On the 18th of June 1815 Emperor Napoleon’s troops and the allies met at Waterloo. This famous battle meant the end of the French empire.
The allies had defeated Napoleon and his troops before and in 1814 they forced the emperor to abdicate. The tiny general was exiled to the Italian island of Elba. The ongoing turmoil in France filled Napoleon with hope though, and in February 1815 he returned to the country. Many of his former soldiers, who were supposed to stop him, crossed over to his side. This way Napoleon was able to regain his power. In no time at all he had formed a huge army to restore his empire. The former allies were surprised and declared the new emperor illegitimate. Troops were quickly called to go and defend the French-Belgian border. Since 1813 Belgium belonged to The Netherlands and King William I reined over the united country. His son, Prince William II, was made commander of 40.000 soldiers of the allied forces.
Wounded William
Prince William ignores orders
Dutch, British and Prussian troops were positioned just below Brussels, to wait for Napoleon and 120.000 French soldiers. The troops were under the command of British general Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington. On the 15th of June Prince William II was ordered to move the Dutch troops. The Prince ignored his orders and positioned his troops at Quatre-Bras to stop the approaching French army.
On the 16th of June Napoleon defeated the Prussian troops but in the end he couldn’t surround them because of the resolute troops at Quatre-Bras. Our Prince William got overconfident. He positioned his troops in lines without thinking of the oncoming French cavalry, which ran straight over the allied lines. Many of William’s men died an unnecessary death.
In the end the Prince got shot in the shoulder at Waterloo and was carried off the stage. Rumor goes that William II was shot by his own men to stop him from giving more stupid orders. The Prince was rushed to the headquarters in Waterloo. Doctors took care of him and the Dutch Government Gazette kept the people informed of his progress. It would write about the injuries sustained, the recovery of the Prince and his courageous fighting.
The winners and losers of Waterloo
After the battle, the Prince was honorably nicknamed Hero of Waterloo. His splintered bones were kept as relics. King William I had an enormous memorial monument built in honor of his son. This ‘Lion of Waterloo’ is still on the plains of Waterloo, where the Prince got injured. The victory was remembered yearly and celebrated with all sorts of festivities. Only in 1940 was the 18th of June dissolved as a national holiday.
And Napoleon? He and what was left of his army fled the battlegrounds of Waterloo and hurried back to Paris to defend his imperial throne. He was late though, and for fear of being imprisoned, he applied for asylum in England. Instead of transporting him to London, as was agreed, the fleet shipped him off to Saint Helena, a deserted island in the middle of the Atlantic. Here, the dethroned emperor passed the last years of his life. He died in 1821.
Waterloo chess set
Chess at the battlefield
The museum owns various Waterloo chess sets, with the French army facing the allied troops. In this set, Napoleon, a chess enthusiast, is the king of the game. In the background is the British Duke of Wellington with his green cloak and cocked hat bolt upright on his head. Both queens are dressed in period empire style clothing.
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