1 November 2015 / leggypeggy

Where Napoleon met his Waterloo

Waterloo and the Lion Mound

Our trip to Europe wasn’t all about art, galleries and museums. We managed to cram in villages, valleys, restaurants (of course), markets, wineries, landmarks, cycling and even a battlefield.

That battlefield was the famous Waterloo, in what is now Belgium, where Napoleon met his defeat in June 1815, and stepped down as emperor of France.

Now I’m not going to give you a lengthy history lesson—you can look that up if you’re really interested in more detail—but here’s a brief rundown.

In 1814 and after a military retreat from Moscow, Napoleon abdicated the throne in France and was exiled to the island of Elba. Less than a year later, he escaped from Elba and returned to Paris, where he regained supporters and reclaimed his title as emperor.

The Lion on Lion Mound

As a restored emperor, he re-gathered an army and set a goal of bringing Europe under French control.

The next few months are known as The Hundred Days or Napoleon’s Hundred Days. The period ended in July 1815 when King Louis XVIII was returned to power after Napoleon ‘met his Waterloo’ and relinquished his title.

Waterloo battle scene

Waterloo countryside

Looking down on the Waterloo info centre

Waterloo battle placement

So a bit about the battle
The battle involved almost 200,000 men, 35,000 horses, 500 cannons and seven European countries. Napoleon’s army faced two other armies—a multinational army led by the Duke of Wellington and a Prussian army led by Gebhrart Leberecht von Blücher.

Both Napoleon’s and Wellington’s armies were near Brussels when the fateful day began. Blücher and his army were much farther away.

It had rained heavily overnight and the battlefield was sodden. It’s possible that Napoleon’s decision to delay his attacks until the ground dried a bit may have cost him victory because it allowed Blücher to arrive at Waterloo.

You can check this website for more detail about how the battle progressed during the day, but I’ll jump to the end.

The attacks were vicious and bloody, but Wellington’s and Blücher’s armies managed to stop Napoleon’s march towards European domination. Wellington secured a peace deal with France and became Britain’s prime minister in 1828. Napoleon was exiled to St Helena, a small island off the coast of South Africa, where he died in 1821.

Waterloo Lion Mound

Waterloo plaque

Waterloo fields

Waterloo terrain

The site today
Waterloo’s terrain has changed. You can make out some of the ridges where battles were fought, but today’s main hill—Lion Mound—was created from soil nearby. This clip shows how the area might have looked in 1815.

Of course, we had to climb up the mound and walk as many of the pathways that were open for view. It’s sad to think how many lost their lives that day.

And a final footnote
Waterloo is also where Poor John captured his latest walking convert.

Food
And if you’re hungry, try out one of the recipes on my cooking blog.