On this day

Waterloo

by Lizzie Houghton

It is curious that no-one knows what time the Battle of Waterloo actually started. The Duke of Wellington recalled 10 o'clock, Napoleon claimed it was noon. The date, location and outcome, however, are a different matter.

On Sunday 18th June, 1815, in a Belgian field, Napoleon Bonaparte, French Emperor, was finally defeated by Wellington's forces after 12 years of war.

The Napoleonic Wars began in 1803. Following on from the French Revolutionary Wars, they saw France and Britain once again as enemies. In 1799, Napoleon Bonaparte seized power over France and began building an army which soon marched and conquered parts of Europe, including Spain. Over time Spanish Guerillas and the British Naval and Armed forces, pushed them back.

Russia was also a major player. Despite having declared war on Britain in 1807, it joined forces with the British against Napoleon in 1812, just as the Emperor was invading. A vicious battle followed which gave Napoleon's enemies reason to hope. By March 1814, the Coalition forces had invaded Paris and Bonaparte was exiled to the island of Elba. Almost a year later Napoleon escaped Elba and returned to Paris ready to launch another attack on Europe.

  The Battle of Waterloo by William Sadler
The Battle of Waterloo painted by William Sadler

In June, Bonaparte and his New French Army reached Belgium, pitting the Seventh Coalition, made up of the United Kingdom, Russia, Prussia, Sweden, Austria, the Netherlands and a number of German states, against France.

Sometime between 10 o'clock and noon on 18th June 1815 the final move of this war was made. Napoleon had over 130,000 troops; Wellington 120,000, as well as troops from the Coalition. The British Army was positioned across the Brussels road on the Mont St Jean escarpment, meaning they had the high ground and Napoleon had the low.

The British withstood repeated attacks by the French, until in the evening when they counter-attacked and drove the French from the field. At the same time the Prussians arrived in force and broke through Napoleon's right flank. Finally, the French army left the battlefield in disorder. Napoleon surrendered and was exiled to the island of Saint Helena, where he died in 1821.

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1940
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1942
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1965
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