CLASSIC: The Smooth-talking Takeover of Tabor Bridge: "Yes And-ing" Your Way To Victory

Ridiculous History

iHeartPodcasts

History, Society & Culture

4.3 • 4.4K Ratings

🗓️ 7 June 2025

⏱️ 45 minutes

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Summary

In 1805, two French Marshals found themselves in quite a pickle -- Jean Lannes and Joachim Murat needed to cross the Danube at the Tabor bridge (a series of three bridges, actually) to reach Vienna. However, Austrian forces held the bridges and were prepared to destroy them before allowing the French to cross. With a brilliant talent for improvisation and more than a healthy dose of confidence, the Marshalls proceeded to con their way across the bridge without firing a shot. Listen in to learn more in today's Classic episode.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	fellow ridiculous historians, what is the, is there a moment in your life where you really
0:06.3	impressed yourself with your bedside manner, your smooth talking ability? Have you ever yes and
0:13.2	did your way into a ridiculous situation? Because we have. I love the idea of like having good
0:18.5	bedside manner with yourself and like being impressed by it. No, it's true Ben. Bedside manner with yourself and being impressed by it.
0:22.0	No, it's true, Ben.
0:22.9	Bedside manner is important.
0:24.4	And in 1805, two Frenchmen found themselves in quite the, what do they call those things?
0:31.8	Cornichon, you know, the little pickles.
0:34.4	That would be Jean Lannet and Joachim Moura,
0:38.3	who needed to cross the Danube at the Tabor Bridge,
0:42.0	which is a series of three bridges, actually,
0:44.1	in order to reach Vienna.
0:45.8	This is another war story.
0:47.7	This is a war debacle, a little bit of a war, oopsie.
0:50.8	Yeah, this is also a great this is a great con story.
0:55.5	This would be cool to make a, into a film for the ridiculous history cinematic universe.
1:00.9	Because as we'll see, folks, these guys clearly had to have had, had to have taken something like an improv class.
1:10.2	And we're going to journey with them
1:12.9	as they con their way through those three bridges without firing a single shot.
1:20.3	This is an I-Heart podcast. I'm Andrea Gunning, host of the podcast Betrayal.
1:29.7	Police Lieutenant Joel Kern used his badge to fool everyone.
1:33.3	Most of all, his wife Caroline.
	...

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