Battle of Waterloo

Napoleon returned from exile on Elba in March 1815 and resumed power in France. European powers opposed his return and assembled armies in the Low Countries. Seeking to defeat the allied forces separately before they could combine, Napoleon crossed into what is now Belgium in June. On 16 June, French forces defeated the Prussians at Ligny, while Wellington’s Anglo-Allied force fought the French at Quatre Bras. The Prussians retreated but remained organized and kept contact with Wellington’s army.

On 18 June, Wellington took a defensive position along the ridge near Mont-Saint-Jean, south of Waterloo. Napoleon’s army attacked, including at the fortified positions of Hougoumont and La Haye Sainte. The Anglo-Allied force included British, Dutch, Belgian and German troops. The battle involved repeated attacks and heavy losses. Later in the day, Prussian forces under Blücher arrived on the French right and joined the fighting. After the French Imperial Guard’s final attack was repelled, the French army retreated. The allies’ coordination was central to the outcome.

The defeat at Waterloo ended Napoleon’s brief return to power, known as the Hundred Days, and effectively ended his military career. He abdicated again on 22 June 1815 and was subsequently exiled to Saint Helena. The battle concluded the Napoleonic Wars and French attempts to dominate Europe. The allies entered Paris in July. Waterloo became a widely used metaphor for a decisive final defeat.

The battle is remembered as a decisive European military event, but its course depended on multiple forces and earlier engagements, not simply a single commander or a single charge. Museums and archives preserve maps, objects and personal accounts that help document the battle, its combatants and its aftermath. The name “Waterloo” remains associated with Napoleon’s defeat and the end of his rule.