Battle of Waterloo | The Napoleonic Wars | Instruments of Death (Part 1)

Waterloo, one of the most famous battles in history. The battle that shaped the future of an entire continent. The battle that saw the final defeat of the emperor Napoleon.
Can anyone today truly comprehend the shear chaos of combat in the Napoleonic era. How can we really picture the scale of what happened in Belgium over two centuries ago. The roar of the massed artillery, crack of the musket fire, the thunder of huge ranks of cavalry, and screams of wounded and dying men…
00:00 - Introduction
01:29 - Napoleon Bonaparte’s Interior Lines Strategy
03:39 - British Army Reforms of the Duke of York
05:41 - Brown Bess - British Land Pattern Musket
10:56 - Armée du Nord vs Prussian Army
12:54 - Wellington’s Battlefield Advantage
15:38 - Napoleon Storms Hougoumont
16:32 - Types of Cannon Shot
19:55 - Attrition Warfare and Tactical Differences
23:13 - Cavalry Charge of the Royal Scots Greys
24:03 - Pattern 1796 Light Cavalry Sword Analysis
27:49 - La Belle Alliance and La Haye Sainte
29:37 - Last Battle - Napoleon’s Imperial Guards vs British
32:03 - Aftermath - War Injuries and Skeleton Discovery
Watch part 2 of the documentary here - • Battle of Waterloo | T...
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[@Element.18]

Watch part 2 of the documentary here - kzbin.info/www/bejne/rGTcmadrqKaBaKc

[@Bullski123]

And most thought that the Waterloo and Austerlitz battles occured like in the new movie about Napoleon. There is SOOOOO much more to it than maybe 10 minutes of each battle that lasted several hours or days in reality....

[@althesmith]

One of my items I take great pride in acquiring is an original 1796 Heavy Cavalry sword from the period.

[@eddisonfoncette9103]

Now I know and understand the meaning behind that old nursery rhyme I heard when I was a child " The Grand Old Duke of York ".

[@jtmckinney]

3:47 @thehistorysquad I was like I know that guy!!

[@brianpoole4369]

"give me the night...or give me blucher"....wellington!

[@Rusty_Gold85]

23:13 Except it wasnt a Charge . The 3 units of the Union Brigade were with the Household Brigade who attacked to the right of LeHaye Sainte into the French Cuirassiers . They had to infiltrate the 9th Brigade Highlanders first , then cross a slope lined with hedges, then cross a sunken road in relation to mounds on both sides of path then start attacking the French Columns who were in a Field of high crops in very sticky mud . That painting was done 10 years after back in England and is innaccurate . The French were too close to the Highlanders and being poorly trained they never got into square . What was killed rallied later on and kept the left flank occupied until the Prussians came

[@japhfo]

Small point, perhaps, but Lady Butler's 'Scotland Forever' was painted in 1881, some sixty six years after the battle, but, yes- although if you encountered a force of large men with large swords on large horses, bearing down on you, you might not argue the toss. They did, however, gallop on afterwards, got out of hand, and into serious trouble.

[@Andy_Babb]

More history and ancient history please 😬

[@japhfo]

The serjeant re-enactor seems to know little of the British army of the Seven Years War or the American War of Independence when, at its best, it was a thoroughly professional and effective force.

[@NobleKorhedron]

What you don't realise, is that things deteriorated between the French Revolutionary Wars, and the Napoleonic Wars. The expense of the Seven Years Wars, and the American War of Independence, had seriously stretched the British national budget. This raised the national debt, and forced cutbacks on the British army, and the Royal Navy. As a result of these cutbacks, things had deteriorated in the approximately ten or so years between the end of the American War of Independence, and the start of the French Revolution...

[@japhfo]

@NobleKorhedron I am intrigued as to how you might know what I do or do not realise. As it is, I am perfecty aware of the prevailing circumstances circa 1783-1793. You would be better directing your lecture to the re-enactor who seems to be unaware of the history of the British army outside his hobby area and gives the impression that innovations presided over by the Duke of York brought standards in the British Army to levels that had never existed before. In 1793 there remained a core of dedicated, professional younger officers and disciplined, effective regiments that, despite being at the mercy of mediocre or incompetent generals, saw repeated success in the Low Countries until the alliance collapsed. These formed the basis on which Abercrombie, Moore and Wellington, supported by York, built the army into an effective force once again.

[@aparrotformrpoirot8906]

he has his own channel called the history squad and responds to a lot of comments so u can address ur complaints to him directly

[@Holdit66]

25:30 "The French must have hated this." 🙄 The French light cavalry used similar swords. So did the Austrians, Russians, Prussians and everyone else. Anyone would hate that who was on the receiving end.

[@kaiserjoe2316]

A very english-centric documentary. Right down to mis-pronounciations.

[@robertbruce7686]

"If there is one thing of which I know nothing...it is agriculture" (Wellington probably)

[@richardsanchez5444]

3:57 hey its Kevin from history squad.

[@lanzknecht8599]

He appears in several episodes of "Instruments of Death", f.e. Towton.

[@hawaiiancane1]

How different was the Scots grey saber compared to a French Currassier Saber? Both appear to be of the same length. The Currassier Saber had a brass handle was surrounded by a brass shroud tom protect the entire hand.

[@jonathanfell688]

His giggling at the wouds is pretty weird

[@palestrabr1914]

That sabre Must bê hell for foot soldiers

[@MaxSafeheaD]

was that a billhook and a hatchet in his kit? was that standard issue? why?

[@Blahajlover3079]

If your reading this, go watch the movie Waterloo trust me you'll love it.

[@reluctantheist5224]

My reading this ?

[@Blahajlover3079]

@@reluctantheist5224 what kind of question is that?

[@propellerhead428]

2 shots a minute, standing up whilst "they" are shooting back! Stupidly brave, coming from a South African Boer descendant

[@szablotukpolski5201]

Nice movie :)) More about polish husar cavalry saber....szablotłuk polski

[@mito88]

17:39 did cannons have grooves?

[@thomasbenck9525]

Only at about the time of the Civil War

[@chrismac2234]

I've seen many people do 4 shots a minute.

[@fazemills663]

The guy playing the redcoat has his own channel and it's amazing it's called history hit or maybe squad I can't remember lol

[@mito88]

26:06 sabre or machete....

[@Dark-Star63A]

"Now thats soldiering"...🤣🤣🤣

[@hawaiiancane1]

There are stories of Napoleon falling ill on his march to begium. That may have affected his ability to rationalize and affected his cognitive function

[@Warcrimeenthusiast]

They should use paper cartridges and a patched ball , much faster than what they are doing

[@daveharringbone8512]

Sharpe

[@jeroenbons637]

Within 4 minutes of this video the Bias kicks in. The voice over says: …to Belgium where the Brittish and the Pruisian Army’s assembled”. Not a word of the other army’s like the Hanoverian, Brunswick, Nassau- and last but not least the Belgian-Dutch army’s. Those B/D army’s were in fact the North and South Netherlands army’s, numbering in Manpower as large as the English contingent. General Wellesly was commanding a multi national army as he was used to do in Portugal and in Spain. As useual the Brit annexed the Victory. If this battle was lost it would have been caused by the poor showing of the others.

[@reluctantheist5224]

Within one paragraph jeroenbons bias kicks in. The English contingent or the British contingent? No non English in the British army? Perhaps it's just short hand for this style of programme since it was Wellington's forces , definitely a Briton in charge of it . Bit like your short hand of English rather than British.

[@Holdit66]

And yet again we have a British-made Waterloo documentary that barely mentions the Prussian contribution.

[@edmundsveikutis1698]

Spot on. This is no more than sadist titalation .

[@richardsanchez5444]

0:41 sorry but i couldn't help laughing.

[@3rdsmite766]

BTW "wellingtons" army was about 31k British with 17k dutch and a bunch of other small country's, i dont know British people always give themselves 100% of the credit and ignore the rest...

[@charliereader3462]

Anyone who spends ten seconds reading anything about Waterloo will read about the ‘Anglo-allied’ army, making it clear that, whilst British soldiers made up the largest contingent of Wellingtons army, they were not the only nationality within it

[@gustavderkits8433]

British soldiers WERE taught to aim at specific opponents. Not impressive.

[@jeroenbons637]

The commentator does not know how to pronounce Some foreign namens. At 12:10 he calls Grouchy something like Graochy while the generals name is pronounced like Groochi, with an oo like whoopy. It annoys me very much.

[@thomasbenck9525]

And this is a British production. If this pains you never watch any US doc on the Napoleonic wars.😂

[@jeroenbons637]

@@thomasbenck9525 ah Well indeed but to my amusement I thought that Rod Steiger was rather convincing as Napoleon in the film Waterloo. Probably a question of smart typecasting.

[@inspirationdynamics]

And look at Europe now 💩

[@mito88]

what's your point?

[@weegamer82]

One thing us Human are Amazing at, Finding better ways of killing each other. Who thought up Grape-Shot 🫢😵‍💫 So nasty