During the history of humanity there have been certain events that have marked the beginning or the end of a specific era, such as the death of Jesus Christ, the fall of the Roman Empire, the beginning and the end of world wars, the discovery of America and much more; but, on this occasion, we will tell you about an event that marked the end of the story of one of the most famous military and political figures of the 17th and 19th centuries: the end of Napoleon Bonaparte and the fall of the french empire at the battle of waterloo.
Causes of the Battle of Waterloo
First of all, in order to understand the causes that originated this battle of Waterloo you must situate yourself in the historical context of that time.
Napoleon He was at a time when only his honor kept him going, he was returning from exile on the island of Elba (where he stayed for twelve months) and he was frustrated to see how Louis XVIII “lost” territories to return to ancient France.
This fact generated that, both in the masses and in the French army there was a certain malaise that Napoleon took advantage of to gather strength and when he returned to Paris where take the reins of power; from that moment begins the period known as the Hundred Days, in which Napoleon reestablishes the French empire and carry out what will be the last of the Napoleonic Wars.
At the same time, Louis XVIII flees France and, at the Congress of Vienna, the so-called Seventh Coalition, made up of the United Kingdom, Prussia, the Netherlands and other kingdoms, countries and dukedoms; all this in order to definitively end Napoleon since it is considered at this point as illegitimate. A pivotal event for development of the battle of waterloo.
Last phase of the Battle of Waterloo
Despite the fact that since June 15, 1815 and a little before there had already been battles, it is the 18th the day that Napoleon’s troops confront the allied troops near Waterloo, led by the Duke of Wellington. Being this the true battle of waterloo.
The preparation of one side and the other began early; the allies ate meat, biscuits, and drank gin, while the Napoleonic troops drank brandy.
Slowly the french cavalry was shattered, being the allied forces more organized than the Napoleonic ones; but, in the afternoon, Napoleon decides to summon the Imperial Guard, who were almost untouchable, however, this maneuver was not positive either, since the allied forces deployed 1500 guards, face to face, surprised the forces of the French empire and Again, Napoleon was in trouble.
After this already everything started to fall apart, with a British army that did not stop making offensive advances and that completely devastated the French army. The last remaining force of the army was the so-called La Belle Alliance, Napoleon’s reserve and guard.
Likewise, such was the disorder of the army of the French empire that, even towards the night, there were small groups of soldiers who “fighted alone” who were immediately captured by the Prussian forces; at 21 o’clock Marshal Guillermo was captured in La Belle Alliance, where Napoleon was previously.
End of Napoleon and the French Empire
The end of the battle of waterloo looms on July 10 when Napoleon surrendersbeing his official and definitive end as emperor of the French empire that would also cease to exist, with which he managed to conquer Europe and make the French feel proud to belong to their country.
Two days before surrendering, that is, on July 8, the crown was restored, becoming King Louis XVIII again. 16 days after his capture, Napoleon is exiled to the island of Saint Helena, a lost island in the Atlantic Ocean and the place where he will later die.
His death was also controversial, since the causes were never so clear, at first it was believed that he died due to stomach cancer, since he complained of feeling a sensation of stomach pain and heaviness; but, in recent studies through a sample of his hair (preserved thanks to the fact that it was cut shortly after his death) it was found that it was most likely arsenic poisonedas the amount of this substance found in the sample is very large.
As for the french empirewhen its Napoleonic structure disarmed, they developed many changes in the geopolitics of Europeresulting in the birth of new territories, but if you want to know more about this, read the next section.
Aftermath of the Battle of Waterloo
One of the most important consequences and notables of the end of Napoleon in the battle of waterloo is that of rise of liberalism and political nationalism reflected in many areas that were affected by the French occupation, as is the case in some areas of Spain, leading to the 1820 revolution.
As we told you before, Europe redesigns itself geopolitically with the fall of the French empire undergoing notable changes such as the annexation of Poland to Russia; the one of the recovery of the Balkan territories by Austria, as well as the seizure of almost all of northern Italy; Portugal and Spain return to their limits prior to the Napoleonic wars; France is again the same as in 1792; and the United Kingdom takes over the island of Malta, Sri Lanka and the Cape Colony.
In addition, kingdoms like Denmark, which supported Napoleon, lose territories while countries like Switzerland, whose neutrality is recognized, and San Marino, whose independence is recognized, take great advantage of the treaty.
Not forgetting all the political and military ideas left by a man who, today, is still admired by many people around the world, awakening a great admiration for his figure and legacy.
In short, we hope that this article has been easy for you to read, liked and has been helpful in illustrating how the development of the Battle of Waterloo and the end of Napoleon Bonaparte and his empire until next time!
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