A History of Europe, Key Battles

A History of Europe, Key Battles


Latest Episodes

74.6 Italian Invasion of Libya 1911-12
March 17, 2023

The Italian invasion of Libya 1911.After initial successes, the Italians face strong resistance against the Ottomans and Libyanswww.patreon.com/historyeuropewww.historyeurope.netMusic composed by Edward Elgar (The Crown of India, March of the Mogul Empero

74.5 Battle of Adowa 1896, Italian Invasion of Ethiopia
March 10, 2023

Following their countries independence in the mid 19th century, the Italians hoped to establish their status among the Great European Powers by acquiring colonial possessions. Their first main attempt was an unsuccessful invasion of Ethiopia, with a defea

74.4 The Annexation of Bosnia 1908
February 24, 2023

In the first years of the 20th century the Austrian Empire faced numerous problems, most of all the rising sense of nationalism among its various peoples. Attempting a more assertive foreign policy, the Austrians set about a plan to formally annex Bosnia

74.3 The Red Sultan and the Young Turks Revolution
February 17, 2023

The Ottoman Empire is in disarray and its treasury bankrupt. Under Sultan Abdul Hamid, the Red Sultan, there are violent suppression of uprisings of the Armenians in Anatolia. And in the Balkans the Macedonians and Albanians appeal for independence. A reb

74.2 The Russo-Japanese War and Revolution of 1905
February 10, 2023

Tsar Alexander II of Russia is assassinated in March 1881. He was probably the most liberal of all tsars of Russia, but succeeded by reactionary leaders Alexander III and then Nicholas II. Nicholas unwisely provokes Japan into a war, and is defeated, whic

74.1 First World War - Introduction, and Treaty Of Berlin 1878
February 03, 2023

A summary of the main events from the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815 to the beginning of the First World War in 1914At the end of the nineteenth century the Balkans had multiple crises. The Treaty of Berlin 1878 was an attempt by the Great Powers of E

73.3 Russo-Turkish War 1877-78
December 16, 2022

In April 1877, two Russian armies invaded the Ottoman empire. The focus of the war became the siege of Plevna in Bulgaria. The strong resistance there gave the Turks real hope for a final victory, or at least holding off the enemy and forcing a more favou

73.2 Russo-Turkish War 1877-78
December 09, 2022

In April 1876 news spread across Europe of appalling atrocities being committed in Bulgaria, by Turks against local uprisings. These occurred soon after similar events elsewhere in the Balkans region – in Bosnia and Serbia. The strongest reaction came fro

73.1 Russo-Turkish War 1877-78 - Background
December 02, 2022

In 1875, the Balkans entered a period of turmoil as various nationalities (Serbians, Bulgarians, Macedonians, Albanians and Romanians) struggled for independence from the Ottoman Turks. Uprisings quickly spread across the region and resulted in a major wa

72.1 Philippa Gregory Interview
November 11, 2022

Philippa has written novels set in several different historical periods, especially the Tudor period. We discussed the period around the Glorious Revolution 1688 when the Prince of Orange invaded England from Holland and replaced James II as king, and the