Battle of Waterloo

The 1815 battle in present-day Belgium in which allied forces under Wellington and Blücher defeated Napoleon, ending his rule as French emperor.

Mont-Saint-Jean: A ridge near Waterloo where Wellington positioned his army during the 1815 battle. Wellington used its reverse slope to shelter troops from French artillery.
Hundred Days: The period of Napoleon's return to power in France in 1815, from his escape from exile to his second abdication. Waterloo ended Napoleon's brief restoration as emperor.
Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher: A Prussian field marshal who commanded Prussian forces against Napoleon in 1815. His commitment to aid Wellington brought the decisive Prussian intervention.
Second Treaty of Paris: The 1815 treaty that imposed peace terms on France after Napoleon's final defeat. It formalized the settlement imposed after Waterloo and Napoleon's abdication.
Napoleon's second abdication: Napoleon's 22 June 1815 renunciation of the French throne after his defeat at Waterloo. It followed Waterloo and ended his attempt to regain power.
Hougoumont: A fortified château and farm on the western flank of the Waterloo battlefield. French attacks there became a costly diversion that tied down troops.
Napoleon's return from Elba: Napoleon's 1815 escape from exile on Elba and return to rule France. His return prompted European powers to mobilize against him.
Napoleon Bonaparte: French military and political leader who ruled as emperor and waged wars across Europe. At Waterloo he sought a victory that could preserve his restored regime.
Napoleon's exile to Saint Helena: Napoleon's deportation to the remote British-controlled island of Saint Helena in 1815. Waterloo led directly to his final exile from Europe.
Battle of Waterloo in popular culture: The battle's representation in literature, music, art, and popular historical memory. The name became shorthand for a decisive and final defeat.

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