The Battle of Waterloo Dated and Summary 1815
The Waterloo Battle Summary and facts: Armed confrontation that took place in 1815 between the French army of Napoleon Bonaparte and the Seventh. The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo (at that time in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium). A French army under the command of Napoleon was defeated by two of the armies of the Seventh Coalition.
- Battle of waterloo summary
| Data | |
|---|---|
| Waterloo Battle Date | June 18, 1815. |
| waterloo Battle Place | Waterloo, now Belgium. |
| Belligerents | Napoleonic Empire vs. Seventh Coalition. |
| Waterloo Battle Result | Triumph of the seventh coalition. |
What is the Battle of Waterloo facts?
- Battle of Waterloo facts
The Battle at Waterloo Summary: The Battle of Waterloo was an armed confrontation between the Napoleonic army and the Seventh Coalition. It took place on 18 June 1815 in the vicinity of the city of Waterloo, south of Brussels, in present-day Belgium.
Two sides fought in this battle:
- The Napoleonic Empire– Commanded by the French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. It numbered about 93,000 men, almost all French.
- The seventh coalition– an alliance consisting of Great Britain, Prussia, the Russian Empire, Austria, Sweden, the Netherlands, Spain and some German states. It numbered about 122,000 men under the command of the British Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington, and the Prussian Field Marshal Gebhard von Blücher.
This battle is part of the Napoleonic Wars, and has its origin in the return to power of Bonaparte, after his forced exile on the island of Elba. Bonaparte’s return to France began the so-called Hundred Days period and occurred while the Congress of Vienna was in session, during which the Seventh Coalition was formed.
The victory of the coalitionists meant the end of the Napoleonic Empire and led to Bonaparte’s imprisonment on the island of St. Helena, where he died in 1821.
Causes and consequences of the Battle of Waterloo Summary
Causes
The main causes of the Battle of Waterloo were:
- The escape of Napoleon Bonaparte from the island of Elba and his return to France, where he is received as a hero.
- The flight of King Louis XVIII from Paris and the re-coronation of Napoleon.
- The firm will of the European monarchs to prevent the expansion of the Napoleonic Empire, for which they formed the Seventh Coalition.
- Napoleon’s decision not to surrender and confront his former enemies, for whom he invaded the Netherlands, the gathering place of the troops of the alliance against him.
Consequences
Among the consequences of the Battle of Waterloo are:
- The death of some 40,000 French soldiers and some 25,000 men of the Seventh Coalition.
- The end of the Napoleonic Wars, after which a period of peace began in Europe, which lasted much of the 19th century.
- The end of the Napoleonic Empire and the restoration of the Bourbons to the throne of France.
- Bonaparte’s isolation on the island of Saint Helena, where he died in 1821.
- The return of all the territories conquered by Napoleon. In this way, the pre-1789 European borders were restored, so that the France had the territory again before the beginning of the French Revolution.
Significance of the Battle of Waterloo Summary
Waterloo Battle significance: The Battle of Waterloo put an end to Bonaparte’s stay in power and his dream of building a French Empire that would dominate all of Europe. It marked the end of the Napoleonic Wars and the beginning of a period of relative peace during which large-scale international wars did not recur until the outbreak of the Crimean War in 1853. The borders of European states returned to their pre-1789 state, and Russia, Prussia, and Austria attempted to restore monarchical absolutism. For the France, it is the restoration of the Bourbons, which ends with the return to the throne of Louis XVIII, brother of King Louis XVI, who had been executed in 1793.
Protagonists of the Battle of Waterloo
Among the most important protagonists of the Battle of Waterloo are:
- Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher (1742–1819) – Prussian Field Marshal, was the longest-serving of the generals who participated in the Napoleonic Wars. He led the troops of the Kingdom of Prussia in the battles of Ligny and Waterloo.
- Duke of Wellington (1769–1852) – Arthur Wellesley, Irish-born British soldier, politician and statesman Commanded British and German forces at the Battle of Waterloo.
- Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) – Emperor of France from 1804 and commander-in-chief of the French armies during the Napoleonic Wars.
- Michel Ney (1769-1815) – Duke of Elchingen, was a marshal in the French army. He commanded the left wing of Napoleon’s army at the Battle of Waterloo. After the Bourbon Restoration, he was convicted of treason and shot in Paris.
Battle of Waterloo: The Waterloo Battle Summary of Napoleon’s Last Battle
The Waterloo Battle Napoleon last battle: The Waterloo battle Summary and date of the Battle of Waterloo – Famous for representing a decisive defeat for the imperial regime of Napoleon I, the Battle of Waterloo took place on June 18, 1815 in present-day Belgium, about twenty kilometers south of Brussels, around Mont-Saint-Jean. It pitted French troops, led by the emperor, against an allied coalition including English, Germans, Dutch and Prussians. It marks the end of the episode of the Hundred Days, brief resumption of power by Napoleon returned from his exile on the island of Elba. It was the last in which Napoleon personally took part: he had to abdicate four days later. The Battle of Waterloo also ended the First Empire and the period opened by the French Revolution in 1989.
What were the causes of the Battle of Waterloo?
Waterloo battle causes: Allied troops seek to stop the Napoleonic epic. The emperor returned from exile, and regained power after his forced march to Paris, during which he met with strong popular support. The European powers allied themselves against Napoleon, who preferred to go on the offensive quickly, before enemy troops attacked him, in order to avoid their regrouping. So he goes to meet them in Belgium, hoping to fight against only one nation at a time.
What issues does the battle crystallize?
Waterloo battle issues: Nothing less than the destiny of the First Empire is played out at the battle of Waterloo, and with it the ideas of the Revolution of 1789 against the English monarchist ideas. The ideological stakes are therefore major, and just as important as the strategic stakes: Napoleon still dreams of conquering Europe and defeating the English and Prussians in this battle would open the horizon of his conquests. Finally, it was an unexpected opportunity for Napoleon to win the favour of those who still doubted him after his return from exile, just three months earlier.
What role did Napoleon play in the Battle of Waterloo?
At Waterloo, Napoleon was the commander of the French army, which he himself had raised in order to repel the English and Prussians. He therefore directed troop movements. It is also he who decides the moment to launch the battle: he waits for the mud of the battlefield to dry in order to facilitate the work of the horses that pull the guns, and the movement of the cavalry. He thus triggered the battle by a diversion at 11:30 am, attacking the castle-farm of Hougoumont.
What was the battlefield like?
The Waterloo battlefield: The Battle of Waterloo was fought on the Mont-Saint-Jean plateau. If the sector is rather flat, it still has some heights on which the English stand, while the French arrive by the plain. These are fields, whose landscape has hardly changed until today thanks to the preservation of the site. As the battle prepares, the ground is muddy, as it has been raining for two days.
Who won the Battle of Waterloo?
Who won Waterloo battle: The Allies won the Battle of Waterloo, while Napoleon was defeated. The English emerged victorious from this battle, because they made up the majority of the coalition, also made up of Dutch, Hanoverians, Brunswickers and Nassauvians. However, the Prussian army also played a major role in creating a second battle front, upon its arrival at around 4:30 p.m. in the east. The rout of Napoleon is established around 20:30. Battle or waterloo.
What number of deaths did the battle make?
Battle for Waterloo: After a full day of fighting, the Battle of Waterloo left about 10,000 dead: 7,000 on the French side and 3,000 on the Allied side. However, the number of wounded was very large, and many died quickly from their wounds and could thus be added to the victims of the battle. About 20,000 French soldiers were wounded, and 13,000 for the coalition. In all, three to four thousand soldiers are said to have succumbed to their wounds in the days following the Battle of Waterloo.
Read Also History of Belgium
What consequences did the Battle of Waterloo entail?
“Waterloo” brings to an end the First Empire, and the phase opened in 1789 by the French Revolution. After the battle, the allies also sought to establish principles of peace, impossible to implement until now because of Napoleon’s warlike ambitions. The political authority of England was strengthened, while Italy, linked to the Napoleonic France, was reduced to principalities. Prussia will be the nucleus around which Germany will gradually unite. The France was ordered to pay war compensation, and lost some territories. As for Napoleon, he abdicated for the second time and surrendered to the English. The latter exiled him to Saint Helena, a small island lost in the South Atlantic. He died there 6 years later, on May 5, 1821.
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References of Waterloo Battle
Battle of Waterloo: Summary of Napoleon’s Last Battle (linternaute.fr)
Battle of Waterloo – What was it?, causes, consequences and more (histoire-et-art.fr)
