On June 18, 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte faced a crushing defeat at the Battle of Waterloo in Belgium. This decisive battle marked the end of the Napoleonic Wars and led to Napoleon’s final exile to the remote island of Saint Helena. The coalition forces, led by the Duke of Wellington from Britain and General Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher from Prussia, effectively ended Napoleon’s reign and restored Louis XVIII to the throne of France. The outcome of Waterloo had a profound impact on the European geopolitical landscape, leading to a period of extended peace in Europe under the Congress of Vienna.
