Waterloo

Following the collapse of the 1814 campaign, Napoleon is forced to abdicate at the urging of his marshals and is exiled to Elba. He spends about a year there before escaping and plotting his return to power.

Napoleon escapes from Elba and sails back to France, where he quickly rallies supporters and reclaims leadership. His bold move shocks Europe, forcing the major powers to mobilize against him.

With Napoleon back on the throne, King Louis XVIII flees Paris while the European powers declare war on France once again. The continent braces for a rematch that will redraw the map of Europe.

News of Napoleon's march reaches Brussels during the Duchess of Richmond's ball, warning Wellington of the French advance. He decides to delay and prepare a stand at Waterloo to split British and Prussian forces.

Marshal Ney engages the British at Quatre-Bras, fighting to a draw that buys time and blunts the Allied advance. The result leaves the British and their allies maneuvering for a decisive confrontation.

Napoleon defeats the Prussians at Ligny, forcing Blücher's troops to retreat and concentrate to support Wellington. The French momentum grows as the enemy seeks better coordination.

Ney travels to report to Napoleon, and the timing allows Wellington to withdraw his intact army to a more defensible position. The two commanders continue to shape the battlefield's impending clash.

Napoleon orders Grouchy to lead about 30,000 men in pursuit of the Prussians to prevent their rejoining Wellington's army. The plan hinges on keeping the Prussians separated from the main Allied force.

The Battle of Waterloo opens with heavy French cannon fire as Napoleon tests Wellington with feints on the flanks at Hougoumont and La Haye Sainte. Wellington holds his ground and resists diversion of his main force.

General Picton is killed while helping to plug a gap in the British line, and Ponsonby is later cut down during a cavalry charge. These losses underscore the brutal cost of the day for the Allied forces.

A French cavalry assault led by Ney is repelled by infantry squares, and a misreading of orders hampers the French attack. The center of the line holds as the battle grinds on.

Maitland's 1st Foot Guards deliver a devastating volley against the Imperial Guard, driving back the assault. Blücher arrives on the field, and the Imperial Guard finally breaks, sealing the Allied victory.

That evening Wellington surveys the field's thousands of casualties, and Napoleon, having survived the day, is urged by his marshals to flee the battlefield.