The Waterloo campaign unfolded between 15 and 18 June 1815. It began with the Duchess of Richmond's ball in Brussels on 15 June. On 16 June, French forces under Napoleon defeated Prussians at Ligny, while Marshal Ney engaged Wellington at Quatre Bras. The campaign concluded on 18 June with the decisive Battle of Waterloo, where Wellington and Blücher defeated Napoleon.

Episodes

Background and detail

Background. Following Napoleon's return to power in March 1815, the Seventh Coalition mobilized to oppose him. The powers at the Congress of Vienna declared him an outlaw on 13 March. The campaign in Belgium saw French troops of the Armée du Nord under Napoleon I face Prussian and British-led forces. The decisive engagement occurred near Waterloo, then in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now Belgium.

Preliminary Engagements. On 15 June, the Duchess of Richmond's ball was hosted in Brussels. The following day, 16 June, saw two major battles. At Ligny, French troops defeated part of a Prussian army under Field Marshal Blücher. Simultaneously, the Battle of Quatre Bras was fought as a preliminary engagement to the decisive battle that occurred two days later.

Decisive Battle. The decisive battle of the campaign took place at Waterloo on 18 June 1815. It was the last engagement with Napoleon I. Wellington commanded a British-led army which, together with a Prussian army under Field Marshal Blücher, defeated Napoleon. Wellington sent his official dispatch describing the battle to England on 19 June 1815.

People involved

Sources

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