1802 recap: Haiti's fight for freedom

Our recap episodes, which offer a synthesis of our 1792-1804 coverage one year at a time, have reached 1802 - a year in which the French mission to recapture Saint-Domingue combines deception and brutality as the stakes grow ever higher. Chris Sloan talks presenter Alex Stevenson through specific key clips he's picked out from our old episodes grouped around four themes which, we argue, help frame the period and shape our understanding of it in a whole new way. We hope this will provide a helpful refresh for longstanding listeners - whilst at the same time offering an 'entry ramp' to the podcast for those who want to get up to speed relatively easily before we crash full-speed into the intensity of the Napoleonic Wars. This episode covers a 12-month period in which, whilst the main action takes place in the Caribbean, there is plenty of activity in Europe too. From the annexation of Piedmont to the invasion of Switzerland and the redrawing of the political map in Germany, the French are calling the shots across the continent. Napoleon Bonaparte takes another step towards empire by being made First Consul for life. And whilst the British are forcing the Marathas to abandon their independence hopes in India and the Peace of Amiens ends the war between France and Britain, the reality is this is not a world where anything is going to stay settled for very long.Help us produce more episodes by supporting the Napoleonic Quarterly on Patreon: patreon.com/napoleonicquarterly