About This Quiz
In early 19th-century Europe, France was ground zero for an empire spawned by Napoleon Bonaparte. With his military cunning and political savvy, Napoleon had quickly moved up through the ranks of the army during the French Revolution, becoming a general at the tender age of 24. From there, it was just a matter of time before he seized even more power in his home country. Do you think you know enough about his genius to beat our Battle of Waterloo quiz?
Napoleon roiled Europe with his warring ways. He wasn’t content to rule over France. He wanted other vast parts of the continent, too. For decades, he managed to get away with his power-hungry ways, but abruptly he was shoved from his violent path. Then, showing the tenacity of a true fanatic, he returned to power and set about building his army again. Do you know how he managed this miraculous feat?
With a retooled army and grim determination, Napoleon once again set fire to Europe. He had a dastardly plan in mind – divide the countries allied against him, conscript hundreds of thousands of soldiers, and put Europe in a death grip that it would never escape.
So, Napoleon and his men set off for war once again. This time, they were confronted at the Battle of Waterloo. An allied force of Europeans blocked the French path and refused to retreat, setting the stage for one of the most famous battles in history. Take our epic quiz and see if you know what really happened at the world-changing Battle of Waterloo!
The Battle of Waterloo was a major turning point of the Napoleonic Wars of the early 1800s. The wars tore apart Europe for about two decades.
In 1815, a British-led coalition confronted a French army at the Battle of Waterloo. The fates of millions of Europeans were wrapped up in the battle's outcome.
He's a man who is still regarded as one of the most powerful in world history: Napoleon Bonaparte. He had masterminded France's domination of Europe, and planned on yet another victory at Waterloo.
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Napoleon was a scrappy fighter and politician who pushed his way to the top of French society. In 1804, after a series of major military victories, he made himself emperor.
In 1814, an alliance of Russian, Swedish, Austrian and Prussian troops beat Napoleon's armies and captured Paris. The iconic leader was forced to leave his throne and was exiled to a small Mediterranean island off of the coast of Italy.
After less than a year in exile, Napoleon escaped, seized control of his former armies, and began what was called the Hundred Days campaign. The mastermind was back in action and ready to rock Europe all over again.
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The European alliance that ousted Napoleon in 1814 once again banded together, this time in hopes of permanently putting a stop to the power-hungry Frenchman's ways.
The British-led Seventh Coalition stood in the way of French domination in Europe. Napoleon planned a preemptive strike to put down the allies and make the Coaltion surrender.
Each of the four major powers committed to keeping 150,000 troops at the ready until their French nemesis was finally gone. In other words, Napoleon had to make his move or risk being annihilated.
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Napoleon wasted no time attacking the Coalition. In June, he marched in to what's now called Belgium and defeated the Prussian army. The French general was back, and in a big way.
Upon Napoleon's return to power, the Coalition commited hundreds of thousands of troops to oust the French leader. Napoleon knew he would be outnumbered, so he chose to strike first.
On June 18, 1815, British-led forces confronted the French army in what is now Belgium. If Napoleon won, he would have momentum in his return to power; lose, and his empire was on the ropes.
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Two of the armies of the Coalition took the field. They were the Prussian army, led by Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher, Prince of Wahlstatt, and the British allies, under the command of the Duke of Wellington.
It's false, the French forces were outnumbered. Napoleon had just over 70,000 troops at his disposal, against nearly 120,000 Coalition troops.
The Prussian army was made up of tens of thousands of conscripts, and many of them had never been in battle. Napoleon knew that he could knock the Prussians out of the war if he struck decisively.
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Napoleon's domination of his foes left him with a formidable reputation … and a nickname: "God of War." At the Battle of Waterloo, many Coalition troops undoubtedly figured they would be heading to early graves.
The night before the battle, troops slumbered under cloudy skies and heavy rain, an element that would eventually play a role in the battle's outcome.
Wellington led the British portion of the army and knew that the French were coming. He knew that the Prussians were still some ways off, and that he would need their help to defeat Napoleon.
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The French and the allies camped just 1,500 yards from each other the night of June 17. The next day, they all knew, the bullets would be flying.
Napoleon wanted to capture the city of Brussels. His idea was to split the alliance, consolidate his territory and weather the storm while building a bigger and better army.
The previous night's rain had saturated the ground. Napoleon delayed his advance to let the water dissipate a little, but that simple decision wound up having a major impact on the ensuing battle.
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Napoleon loved to sweep his foes' flanks with envelopment attacks. And that was exactly his plan as the battle began around midday on June 18.
As Napoleon belatedly started his attack at midday, the Prussians were on the march to assist the Coalition. If they arrived too late, the French would probably have already earned their triumph.
At La Haye Sainte, the French found their momentum, crushing the allies and pushing them back. Now, French artillery could launch their shells into the center of Coalition positions. The situation was indeed dire.
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Using the rolling terrain and tall grasses, Wellington concealed his reinforcements. As Napoleon's troops quickly advanced, the Coalition men stood and fired at almost point-blank range.
Just as Wellington's men shattered the French assault, the Prussian army arrived on the scene. What had moments before been a French rout suddenly began a Coalition counteroffensive. The French were defeated.
The Battle of Waterloo was a bloody affair, especially considering that it lasted just a day. By the end, around 65,000 men were dead, wounded, missing or captured. But Napoleon's bloodthirsty reign was over.
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Four days after the battle, Napoleon left his throne for good. After 23 years, it was the long-anticipated end of the Napoleonic Wars.
Once again, Napoleon was exiled, to a remote island in the South Atlantic. This time, there would be no escape. He died in 1821 at age 51, probably from cancer.
Ever since Napoleon's miraculous defeat, the Battle of Waterloo has come to symbolize David vs. Goliath-type odds. If someone "meets his Waterloo," he's been defeated … even though he should have won.
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