Dan Snow's History Hit How and Why History: The Battle of Waterloo
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Jun 18, 2020 
Dr. Michael Rowe, a senior academic at King's College London and a specialist in Napoleonic history, shares fascinating insights on the Battle of Waterloo. He discusses how Wellington's strategy and the timely arrival of Blücher's Prussians turned the tide against Napoleon. The conversation delves into Napoleon's critical mistakes, such as his failure to pursue the Prussians effectively, and the impact of weather on the battlefield. Rowe also examines the battle's lasting effects on Britain's global role and the subsequent restoration of the Bourbons in France.
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End Of An Era In European Warfare
- Waterloo ended the long Revolutionary-Napoleonic Wars that began in 1792.
- Europe saw no comparable major battle on its soil until the 1850s–60s after 1815.
Three-Way Contention In Belgium
- Three armies fought: Napoleon's French, Blücher's Prussians, and Wellington's Anglo-Dutch-German force.
- Napoleon aimed to strike the nearest enemies in Belgium to knock them out quickly.
Wellington's Coalition And Numerical Reality
- On the battlefield Napoleon held a slight numerical edge over Wellington alone.
- Wellington's force was a coalition with only about a third British troops and uncertain loyalties among some contingents.