Battle of Waterloo 1815 - World History

Battle of Waterloo (1815 )

Military / Event

Wikipedia: The Battle of Waterloo, fought near the village of Waterloo on Sunday 18 June 1815, 1815 Calendar was the decisive battle of the Waterloo Campaign, and Napoleon Bonaparte's last. Waterloo marked the end of the period known as the Hundred Days, which began in March 1815 after Napoleon's return from Elba, where he had been exiled after his defeat and abdication in the previous year. The defeat at Waterloo put a final end to Napoleon's rule as Emperor of the French.

After Napoleon returned to power in 1815, many states which had previously resisted his rule formed the Seventh Coalition and began to mobilise armies to oppose him. The first two assembled close to the northeastern border of France. They consisted of a Prussian army under the command of Gebhard von Blücher, and an Anglo-Allied army under the command of the Duke of Wellington. Napoleon chose to attack in the hope of destroying them before they, with other members of the Seventh Coalition, could join in a coordinated invasion of France.

The campaign consisted of four major battles: Quatre Bras (16 June), Ligny (16 June), Waterloo (18 June), and Wavre (18 June – 19 June). According to the Duke of Wellington, the battle at Waterloo was "the nearest-run thing you ever saw in your life."Wellington citing Creevey Papers, ch. x, p. 236

It rained heavily overnight on 17 June, so Napoleon delayed giving battle until noon on 18 June...