Battle of WaterlooFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaFor the 1913 film, seeThe Battle of Waterloo (1913 film).Battle of Waterloo

Part of theWaterloo Campaign

Battle of WaterloobyWilliam Sadler

Date18 June 1815

LocationWaterloo, thenNetherlands, present day Belgium; 15km (9.3mi) south of Brussels50.68016N 4.41169ECoordinates:50.68016N 4.41169E

ResultDecisive Coalition victory

Belligerents

FranceSeventh Coalition:United KingdomNetherlandsHanoverNassauBrunswickPrussia

Commanders and leaders

NapoleonMichel NeyDuke of WellingtonPrince Blcher

Strength

73,000[1] 50,700 infantry 14,390 cavalry 8,050 artillery and engineers 252 gunsAnglo-allies: 68,000[2][3] United Kingdom: 25,000 British and 6,000 King's German Legion Netherlands: 17,000 Hanover: 11,000 Brunswick: 6,000 Nassau: 3,000[4] 156 guns[5]

Prussians: 50,000[6]

Total: 118,000

Casualties and losses

Total: 41,000 24,000 to 26,000 killed, wounded including 6,000 to 7,000 captured[7] 15,000 missing[8]Total: 24,000

Anglo-allies: 17,000 3,500 killed 10,200 wounded 3,300 missing[9]Prussians: 7,000 1,200 killed 4,400 wounded 1,400 missing[9]

[show] v t eHundred Days

TheBattle of Waterloowas fought on Sunday, 18 June 1815, nearWaterlooin present-dayBelgium, then part of theUnited Kingdom of the Netherlands. AFrench armyunder the command ofNapoleonwas defeated by the armies of theSeventh Coalition, comprising anAnglo-allied army under the command of theDuke of Wellington, combined with aPrussianarmy under the command ofPrince Blcher.Upon Napoleon's return to power in March 1815, many states that had opposed him formed the Seventh Coalition and began to mobilize armies. Two large forces under Wellington and Blcher assembled close to the north-eastern border of France. Napoleon chose to attack in the hope of destroying them before they could join in a coordinated invasion of France with other members of the coalition. Waterloo was the decisive engagement of theWaterloo Campaignand Napoleon's last. According to Wellington, the battle was "the nearest-run thing you ever saw in your life".[10]The defeat at Waterloo ended Napoleon's rule asEmperor of the French, and marked the end of hisHundred Daysreturn from exile.Two days before the battle, Blcher's Prussian army had been defeated by the French atLigny. Wellington decided to offer battle upon learning that the Prussian army had regrouped and was able to march to his support. Wellington's army, positioned across the Brussels road on theMont-Saint-Jeanescarpment, withstood repeated attacks by the French, until, in the evening, the Prussians arrived in force and broke through Napoleon's right flank. At that moment, Wellington's Anglo-allied army counter-attacked and drove the French army in disorder from the field. Pursuing coalition forces entered France and restoredKing LouisXVIIIto the French throne. Napoleon abdicated, eventually surrendering to CaptainMaitlandofHMSBellerophon, part of the British blockade, and was exiled toSaint Helenawhere he died in 1821.The battlefield is located in the municipalities ofBraine-l'AlleudandLasne,[11]about 15 kilometres (9.3mi) south ofBrussels, and about 2 kilometres (1.2mi) from the town ofWaterloo. The site of the battlefield today is dominated by a large monument, theLion's Mound. As this mound was constructed from earth taken from the battlefield itself, the contemporary topography of the battlefield near the mound has not been preserved.Contents[hide] 1Prelude 2Armies 3Battlefield 4Battle 4.1Preparation 4.2Hougoumont 4.3First French infantry attack 4.4Charge of the British heavy cavalry 4.5The French cavalry attack 4.6French capture of La Haye Sainte 4.7Arrival of the Prussian IV Corps: Plancenoit 4.8Zieten's flank march 4.9Attack of the Imperial Guard 4.10Prussian capture of Plancenoit 4.11French disintegration 5Aftermath 6Analysis 6.1Historical importance 6.2Baron Jomini's view of the reasons for Napoleon's defeat 7Battlefield today 8Coin controversy 9See also 10Notes 11References 12Further reading 13External links