The Battle of Waterloo Explained: Napoleon's Final Campaign (1815)

On 18 June 1815, Napoleon's career came to an end near a small Belgian village called Waterloo. But Waterloo was not just one battle. It was the climax of a fast, four-day campaign against two allied armies. In this animated history, we follow the whole story: Napoleon's escape from Elba, the Hundred Days, the battles of Ligny and Quatre Bras, the Prussian retreat to Wavre, and the key moments of 18 June, from Hougoumont and the great cavalry charges to Plancenoit, La Haye Sainte and the final attack of the Imperial Guard. We also look at why Napoleon lost, what happened next, and how Waterloo is remembered today. Chapters 0:00 Welcome 0:15 Cold open 1:00 The rise and fall of Napoleon 2:33 The Hundred Days 4:04 A campaign, not just a battle 4:52 The armies and their commanders 7:22 15 June: Napoleon strikes 8:05 16 June: Ligny and Quatre Bras 9:52 17 June: Retreat, regroup and rain 11:23 The battlefield and the morning 13:35 How the guns worked 14:17 Hougoumont 15:24 The Grand Battery and a warning in the east 15:59 D'Erlon's attack and the great cavalry charge 17:40 Cavalry against squares 19:35 Plancenoit: the second battle 20:35 The Grouchy question 21:17 La Haye Sainte 22:29 The Imperial Guard 24:22 The collapse 25:47 The cost 27:23 Why Napoleon lost 28:13 Aftermath 30:11 Remembering Waterloo 31:14 Recap and close A note on accuracy: numbers such as army sizes and casualties vary between historians, so we give approximate figures. Famous stories that may not be literally true (such as Cambronne's words or the drummer boy at Hougoumont) are labelled as tradition or legend. Sources and further reading National Army Museum, "Battle of Waterloo" Historical Association, "The Battle of Waterloo, Sunday 18 June 1815" Alessandro Barbero, The Battle: A New History of Waterloo Andrew Roberts, Waterloo: Napoleon's Last Gamble Gareth Glover, Waterloo: Myth and Reality Brendan Simms, The Longest Afternoon Peter Hofschröer, 1815: The Waterloo Campaign Mark Adkin, The Waterloo Companion Cavalié Mercer, Journal of the Waterloo Campaign Artwork (public domain, via Wikimedia Commons): Lady Butler, Scotland Forever! and The 28th Regiment at Quatre Bras; Robert Gibb, Closing the Gates at Hougoumont; Félix Philippoteaux, Charge of the French Cuirassiers at Waterloo; R. A. Hillingford, Wellington at Waterloo and The Duchess of Richmond's Ball; after Daniel Maclise, The Meeting of Wellington and Blücher; after Charles de Steuben, Napoleon's Return from Elba; J.-L. David, The Coronation of Napoleon and The Emperor Napoleon in His Study; Thomas Lawrence, Arthur Wellesley; after Gebauer, Blücher; J. P. Krafft, Declaration of Victory after Leipzig; Adolph Northen, Napoleon's Retreat from Moscow; W. Q. Orchardson, Napoleon on Board the Bellerophon. Map data: Natural Earth. Music: original score. Research, script, animation and music are original. Which topic should we cover next? Tell us in the comments, and subscribe to Historyattica for a new history documentary every week. #Waterloo #Napoleon #History