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W Battle of Waterloo

History

Dated history of Battle of Waterloo (18 June 1815) in Ridge south of Brussels, present-day Belgium.

Educational history. Casualty figures are documented ranges. This is not operational advice, a ranking of nations, or a how-to for weapons or coups.

At a glance
Timeline

Milestones in order. This is history, not a weekly activity grid.

1815-03 Elba escape1815-06-16 Ligny and Quatre Bras1815-06-17 Rain and retreat1815-06-18-am Late start1815-06-18 Hougoumont1815-06-18 D'Erlon / cavalry1815-06-18-pm Prussians at Plancenoit1815-06-18-eve Guard fails1815-06-22 Abdication1815-10 St Helena
  1. Elba escape
  2. Ligny and Quatre Bras
  3. Rain and retreat
  4. Late start
  5. Hougoumont
  6. D'Erlon / cavalry
  7. Prussians at Plancenoit
  8. Guard fails
  9. Abdication
  10. St Helena
Score intensity

Darker cells mean a higher score for this topic on that metric.

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Quick answers

Are the scores a ranking of nations or armies?

No. Scores are browsing aids inside an era-bounded atlas — not live league tables of countries.

How many casualties?

About 40,000-50,000 killed and wounded is the usual combined band for the day.

Did Wellington win alone?

No. Blucher's Prussians were decisive in the afternoon. Wellington said as much.

Why did Napoleon lose?

Coalition numbers, a delayed start, failed combined-arms in the centre, and Prussian arrival -- not a single farmhouse.

What happened next?

Second abdication, Allied occupation, St Helena, and Vienna's settlement confirmed.

Why is it so famous in English?

It was the last battle, near a newspaper city, with a British-led army. Leipzig was larger and less English.

Start with this section - History

Ligny and Quatre Bras are not optional prefaces. A one-map Waterloo is a lie.

Vienna was already meeting; the battle sealed a peace in progress.

Timeline

  1. Elba escape

    The Hundred Days open.

  2. Ligny and Quatre Bras

    Prussians hurt; Wellington holds a crossroads.

  3. Rain and retreat

    Wellington to the Mont-Saint-Jean ridge; mud for the 18th.

  4. Late start

    French guns wait on wet ground -- the famous delay.

  5. Hougoumont

    A day-long soak of infantry.

  6. D'Erlon / cavalry

    Failed centre; Ney's charges.

  7. Prussians at Plancenoit

    The right-rear comes apart.

  8. Guard fails

    The last throw; rout.

  9. Abdication

    The political end in Paris.

  10. St Helena

    The personal end of the imperial story.

Eras

Return

Elba to Belgium.

Two battles

Ligny and Quatre Bras.

The ridge

Hougoumont to the Guard.

Rout

La Belle Alliance; pursuit.

Memory

Lion, films, re-enactors.

Milestones

Allied coalition held

Britain plus Prussia on one day.

Napoleonic wars close (English dating)

1815 as a full stop.

A proverb is born

"Waterloo" as defeat.

St Helena created a literary emperor. The ridge created a tourist industry.

English fame should not erase Leipzig 1813 or Prussian dead at Plancenoit.

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