1815 Waterloo

Today is June 18, and on this date in history, in 1815, we witness the Battle of Waterloo fought in present day Belgium between the Empire of the French, under the great Napoleon Bonaparte and the coalition under the equally great, Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington.It was the decisive battle at the end of the Napoleonic Wars and sealed the fate of the Emperor, Napoleon. Modern Europe resulted from the battle, and a general war did not break out for almost 100 years, 1815-1914. Waterloo allowed Europe to grow and prosper to the extent that it built the modern world.Scores, if not hundreds of books, appear on the this battle, and it was, indeed, a crucial event in history. It basically started the modern age and ended the old era of aristocratic ascendancy. Hereafter, nationalism, the virus started in Europe by the French Revolution and spread by Napoleon, increasingly came to the fore. Another spawn of the French Revolution, Marxism, also started to spread. Imperialism, ... Read more

Does anyone know were the Channel tunnel departs from in London?Well strangely enough it is Waterloo station and about 4 years ago the French goverment sought to get the name changed because of the amount of French complaints!!! The British refused them and I get the impression that the station was planned to be salt in the wound for France!! Sad but True!!!! This battle was very important as the Britts feared Napoleon because he was a great general!!! If anyone had the capability to invade England it was Napoleon and his Army!!

Immensely important, and "a damn close run thing" as Wellington said later. While it is likely that had Napoleon won the battle, his weakened army would have been defeated by one of the other groups of allies gathering on his frontier, the defeat created a Europe that lasted almost unchanged for 100 years. Wellington fought his usual calculated defensive battle, Napoleon was uncharacteristically indecisive, and the half-mad Blucher's march to the sound of the guns and arrival on the French flank late in the day are all immense factors. The Anglo-allies survived several errors (the over-exuberance of the Scot's Greys, for example) and benefitted from a number of French ones (over committing at Hougoumont for example) but were still battered and reeling as the day drew down. Wellington, surveying his army and seeing the French massing for yet another attack is reputed to have said "Give me Blucher, or give me night" shortly before advance units of the Prussian army arrive... Read more

europe is the most important contenent in history and waterloo was the single most important battle in european history