EP065 SETTING EUROPE ON FIRE

About this episode

This episode explores Lola Montez's influence on European politics during a time of unrest and transformation in the 1840s.

The Age of Victoria returns for the 2026 season with a high-energy prologue to our new series, “Hunger and Revolution” . In this episode, we follow the “magnificent, terrible, magnetic” Lola Montez as she transitions from the stage to the high-stakes world of European politics . Lola becomes an “accidental bunch of dynamite,” moving through the bohemian circles of Paris and the royal halls of Munich . Her volatile relationship with the “rockstar” composer Franz Liszt and her scandalous influence over King Ludwig I of Bavaria serve as a sparking point for the unrest that would soon consume the continent . Against the grim backdrop of the “Continental Famine” and rising industrial tensions, we examine how one woman’s individual actions could help bring the curtain down on the pre-modern age . Key Topics Covered: Bohemian Paris in the 1840s: A city of romance and industry undergoing a transformation marked by early railway stations, gas streetlights, and artistic experimentation. Lisztomania and the Great Composers: Exploring the electric performances and scandalous love life of Franz Liszt—the “rockstar” of the…

Topics covered

• Lola Montez
• European politics
• Franz Liszt
• King Ludwig I of Bavaria
• Continental Famine
• industrial tensions
• Bohemian Paris in the 1840s

Keywords

• Hunger and Revolution
• stage to politics
• romance and industry
• pre-modern age

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: The Age of Victoria, Hunger and Revolution”, The Duel of Dujarier, The “Gallery of Beauties, Gilbert, Eliza Rosana (Lola Montez, Life of Chopin: The Controversial Chopin Biography by Liszt, The Spy who, Alexandre Henri Dujarier, The Fascinating Lola Montez: The European Years, Wild times with Lola Montez

Places: EUROPE, Paris, Munich, Bavaria

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