36126
W. Britain
Limited Edition of 400.
Between 1803 and 1815, almost every European nation was involved in the struggle for dominance in Europe that would later become known as the Napoleonic Wars. For years, huge armies clashed across the continent with the balance of power shifting from campaign to campaign, but by 1814 the tides turned against Imperial France and Napoleon Bonaparte was sent into exile.
In March 1815, Napoleon returned to France and seized power and resurrected his Imperial army. A new coalition of states was formed to oppose his return to power and their armies were mobilized to invade France. Napoleon chose to attack two large forces under Wellington and Blücher assembled in Belgium near his north-eastern border with the hope to destroy these armies before other members of the coalition could join in a coordinated invasion of France.
The French Imperial army marched into Belgium meeting and defeating the Prussian army under Blücher at the battle of Ligny on June 16th.
Two days, later the French army engaged the Anglo-Dutch army under Wellington on the rolling farms fields of Waterloo, Belgium. Wellington’s army withstood repeated attacks by the French in a defensive mode, until, in the evening, the Prussians arrived in force and broke through Napoleon’s right flank.
At that moment, Wellington’s Anglo-allied army counter-attacked and drove the French army in disorder from the field defeating Napoleon and ending his rule as Emperor of the French.