The Battle of Waterloo Explained

Thank you again for a solid presentation of this battle, being half Scot and half Dutch I am pleased you mentioned the international component of this battle!

I really liked the quote by Wellington after the battle of Waterloo, "Nothing except a battle lost can be half as melancholy as a battle won.." A wonderful presentation about the defining moment of European history 👏, well done, amigo. May all of the soldiers on both sides found peace and happiness. Vaya con Dios y en paz descansen.

Legend has it that Grouchy is still looking for Blucher till this day...

As a historian who has been fascinated by the Napoleonic era for decades, I really appreciate your nod to how international the Allied forces were. The command and control issues this must have created should not be underestimated. Love your channel. Keep up the great work.

Fantastic video and further proof that, whereas Wellington and his accomplishments have passed into British legend, you have to take your hat off to old Blücher (Field Marshal Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher, Prince of Wahlstatt, to give him his full title). By the time of Waterloo he was well into his 70s and his back and hip were giving him a lot of grief but he fortified himself with a very generous amount of brandy to dull the pain, got his men to hoist him onto his horse with a ramrod down his clothing to keep his back straight, yelled "VORWARTS" (FORWARD) and led his men to Wellington's side on the Waterloo battlefield. What a man he was and how lucky we were to have him and all his men on our side on that notable day. Blücher has earned my salutes and deserves those of every free European.

Thank you for another triumph. A great tribute to the allied army under the Duke of Wellingtons command. My third Great Grandfather fought at Waterloo with the King's German Legion. He was from Hagan in Hanover. Cheers Ron

This will be worth waiting for! Like you Joe, the poor horses, I'm so glad they are no longer used this way.

Thanks. The use of maps is the only way to do justice to the reporting of this battle. You have done it in a very clear and easy to understand way. 👏

Great video! I seem to remember my history teacher (himself a former Gunner) telling us that Wellington had selected his defensive position after having seen it previously and identified it as a useful piece of terrain.

Thanks Chris. I’ve been interested in the Battle of Waterloo since I saw the film back in 1970. Since that time I have been to Waterloo a number of times and fought on the field as a Napoleonic reenactor in the 80s. I have been fortunate enough to have built up a small collection of genuine Napoleonic swords including two British 1796 Heavy Cavalry swords marked to the 2D Dragoon Guards i.e. Scots Greys and other swords probably used in the battle.

This is the most factual of all the videos I have watched regarding Waterloo. Credit given when due to those that made up the entire force. Well done, and thank you for an honest presentation.

You made a point I have always believed in; that it was Wellington's leadership that won the battle. In previous battles Napoleon had won because of the lack of competency on the part of the opposing generals. In other battles Napoleon faced armies that had more then one general in charge, but at Waterloo only Wellington was in charge, with no one countermanding his orders. Wellington's calmness steadied his troops and they remained in line despite the horror of the artillery barrage and the massive cavalry charge by Ney. Napoleon frequently criticized Wellington as being only a defensive general, which was totally wrong, but was true at Waterloo, and it was there that Napoleon met his match!

I've made similar comments on other Waterloo videos and had lots of supporting responses. Back in 1960s, we were taught that BoW was an allied army. We were always taught, quite strongly, that it was not a British army and that, with Blucher arriving, it was, primarily, a combined German force (except that Germany didn't exist then so probably best to call it a German-speaking army partnership). The paintings are of the British troops because the paintings we see are in Britain by British artists. Wellington stood because he trusted Blucher to march. Blucher marched (against advice from his chief of staff) because he trusted Wellington to stand. The Prussian recovery from Ligny was a huge achievement. The late arrival of the Prussians due to mud was the same reason the French delayed their assault, so it was the same for both sides (to use sporting parlance). Our teachers were often WW2 (some WW1) veterans who appreciated allies (eg, my father was seconded to a Nigerian regiment from South Wales Borderers in 1940 and went on to Burma where Slim commanded an extremely polyethnic, polyglot, and polyreligious army over a vast area encompassing the lands around the Indian Ocean). We were even taught how Wellington rather shamed himself in later years by over-emphasising Waterloo and his achievement there to the extent of reducing the significance of Blucher and his own Peninsular campaign and its veterans. Waterloo was never taught as a British army or victory in my time. I wonder when things changed? Wellington's brilliance was not just in his command of terrain but in his handling of such a mixed and hurriedly put together army which contained very few Peninsular veterans. As the video says, most of his cavalry was inexperienced and some had barely had any training. The pressure was on Napoleon to attack fast because he was threatened by even larger armies from Russia and Austro-Hungary that were not very far away. As a Corsican who originally hated the French, you could say that Napoleon's career worked out as vengeance against France with so many dead in the wars and the country diminished in the world. The allies described themselves as fighting Napoleon rather than France for a variety of political reasons. While Trafalgar and Waterloo resulted in the dominance of Britain around the world until the triumph of the USA in the 20th century, Waterloo also resulted in the rise of Prussia, later Germany, over mainland Europe for the rest of the 19th century until the end of WW1 as both Spain and France had been reduced.

Thanks Chris for a great portrayal of one of the greatest battles of all time... Wellington's great skill was picking the location to fight ... this battle and my study of it began a whole study of British history

Another totally enthralling video, Chris. Brilliant stuff and very educational.

Beautifully explained once again; thank you Chris!

Thank you, I always learn something new from you. Recently I’ve been touched by the poets and composers (notably George Butterworth) who lost their lives in the Great War. Please consider making a mini series!

Like always, fantastic video into a fascinating yet terrifying battle , thank you!

Great summary of the battle, beautifully presented.

Great video and so interesting, thank you and stay well.