In short
In June 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte launched a desperate military campaign from his exile in Belgium, attempting to reassert control over France before European powers could crush him again. His army clashed with British-led and Prussian forces over three weeks, culminating in the Battle of Waterloo on June 18, where he was decisively defeated. The loss ended Napoleon's Hundred Days comeback and sealed his permanent exile, reshaping Europe's political order for the next century.
How it unfolded.
The five-minute version
What actually happened.
The Waterloo campaign, also known as the Belgian campaign was fought between the French Army of the North and two Seventh Coalition armies, an Anglo-allied army and a Prussian army. Initially the French army had been commanded by Napoleon Bonaparte, but he left for Paris after the French defeat at the Battle of Waterloo. Command then rested on Marshals Soult and Grouchy, who were in turn replaced by Marshal Davout, who took command at the request of the French Provisional Government. The Anglo-allied army was commanded by the Duke of Wellington and the Prussian army by Field Marshal Graf von Blücher.
As it was happening
12 voices, 100 days.
One beat at a time. Click any dot on the timeline to jump, press play for autoplay, or use the arrow keys to step.
Napoleon escapes Elba
Napoleon breaks out of his confinement on the island of Elba and sails toward France with ~1,100 loyalists, beginning the Hundred Days.
Voices from this moment (1)
Napoleon escapes Elba
Mar 20
“Napoleon breaks out of his confinement on the island of…”
As it was happening
12 voices, 100 days.
Day 0 · March 20, 1815
Napoleon escapes Elba
Napoleon breaks out of his confinement on the island of Elba and sails toward France with ~1,100 loyalists, beginning the Hundred Days.
“Napoleon breaks out of his confinement on the island of…”
- Napoleon escapes Elba, Mar 20
Day 73 · June 1, 1815
Waterloo Campaign officially begins
Napoleon's Army of the North crosses the Belgian border to engage the Allied armies before they can coordinate a full invasion of France.
“Napoleon's Army of the North crosses the Belgian border to…”
- Waterloo Campaign officially begins, Jun 1
Day 87 · June 15, 1815
Battle of Ligny
French forces under Napoleon defeat a Prussian army under Field Marshal Blücher near the Sambre River, temporarily splitting the Allied armies.
“French forces under Napoleon defeat a Prussian army under…”
- Battle of Ligny, Jun 15
Day 88 · June 16, 1815
Battle of Quatre-Bras
Marshal Ney leads French forces against British-led troops under the Duke of Wellington, preventing them from reinforcing the Prussians.
“Marshal Ney leads French forces against British-led troops…”
- Battle of Quatre-Bras, Jun 16
Day 90 · June 18, 1815
Battle of Waterloo
Napoleon's main army is decisively defeated by Wellington's Anglo-allied forces and arriving Prussian reinforcements near the village of Waterloo. French forces suffer catastrophic losses and begin retreating toward Paris.
“It has been a damned nice thing - the nearest run thing you…”
- Dispatch to Bathurst, 19 June 1815, Jun 19
“The Guard dies but does not yield.”
- Synthesized from period accounts - French military memoirs, Jun 20
“FR: 'C'est l'ordre nouveau - nous avons ecrase le tyran' /…”
- Synthesized from period accounts - Prussian military correspondence, Jun 18
“In a few hours, one man's audacity has been extinguished by…”
- The Creevey Papers - diary entry, 19 June 1815, Jun 19
“Napoleon's main army is decisively defeated by Wellington's…”
- Battle of Waterloo, Jun 18
Day 93 · June 21, 1815
Napoleon abdicates a second time
Faced with certain defeat and Allied occupation, Napoleon signs a second abdication at the Élysée Palace in Paris.
“Europe has been delivered from a plague of unparalleled…”
- The Times editorial, 22 June 1815, Jun 22
“Faced with certain defeat and Allied occupation, Napoleon…”
- Napoleon abdicates a second time, Jun 21
Day 100 · June 28, 1815
Campaign formally concludes
The Waterloo Campaign ends with French defeat confirmed and the restoration of Louis XVIII. Napoleon surrenders to British custody on July 15.
“The Waterloo Campaign ends with French defeat confirmed and…”
- Campaign formally concludes, Jun 28
The numbers.
4 numbers that anchor the scale.
By the numbers
The countable parts.
French force size at Waterloo
~0 troops
Allied force size at Waterloo
~0 British-led troops; ~50,000 Prussian troops arrived during battle
French casualties at Waterloo
~0 killed, wounded, or captured
Days from Napoleon's return to exile decision
0 days (March 20–June 28, 1815)
Captured in time.
Captured before it changed
The web as it looked, the day it happened.
Wayback Machine snapshots of the pages people actually loaded that day. Click any card to open the archive at full size.
Sources & citations.
Sources
Where this came from.
Every claim on this page traces to a public, license-clean source. We don't asterisk well.
Wikipedia
1 source- 1.Waterloo campaign
en.wikipedia.org