith's the same

44:57

officer who had helped foil Napoleon siege of

44:59

Acre all the way back. and Seventeen Ninety

45:01

Nine. Apparently Prince

45:04

John, the Portuguese Regent, couldn't decide

45:06

on a course of action. Is

45:09

new British allies were begging him to

45:11

join the evacuation at had for Brazil.

45:13

The. Merits of this idea where obvious,

45:16

but understandably, the prince felt reservations

45:18

about abandoning his country and his

45:20

subjects to the French. Finally,

45:22

Smith showed him a copy of

45:25

the monitor Your Liver Sell, the

45:27

official newspaper of the French government,

45:29

which had prematurely announced that the

45:31

press had been deposed. Knowing.

45:33

What his fate would be if he

45:35

stayed. Made the prince decision easy. He

45:38

left for Brazil. By.

45:40

The times you know. exhausted. Vanguard

45:42

arrived outside Lisbon. The evacuation was

45:44

in it's final stages. The.

45:47

Portuguese royal family, a court, the upper

45:49

echelons of the government and the treasury

45:51

were all on their way to South

45:53

America out of soon as reach. Napoleon's.

45:57

orders have emphasized the need for

45:59

paced, to forestall the English,

46:02

as he put it. They had

46:04

not moved quickly enough and had been

46:06

forestalled. On

46:08

November 30th, the bedraggled advance guard

46:10

of Junot's corps entered Lisbon without

46:12

a fight. The rest

46:14

of the corps shambled into the city piecemeal

46:16

over the next few days. After

46:19

their punishing march, they didn't make much of

46:21

an impression on the Lisbowans. A

46:24

French officer described the sorry

46:26

scene, quote, They

46:28

had at last made their entrance

46:30

those formidable warriors, before whom Europe

46:32

was dumb and whose sight the

46:34

prince regent had not dared encounter.

46:37

A people of lively imagination

46:39

had expected to see heroes

46:41

of a superior species, colossuses,

46:43

demigods. The French were

46:46

nothing but men. A forced

46:48

march of eighteen days, famine,

46:50

torrents, inundated valleys, and beating

46:52

rain had debilitated their bodies

46:54

and destroyed their clothing. They

46:57

had hardly enough strength to keep step to the

46:59

sound of the drum, end quote.

47:03

Junot's own chief of staff would later

47:05

recall, quote, At intervals

47:07

of one or two days, the shreds

47:09

of the army's units followed in an

47:11

ever more desperate state. The

47:14

soldiers appeared as living corpses. Elite

47:17

companies of one hundred and forty men

47:19

did not have fifteen, and

47:21

eagles arrived with two hundred men

47:23

instead of two thousand five hundred,

47:25

end quote. Despite

47:29

the shocking state of his force,

47:31

Junot had succeeded at his primary

47:33

mission. The port of Lisbon

47:35

was now closed to British trade.

47:38

In the coming weeks, smaller columns

47:40

of French or allied Spanish troops

47:42

would make similar entrances into the

47:44

smaller Portuguese port towns. The

47:47

biggest hole in the continental system

47:49

had been plugged. But

47:52

After what they had been through on the

47:54

March, and after failing to achieve any of

47:56

their secondary objectives, I'm sure this must have

47:58

felt like a con- Elation prize to many

48:01

of the men at the Core. As

48:04

you might expect, Napoleon was not

48:06

terribly pleased by this results. In.

48:08

A fit of frustration at the

48:10

Portuguese, he ordered his you know

48:12

to seize the property of any

48:14

prominent person who had fled to

48:16

Brazil with Prince John and imposed

48:18

a huge indemnity of a hundred

48:21

million froths on Portugal. This.

48:23

Type of indemnity was somewhat

48:25

understandable in cases where foreign

48:27

powers had declared war on

48:29

France, like Austria. pressure. They.

48:31

Had started the war. They paid

48:33

the price. But it was

48:35

hard to square how the Portuguese deserve

48:38

to pay for the crime of being

48:40

invaded by France. Or.

48:43

Partially completing his mission you know

48:45

was entitled to part of his

48:48

reward. It. Eighteen await, The Polian

48:50

awarded him the title Duke of a

48:52

brought Us, but he did not receive

48:55

the coveted blue baton of a martial

48:57

of France. Worth

49:00

dwelling on. The greater significance of

49:02

the evacuation of the Portuguese court,

49:04

treasury and royal family. The.

49:06

Arrival of the refugees from Lisbon on

49:08

November Twenty Seventh, Eighteen, Oh Seven would

49:11

prove to be one of V T

49:13

turning points in the history of Brazil.

49:15

And indeed, the history of the entire

49:18

Portuguese empire and all of the Americans.

49:21

I've. Seen estimates as high as

49:23

fifteen thousand prominent Portuguese subjects

49:25

leaving for Brazil. Broadly.

49:27

Speaking, these people were well educated,

49:29

wealthy and influential people who tend

49:31

to make their mark on the

49:34

places they saddle. Most.

49:36

Of them ended up in Rio De Janeiro,

49:38

then the colonial capital. Which. Now

49:40

became the capital of the entire

49:42

Portuguese empire. Obviously.

49:44

This sudden promotion from far

49:47

flung colonial headquarters to the

49:49

nerve center of a sprawling

49:51

global empire met some immediate

49:53

big changes. New. Institutions new

49:56

building projects, new infrastructure,

49:59

but probably more More important were

50:01

the indirect consequences. A

50:03

European-style royal court of this era

50:06

had a huge gravitational pull. They

50:08

drew all kinds of people, institutions,

50:10

and ideas into their orbit. These

50:14

well-heeled refugees were used to a

50:16

certain lifestyle. They wanted to live

50:19

in fine houses, enjoy high culture,

50:21

consume expensive luxury goods, and

50:23

educate their children to a high standard. Before

50:26

their arrival, there hadn't been a very big

50:29

market for these things in Brazil. Now,

50:31

almost overnight, Rio de Janeiro

50:33

became a very lively and

50:35

important place. The type of

50:37

city where a businessman or an architect

50:39

or an artist or an intellectual could

50:41

make a good living, just like any

50:43

other capital city of a major European

50:46

state. All of

50:48

this new activity also drove up the

50:50

cost of labor, which led to a

50:52

surge in immigration. In

50:54

the past, the Portuguese government had

50:56

limited immigration to Brazil. Now they

50:58

encouraged it. They needed the manpower.

51:02

Unfortunately, this desperate need for cheap

51:04

labor led them to look for

51:06

other avenues to obtain workers, namely

51:09

the transatlantic slave trade. There

51:12

was a huge uptick in the

51:14

number of Africans trafficked to Brazil

51:16

during this period. Tens

51:18

of thousands arrived every year,

51:20

enough to completely and permanently

51:22

transform the demographics of the

51:24

country. This

51:26

Portuguese government in exile showed clear

51:29

favoritism to those who had left

51:31

Lisbon with Prince John. Generally

51:34

speaking, the native-born Portuguese were

51:36

seen as the natural rulers

51:38

of the empire, even

51:40

if it was temporarily headquartered

51:42

outside Portugal. However,

51:44

the practical realities of governing the

51:47

empire from the city of Rio

51:49

de Janeiro meant throwing at least

51:51

a few bones to the local

51:53

Brazilian-born creoles. Many

51:55

Of the local Brazilians who came into

51:57

contact with the administration studied it. The

52:00

eagerly and learned a valuable lessons.

52:03

Prince. John also declared freedom of

52:06

trade. Practically. Speaking, the

52:08

Brazilians had always treated extensively with

52:10

for merchants but for most of

52:12

the collies history the government had

52:14

tried to discourage or even ban

52:16

this practice in an attempt to

52:18

give Portuguese merchants all got. Now

52:22

the country could finally take full

52:24

advantage of it's considerable resources at

52:26

somewhat unique position right at the

52:28

center of the Atlantic. As.

52:31

You might recall from last episode

52:33

before Napoleon's invasion, the Portuguese government

52:36

had been worried that Brazil might

52:38

surpass Portugal. They. Had actually been

52:40

trying to clip the colonies wings

52:42

to keep it small and docile

52:44

enough to be effectively managed from

52:46

Lisbon. Now the Portuguese

52:48

government was working both directly

52:50

and indirectly to develop Brazil.

52:53

It could not do otherwise. This

52:55

process was necessary if the Portuguese

52:57

Empire was going to hold together,

52:59

add some day soon, reclaim it's

53:01

homeland, at least to the government

53:03

hopes. He's. Portuguese regime

53:05

still worried about Brazil some day,

53:08

surpassing the Motherland and realizing it

53:10

no longer needed it's political connection

53:12

to Lisbon. Those concerns had to

53:15

be pushed to the side. For.

53:17

The moment they had no choice

53:19

but to build the country up

53:21

and doing so give the Brazilians

53:23

all the tools they would need

53:25

to seize their own sovereignty and

53:28

govern themselves. Showed an opportunity to

53:30

do so ever arise. I.

53:32

Think it's probably fair to say that

53:34

before this moment, Brazil was already on

53:36

a road that would one day lead

53:38

to independence in one way or another.

53:41

By. This point in history that was true

53:43

of almost every society in the New World.

53:46

But the arrival of the Portuguese

53:48

court in a Chino seven ensured

53:50

that Brazil's road to self governance

53:52

would be unlike that of any

53:54

other country in the Americas. We'll.

53:57

Talk more about this story as it continues.

54:00

develop. As

54:02

you'll think back to episode one of

54:04

three, you might recall Napoleon's proclamation to

54:06

the Grande Armée shortly before signing the

54:09

Treaty of Tilsit. Quote, You

54:12

will return to France, covered with

54:14

laurels, after having acquired a peace

54:16

that guarantees its own durability. It

54:19

is time for our country to live in

54:21

repose, sheltered from the malign

54:23

influence of England. End

54:25

quote. Less than

54:28

a year after that proclamation, France did

54:30

not seem to be in repose. The

54:33

peace achieved that Tilsit didn't look

54:35

durable at all. In

54:38

fact, the continent was continuing its

54:40

downward spiral towards chaos and war.

54:43

Tilsit represented nothing more than the

54:45

beginning of a new phase in

54:47

that ongoing process. Far

54:50

from being sheltered from the malign

54:52

influence of England, the British

54:54

actually seemed to be getting better at

54:56

projecting power onto the continent. As

54:59

we'll see in the near future,

55:01

Napoleon's meddling in Iberia would actually

55:03

give Britain an opening for an

55:05

even bigger expedition to mainland Europe.

55:09

In any war, in any era, it is

55:11

often the innocent who pay the price for

55:13

decisions made in the halls of power. This

55:16

is revealed in particularly stark detail

55:18

in this period of the Napoleonic

55:20

Wars. The British deliberately

55:22

killing and terrorizing civilians in

55:24

an aggressive attack on a

55:27

neutral state, while at

55:29

almost the same time their

55:31

French enemies launched a conquest

55:33

of another neutral state, this

55:35

one almost totally defenseless. If

55:38

they were here to explain themselves, Napoleon

55:40

and the British ministers would probably say,

55:43

yes, these were grim, ugly

55:46

decisions, but leaders of

55:48

great powers at war are often

55:50

forced to make difficult choices. Such

55:53

Leaders have the lives of millions

55:55

on their shoulders, along with the

55:57

destinies of their countries. With.

56:00

Such weighty responsibilities. Their primary

56:03

duty is clear. To. Bring

56:05

the war to a successful conclusion

56:07

as quickly as possible. You.

56:10

Can't even make the argument that they must

56:12

be heartless in pursuit of this duty. Is

56:15

a morally dubious decision results in

56:17

the war ended a year earlier

56:19

that it might otherwise. Hasn't the

56:21

greater good been served? But.

56:25

Try telling that to the weeping mother

56:27

is of Copenhagen. Try. Telling

56:29

that to the Portuguese peasant families

56:31

who had to watch their children

56:33

die of hunger or exposure because

56:35

French soldiers destroyed their homes and

56:37

killed their livestock. The. You

56:40

think they would have taken any comfort

56:42

from? The fact that they're suffering was

56:44

necessary due to reasons of state. Would.

56:47

You. You.

56:49

Might say well, that's war. And

56:51

war is very ugly. But.

56:54

Neither Denmark nor Portugal had chosen to be

56:56

a part of this war. In. Fact:

56:58

the governments of both countries had worked

57:00

very hard to keep out of it.

57:04

Those Britain and France claimed to

57:06

be fighting for their rights as

57:08

sovereign countries, which both claimed were

57:11

being unfairly infringed upon by their

57:13

arrival. Late. A Chino

57:15

seven showed how much those principles

57:17

were really worth in the face

57:20

of strategic necessity. Not.

57:22

Much. As

57:24

European geopolitics continued it's downward spiral

57:26

towards chaos and conflict concepts like

57:29

international law, the rights of sovereign

57:31

countries, and even the rights of

57:33

innocent civilians or fallen by the

57:36

wayside. Europe was at war

57:38

and and is dangerous state of affairs.

57:40

Power was all that really counted. You.

57:44

Could make the argument that at this

57:46

point in history France and Britain where

57:48

a to most advanced and enlightened states

57:50

in the world. But. That

57:52

Danish civilians who witnessed the bombardment

57:54

of Copenhagen was right. There.

57:56

Troops were behaving like barbarians.

58:00

That's all for now. Next

58:02

episode will continue exploring Napoleon's

58:04

intervention in Iberia, and

58:06

the British response. Until

58:09

then, thanks for listening.