To mark the 210th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo, we held a livestream of the crisis moment of the battle. We talk about Napoleon Bonaparte's last desperate role of the dice, the French forces involved, the Battle of Quatre Bras and Ligny, and the efforts of Dutch, Belgian, Hanoverian, Brunswick, Prussian and, yes, British troops involved.

In all we raised £600 for the Napoleonic & Revolutionary War Graves Charity. You too can support this great cause by going to www.nrwgc.com/donate.

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1797 was a moment of escalating international tensions and deepening domestic divisions. For eight years prior, Adams had served at the heart of George Washington’s administration, but nothing could fully prepare him for what would await him in his own presidency: the XYZ Affair, the Quasi War with France and the political firestorm unleashed by the Alien and Sedition Acts. As the young republic struggled to define itself, Adams faced enormous challenges in keeping the country out of full-scale war while also navigating the bitter rivalry between Federalists and Democratic-Republicans.

We explore how the Quasi War shaped American foreign policy and fed into the fiercely partisan atmosphere of the late 1790s. How did Adams’ decisions - including his support for peace over party - alienate allies within his own Federalist camp? Why did the Alien and Sedition Acts, intended as national security measures, backfire so dramatically and fuel accusations of authoritarianism? And what really caused the bruising election of 1800, often dubbed America’s first true test of peaceful political transition?

We’ll also reflect on the enduring impact of Adams’ presidency. How did his term shape the future of the American presidency? What can we learn from his failures and quiet victories? And how does his ambivalent performance as president stack up?

In this episode, Sara Georgini returns to deep dive into the presidency of John Adams, America’s often-overlooked second president.

Find Sara on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/sarageorgini.bsky.social

Check out Sara's book: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/household-gods-9780197647219?cc=gb&lang=en&

Explore the Adams Papers Digital Edition: https://www.masshist.org/publications/adams-papers/

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In this episode, we dive into four lesser-known but decisive moments that shaped the outcome of the 1815 Waterloo Campaign — moments that didn’t make headlines like the final charge of the Imperial Guard, but without which Napoleon’s defeat may never have happened.

We begin on 15 June, as Prince Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar takes the initiative to defend the crossroads at Quatre Bras, halting the French advance and giving Wellington the breathing room he needs to concentrate his army.

Next, we move to the heart of the battlefield itself, where Wellington’s decision to make a stand on the Mont-Saint-Jean ridge — a modest rise just south of Waterloo — gave the Anglo-Allied army a defensible position that would prove critical in weathering repeated French assaults.

We also explore the strange fate of D’Erlon’s I Corps on 16 June — a force that marched back and forth between two battles without firing a shot. Its absence from both Quatre Bras and Ligny robbed the French of the decisive blow Napoleon so desperately needed.

And finally, we look at Napoleon’s uncharacteristic inaction on 17 June, when the French failed to press their advantage after Ligny. This lull allowed Wellington and Blücher to regroup — and ultimately, to reunite.

Each of these moments may seem small in isolation, but together, they tipped the scales. On the anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo, tune in as we unpack how timing, initiative, and a few fateful decisions changed the course of European history at Waterloo.

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