The Battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo, fought in Belgium on June 18, 1815, saw the final defeat of Napoleon and ended more than two decades of European wars that had begun with the French Revolution -------------------------------------------- FRANCE Napoleon Bonaparte Emperor of France, conquered much of Europe before being defeated in 1814.Escaped exile to command French army at Waterloo Marshal Grouchy Led French right wing during Waterloo campaign.Failed to stop Prussians from linking up with Anglo-allied army Marshal Ney Responsiblefor Frenchleft wing. His futile attempts to break Allied line wasted French cavalry and proved pivotal to battle ---------------------------------------------- ALLIES Duke of Wellington British general led Anglo- allied army at Waterloo.Had beaten French in many previous battles but had not faced Napoleon before Field Marshal Blücher In overall command of Prussian army, which consisted of German and Polish troops. Many of his men were untried militia ---------------------------------------------- TIMELINE OF THE BATTLE 1 11:30: French launchdiversionary attack onchateau of Hougoumont –battle continues all day 2 13:00: Massive artillery bombardment precedes main assault on Allied left.Advance beaten back by musket and cannon fire 3 14:30: Allied cavalry attack scatters French, but charge loses control and suffers heavy losses Charge of the Royal Scots Greys 4 15:00: Napoleon orders attack on stronghold of La Haye Sainte in attempt to destroy Allied centre 5 16:00-18:00: Massed French cavalry charges fail to break Allied defensive square formations 6 16:30: Prussians begin arriving, forcing French to defend Plancenoit 7 18:00: La Haye Sainte falls. Allied centre buckles but Prussian arrival allows Wellington to reinforce line 8 20:10: Final attack by Napoleon’s elite Imperial Guard halted and thrownback. Allies advance as French army collapses LOSSES French 48,000 Anglo-allied 17,000 Prussians 7,000 ------------------------------------------------ “Brown Bess” flintlock musket Hougoumont 1 Mon Plaisir Mont St. Jean 3 La Haye Sainte 2 Plancenoit French (Armée du Nord): 73,000 Anglo-allied army: 68,000* 19:30 hrs Prussians 50,000 Frichermont 16:30 hrs French Infantry Cavalry Artillery Victory Anglo-allied Infantry Cavalry Artillery Allied victory *British, Dutch, Belgian, German 1km 0.6 miles Brussels BELGIUM Waterloo Napoleon Quatre Bras Ney Charleroi Wavre Grouchy Ligny Jun 18 Jun 17 Jun 16 Jun 15 10km 6 miles After Waterloo Power balance brought century of relative peace to Europe GREAT BRITAIN Neth. FRANCE Portugal Spain Italian States PRUSSIA AUSTRIAN EMPIRE RUSSIAN EMPIRE German states Ottoman Empire Boundary of German Confederation, 1815 500km 300 miles ----------------------------------------------- Sources: BBC, Military History and Atlas of the Napoleonic Wars by Vincent J. Esposito Pictures: Wikimedia Commons, Google Maps words 410