I just read something on Wiki. The note worthy thing to me was that with Napoleon's defeat he ended to be the emperor of the French. The Seventh Coalition consisted of the United Kingdom, Prussia, United Provinces, Hanover, Nassau and Brunswick. Well, it sounds like a hell of a fight just French against all the rest. Especially against the United Kingdom and Prussia. Haven't read the details about the actual battle, but I have to wonder how Napoleon dared to attack them.

As far as I can remember, Napoleon was exiled on Elba in Italy. I've been there myself on vacation. But to his time he fled and got somehow lucky that in France some if not many of his soldiers were still loyal to him. So the big thing is that he lost once all his power but regained it again and made even war once more. If I'm right then Waterloo was his last battle before he got exiled a second time and then died.

... hopefully a historian can confirm what I just said ... ^.^

Sir Kunind, I've read a lot about the Emperor but have forgotton a lot too. Two reasons I think why Waterloo is so special is because Napoleon was thought of as being "unstoppable" and he met his match. "Napoleon's Waterloo" i.e. the end of Napoleon. The other reason is because of the terrible conditions and the cold - Napoleon lost about 500 000 men. In those days a soldier was worth nothing and you were left to die. After the war they banished him to Elba but he escaped and came back and that's when they put him on St Helena - for good. The only thing I do remember about him is that he was fanatical about cleaning his teeth and did most of his work and planning in a hot bath! LOL

Ha ha, this is funny. ^.^

Well, it was exactly for that so it seems. That's why that battle was so epic. Apparently it is all about the end of Napoleon.

Basically, though not really a large battle in numbers on both sides, it finally ended an age of European war that began with the French Revolution in 1789. Napolean had been exiled to Elba in the Med. after being driven back into France and overwhelmed by armies from Austria, Britain, Prussia and Russia in 1814. In 1815 he absconded from Elba and landing in southern France, began a recruiting march on Paris which saw widespread defections to the old Emperor and a new french mobilization for war. The mass allied armies of 1814 had largely been demobbed except for British and Prussian forces of observation in Holland and Nw Germany. On hearing the worst, these moved upon the Ne of France to forestall a french revival but Napolean was already on the move into Belgium. The first clash at Ligny resulted in a headlong retreat by Blucher and his Prussian army but Napolean, in his declining years, failed to follow up this rout and even misunderstood it's general direction -- a devastating oversight!
Two days later, the French stood before Wellington's British army at Waterloo and a bloody battle of mud and little manouver ensued, highlighted by defended farmhouses, cavalry glory and despair, mass bombardments and heavy loss of life. Napolean actually left the battle midway through because it seems, of illness but in any case, although the battle was fought abominably by the french command, they still should have just won the slugfest except for one thing.......the Prussians! By late afternoon the Krauts turned up to stand by their allies and attacking the french right flank through woods and villages, ground them back. At dusk, the magnificent french reserve of horse and foot had been so mishandled by HQ that all was lost for the Gauls.
It marked the end of a generation of war, great suffering and misery for peoples throughout Europe and elsewhere. In that regard it can be considered a Pivotal World Battle because if Napolean had got properly going again, who knows when the suffering would have stopped. Then again, it was really a series of economic wars funded by London bankers to keep other nations in their place.
And of course, it was Blucher and his Prussians who really turned the tide on that June day! But the good ol' huns have never been fashionable have they!

D'argent d'argent beaucoup d'argent. That's my favourite word of Napoléon that points to the summary of world.