Reacting to Napoleonic Wars: Battle of Waterloo 1815 | Epic History TV

Hello! I'm an American on a quest to learn more about history, geography and the universe in general. In this video I learn about the Battle of Waterloo - something I've completely forgotten about from school. Let's just say, it was nothing like I was expecting.
In 1815, eight miles south of Brussels, two of history's greatest generals met in battle for the first and only time: Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor of the French, and the Duke of Wellington. The result was an epic, brutal battle that would decide the fate of Europe.
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00:00 - Intro
01:36 - Comment Time
10:14 - Reaction
27:57 - Outro
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#NapoleonicWars #British #Wellington #Belgium #HistoryReaction #Waterloo #Prussians

[@SoGal_YT]

We've reached the end! What a journey it's been learning about the Napoleonic Wars. The Marshals are next. Thanks for watching! Like and subscribe if you enjoyed this video 👍🏻 Follow me on social media: Instagram: instagram.com/sogal.yt/ Twitter: twitter.com/SoGal_YT Facebook Page: facebook.com/SoGal-104043461744742 Facebook Group: facebook.com/groups/238616921241608

[@fraso7331]

Will you comment the ABBA-Song Waterloo?

[@daniellastuart3145]

Maybe you take a look at these kzbin.info/www/bejne/bXfMeJKXodFnis0 a video about Wellington. also A World in Arms - Britain's War Against Napoleon: Armies

[@progylkinpresents4565]

And again I recommend you to watch Waterloo movie - the best historical war movie ever. You can find it on youtube.

[@fraso7331]

Oh, I promised, to tell, how a Prussian fake army chased a French army. I will simplify a little bit. After battle Wellington and Blücher feared, that Napoleon could gather the army again, like the Prussians did after Ligny. But their own armies were to exhausted to do so. So General Gneisenau, Blüchers chief of staff, took some cavalry and some musicians, to whom he gave horses. The cavalry brought the musicians to places, where they had to give signals as if a whole army would be there.

[@fraso7331]

And I have to tell how much I like your reaction videos. It's interesting how someone reacts, who had nothing to do with these things since school. If you are occupied with history every day, it is very difficult which questions other people have and what is difficult to understand. Thank you for your wonderful videos.

[@markwilliamson2864]

Waterloo was a very bloody battle and Wellington said after his victory ‘Believe me, nothing except a battle lost can be half so melancholy as a battle won.’

[@Manu-rb6eo]

Oh i heard this quote in the film... So it's a real one ? Thanks i didn't know that.

[@zarabada6125]

@@Manu-rb6eo It is a quote from a letter he wrote following the battle in June 1815. Whether he said the words aloud at the time is unknown, but even if he hadn't, the film was putting his own words in his mouth. I believe many of the lines by different figures in the film are like that. The script writers took extracts from each person's writings to populate the dialogue. While the timing and context of the lines may have been wrong, they were often the words those characters had used at some point in their lives.

[@robinsonrex1280]

@@zarabada6125 In the movie it doesn't show him saying those words, it's shown as a monologue that Wellington has when he surveys the battlefield in the aftermath.

[@wafs1393]

You should watch the Movie Waterloo(1970) or watch history buffs video on Waterloo both will give you a really good understanding of one of the most important battles in history and how Napoleon managed to regain power.

[@PHDarren]

Waterloo is a fantastic film a classic pre-CGI film with a cast of thousands of extras, played by over 15,000 Ukrainian soldiers IIRC.

[@wafs1393]

@@PHDarren soviet soldiers in the ukraine not ukrainian soldiers*

[@rickhudson7929]

Yes, absolutely! Fantastic film :-)

[@progylkinpresents4565]

Absolutly agree

[@tSp289]

@@PHDarren It's crazy to think that's actually less than 10% of the numbers who were actually there. Solid film though.

[@stevegray1308]

The battlefield had actually been picked by Wellington almost a year earlier "just in case". It shows the extent of his military thinking.

[@davidhollins870]

It is the main defensive ridge position on the road to Brussels. He was right, but it wasn’t great insight.

[@zarabada6125]

It was more of an example of professional expertise than foresight. He was travelling to or from a conference in his new role of ambassador and noted the merits of the landscape as a good defensive position. He may have taken note of dozens of other locations across Europe or India during his career but Waterloo happened to be in the right place compared to Napoleon's advance.

[@davidhollins870]

@@zarabada6125 True, because it is the ones that come to fruition, which are mentioned.

[@marengomango2260]

Yeah it proves wellington was a good general but not a brilliant one like Napoleon

[@stevegray1308]

@@marengomango2260 true, even Wellington admitted that. Napoleon was probably the best general since Alexander the Great. He was a true genius even beyond his military skills but his lust for power let his country down.

[@BadgerUKvideo]

He walks all of the way to Paris and his army just gets bigger and bigger and bigger. The French aristocracy severely underestimated how much the people (and especially the military) loved him.

[@Manu-rb6eo]

And it was Ney who has been sent to stop him lol.

[@dave_h_8742]

Doubt very much if he walked any distance more than a few miles

[@chrislawley6801]

Today in Europe there are thousands of statues of Napoleon - Guess how many of the victor Wellington- There is only one on the continent of Europe of Wellington in Valencia

[@christophermichaelclarence6003]

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte b Biggest Victory Battle was the Battle of Austerlitz 1805

[@chrislawley6801]

@@christophermichaelclarence6003 though which has a railway station named after the battle ? : )

[@reecedignan8365]

So to answer some of your questions and add some trivia: 1. Napoleons return was quite amazing. When he arrived Ney told Louis he would “bring Napoleon back in an Iron Cage” however on meeting him, his troops actually flooded to Napoleons side and when Napoleon confronted him one to one and played to Neys honour as a Soldier of France and being the Hero of Boradino/Russia Ney joined him. And he wasn’t the only one. Several of his Marshals met him back in Paris and several of the armies sent to stop him after Ney went “Viva La Emperor” and joined him. Even the French news paper of the time reflect this. The day he returns they all hate him, a few days later their more tame and speaking on his progress but still against him somewhat, a couple days later on arriving in Paris their praising their emperors return. 2. The coalition of Europe didn’t just make Napoleon an outlaw, they declared war upon him and him alone. Not France but him. Now for all he is a Froggy Bastard.... that is pretty badass when you have an entire continent declare war upon you. And as one of his councilmen said “They dignify you sire by making you a nation”. 3. Napoleons army was actually quite well scratch built but not by him alone. Marshal Davout was actually the one who helped pull all 200,000 of his new army together, tho he only took just over half, the other 70,000ish were sent to defend against Austrian aggression around the Italian/souther French boarder and the Spanish forces marching across the boarder there. 4. You’ll find out more about this if you watch Napoleons Marshals but you’ll see that Napoleons failure at Waterloo can somewhat be placed on a couple of his Marshals but also himself in his very poor coordination of their skills - I.e. he placed them in the worst of positions. 5. Fun fact for you. In Britain, The Duke of Wellingtons horse is actually a very well respected hero. His name was Copenhagen (named after the sacking of the same city by the British the same year when they were denying France Denmark’s fleet). Interestingly Copenhagen wasn’t entirely in the duke’s ownership at first. When he was named/bought during the Siege of Copenhagen by a British General (I can’t remember his name) he served as his horse until he died (I believe he died sometime towards the end of the Peninsular War, tho he may have died during the interwar period or the 100 days Campaign). As such Copenhagen like most officer horse at the time was offered his his fellow compatriots, in whome one of Wellingtons staff believe he could use an extra horse bought Copenhagen for the duke. As such come the Battle of Waterloo, Copenhagen would go down in history as Wellingtons Horse - Wellingtons rode him for 14 hours that day and Copenhagen the stud didn’t even tire or startle during the entire battle staying quite calm and stoic like his master even as cannon balls and shells landed around them and musket fire and smoke wised all around. 6. An interesting interaction of this battle and a very hilarious showing of British stoicism comes during the battle itself. During some of the final cannon exchanges at the end of the battle, Lord Uxbridge who was riding close to the duke of Wellington was hit by canister fire in the leg. Looking down at his leg, the Lord calmly exclaimed to Wellington “By God, Sir, it seems I’ve lost my leg” to which Wellington looking down and seeing relied back “By God, Sir, so you have” - after the battle having been took to the British headquarters his staff sent for the surgeon who upon entering the headquarters was quite bewildered asking “and who sir is to be my patient?” Why did he ask this? Well Lord Uxbridge true to his nature was still as stoic and composed as always - most doctor would have expected a man screaming or whimpering or mutter or whatever someone does when they suffer a terrible wound - but Lord Uxbridge was just calm and composed as usual replying to the man “oh yes, that would be me sir”. The surgeon then went about doing his job amputating the leg. There are said to be two different anecdotes of what happened during the surgery. 1. Comes from his aide-de-camp Thomas Wildman who says that during the amputation the Lord said “I have had a pretty long run. I have been a beau these forty-seven year, and it would not be fair to cut the young men out any longer.” - essentially he is saying that it is only fair that he suffered this wound for it now opens up the eye of women he had enticed the last 47 years to now look to the younger men he has stole their gaze from. 2. The second anecdote says the he remains silent throughout the entire procedure and when the surgeon looked wary and asked if he could offer the Lord anything or if he was doing well, Uxbridge just replied “I’m fine, tho if I may give some criticism, the knives feel a bit blunt” . 7. An interesting fact about the battle at Hugemont. In truth their was one survivor of the breach. A young French drummer boy. At some point during the breech he had entered and hid away, however after the gate was closed and the French killed he was found. However, the Officer and men of the Kings German Legion who defended the farm didn’t harm him and instead kept him as a prisoner/somewhat of a mascot for the remainder of the battle/campaign. Tho I believe he was sent/escorted back to his family after the war. 8. The elite men who defended the farms were actually member of the British KGL - Kings German Legion - and the British Guard regiments. In addition members of the 95th Rifles also fought during the battle of La Haye Saint and Hugemont - tho mostly at a distance as Skirmishers/snipers. The men who defended La Haye Saint throughout the entire day were members of the KGLs 2nd Light Battalion. 9. To relive the Union and Household brigades cavalry charge after they had become blown and routed by the French cavalry, the Scots Greys charged into save them. They did tho at terrible loss to themselves too. “Charge of the Scots Greys” is still one of the most iconic paintings of the battle of Waterloo. 10. As most everyone has probably told you now, watch the 1970 Waterloo movie. It is a master peace in historical war movies that will never be seen again. I’d also recommend History Buffs review of it as he goes more into depth of what it took to make this movie. But let’s just say their is no CGI used. What you see in said movie is all real, practical effects and proper built/rebuilt/re-sculpted/planted farms, paths/roads, walls, forrests, hills (yes they actually made hills for this movie)

[@Anton-kp3mi]

The story of the french drummer boy spared by the british is probably a myth. The only source to this story is a letter from private Matthew Clay where he tells his mother how he saved this boy's life in the middle of the battle. However the drummer boy in question has never been identified. On another note, the average age of a "tambour" in the French army was 21 years, so it was certainly not a "boy".

[@SNP-1999]

@@Anton-kp3mi We will never know the whole story, but amongst the brutal killing and the horrific suffering of the wounded on that terrible day, it makes a nice difference.

[@SNP-1999]

@Reece Dignan Excellent comment and well researched information.

[@quoniam426]

In order to understand how truly epic Napoleon's return was, imagine the guy stepping ashore on a little boat with a handful of faithful followers and meeting troops that were sent to intercept him, most of those being his former men and generals. He stepped in front of them, arms stretched saying: "I am your emperor, if you want to kill your emperor, go ahead, fire!" They hesitated and then rallied to him shouting "Long live the Emperor!". Charisma over 9000.

[@kaiserreichempireofohio834]

also the fact Napoleons regime paid the soldiers more than the restored bourbons did sure helped lol

[@haaxeu6501]

This is high on my list of historical moments I would like to see in person if I could go back in time.

[@anthonyhartley6098]

He had more than a handful of followers he had 400 when he left Elba

[@markwilliamson2864]

This was classic Blücher - strike hard, strike fast. He was quite a remarkable man to be leading an army into battle, he was well over 70 and most other men his age would rather be contemplating a newspaper and pipe!

[@ohauss]

There's a reason they called him "Marshal Forwards"!

[@AdurianJ]

He used up all his luck in his life thats why all ships named after him have met unfortunate ends

[@markwilliamson2864]

@@AdurianJ At least the pub named after him in Twickenham, West London is still going strong.🍺 💪🙂

[@090giver090]

"strike hard, strike fast." That's what to be expected from the one who was a cavalry officer in Fredric the Great's army during the Seven Years War.

[@tobiusgregory2805]

Blücher managed to front up at Waterloo after getting unhorsed and ridden over at Ligny. Tough old bastard.

[@wafs1393]

Wellington definitely had the advantage in terms of geography, his forces were behind a small hill and that would make napoleon have to guess his movements most of the time as he couldn't see them and was also the reason why Ney launched the charge with his cavalry because he thought they were retreating when he saw them falling behind the ridge when in reality they werent.

[@dave_h_8742]

Dan Snow also did a programme on this battle (part of a series) showing you the ground so you can visualise it better.

[@peterdrewer2574]

Wellington had a map. Just in time... ageofrevolution.org/200-object/waterloo-map/

[@originalkk882]

Putting his troops on the reverse slope as protection from cannon fire was a tactic Wellington had first used in Spain. But, as Ney and Napoleon had never met him in battle before, and considered him inferior, they never bothered to learn about it.

[@dave_h_8742]

@@originalkk882 and it was that wet clay soil that absorbed the cannon balls

[@zarabada6125]

@@originalkk882 Ney fought Wellington at the battle of Bussaco in 1810. Ney was in charge of VI Corps under Massena's overall command. At Bussaco, Ney fell for almost exactly the same ruse in 1810 as he did in 1815. He marched VI Corps up to an apparently empty ridge, only for Wellington's troops to rise up from where they were concealing themselves. The British troops fired an overwhelming volley into the French and then charged with bayonets. This caused an entire French Brigade to break and flee.

[@LightxHeaven]

I've enjoyed every reactions of yours on this series. I appreciate that you're not afraid of asking questions and always wanting to understand more! Very pleased that you're moving on the Marshal's series next! :)

[@ghostdancer444]

Yes, the presenter has an enquiring and pleasant manner, and she is not afraid to admit what she doesn't know. Good for her 👍

[@saiien2]

The reason why the French army was not so effective is also because of Wellington. He studied Napoleon's tactics and strategy very precisely. I would say he quite admired him for his military mind. In fact he chose this battlefield a year earlier. He knew that there was a chance for his comeback so he prepared for this many months before.

[@BlameThande]

Wellington once said he thought Napoleon was the best general of the age, but IIRC his opinion soured when he found out Napoleon had done the dishonourable thing of sending assassins after him (Wellington).

[@090giver090]

And also Napoleon was unwell and wasn't as "on hand" in his commanding as usual. Even leaving to his tent for a long time allowing his generals to mess around.

[@saiien2]

@@090giver090 That's for the first time I hear about this.

[@090giver090]

@@saiien2 I can't cite academic sources by hart (except Osprey's book on the matter), but it's quite a common knowledge that Napoleon had severe bouts of stomach pain the night before and during the day of battle so he even had to shortly retreat to his tent around 4 p.m. This time was enough for Ney to folly into an all-out cavalry charge head over heels into British squares.

[@basedkaiser5352]

Wellington got punked by Napoleon though even if he was at his worst. Got his ass saved by Blücher.

[@johnp8131]

Waterloo was a small town of around 2,000 ish inhabitants in 1815, and nearly 30,000 today. The battle took place around a mile outside the town. You'll be pleased to know that the battlefield, museums etc.....are currently just south of the local MacDonnalds!

[@windsaw151]

Not that you would recognize the battlefield anymore. It was vandalized to make a monument.

[@johnp8131]

@@windsaw151 It's quite a walk to the top, so you can imagine how much earth was taken?

[@halcroj]

Not all battles are around major cities. Gettysburg isn't that big, is it.

[@johnp8131]

@@halcroj Very few, comparatively I would say, until WWII. With the exception of sieges?

[@ron271828]

The battle of Waterloo was actually named after a railway station in London which in turn was named after a nearby bridge, but you have to go further back in history to learn that Waterloo Bridge was named after a hit single by the Kinks.

[@graveperil2169]

the Kinks was just a cover version on the Abba song surely

[@jamiengo2343]

I think the railway station is named on the village of Waterloo in Belgium, not the other way around.

[@andrewclayton4181]

I thought it was named after the Euro winner by abba.

[@ron271828]

@@graveperil2169 Of course, I forgot ABBA. I wonder how far back in history this goes.

[@johnnorth4667]

I think someone's rewriting history!

[@JeyC_]

You should consider watching Alexander's conquests by Epic History TV as well

[@elconocido1994]

YES¡¡¡¡¡

[@090giver090]

And Diadochi Wars series by Kings and Generals after that to see how Alexander's generals messed the things up after his death )

[@LordInter]

both Napoleon and Hitler tried and failed to replicate Alexander, I mean damn Alexander conquered a lot

[@johnellis7445]

In Windsor Castle their is a room filled to the brim with armour take from the French army after the battle of Waterloo. The breast plates lancers swords and helmets. Also in the room is a cloak that belonged to Napoleon Bonaparte the British soldiers found the garment in his coach

[@BlameThande]

21:00 Napoleon famously did not respect Wellington as a general or the British on land, saying Wellington was only a 'sepoy general' who had learned his craft in India rather than in Europe; Napoleon also assumed his marshals who had lost to Wellington in Spain had done so because of their own failure. He had a rude awakening when he faced Wellington and the British himself for the first time. Especially when Wellington described the battle afterwards as Napoleon just lining up his men in columns and going forward 'like every other time' or words to that effect, and essentially said the Indians he'd fought in Assaye years earlier had been a more impressive enemy. In Napoleon's defence, he was ill at the time. Anyway, Waterloo was a climactic battle that cemented Britain's reputation on land, but it was also a tragic and pointless affair that led to the deaths of many officers and men who had survived a quarter-century of war and destabilised a lasting settlement in France, all for the sake of one man's ego. If the Allies had just sent Napoleon to St Helena in the first place it could all have been avoided.

[@omarbradley6807]

Yeah sure nothing better than the Bourbon restoration, the Miguelist wars in Portugal, the Thousands sons of St Louis, in a few years. And Napoleon had already faced British troops and had beaten them. The majority of the French cassualties at Waterloo were inflicted by the Prussians who suffered hald the looses of Wellington, despite him being entrenched

[@scl9671]

I would strongly recommend checking out the film Waterloo (1970) it's a fanastic film and really captures the essence of Napoleons last campaign. It is one of the most historically accurate films as well. You can watch it for free and remastered on KZbin! kzbin.info/www/bejne/aXXGiH2or7Bjrbc Thank you for reacting to this series!

[@omarbradley6807]

Yes it is but omited the Prussians a lot.

[@progylkinpresents4565]

Absolutly agree.

[@thoso1973]

Yep, it's on youtube as well (though I have the wonderfully restored Blu-ray release of the film): kzbin.info/www/bejne/aXXGiH2or7Bjrbc

[@Manu-rb6eo]

A really well done film.... Go check history buffs he about it 😊

[@ringo5721]

like so she sees this comment

[@HT-on5sk]

You should do a reaction to the movie Waterloo. It's one of the best and most accurate history movies

[@joshthomas-moore2656]

Some of the reason Napoleon had such a problem was he had bad stomach pains, which meant he wasn't in the best shape physically and mentally, i once heard a historian discribe Napoleons condision at Waterloo as quote "Taking an entire box of laxitives, ridden 20 miles and then stayed up all night". The other part was Wellington perhaps the only man in the Allied army who could be Napoleons equal, Wellington was a master on the defence and thats what he was doing here he also had the terrain on his side which is an underappreciated part of a battlefield, basically Wellington stacked the deck in his favour before the battle and he knew he just had to dig his heels in and not move them.

[@xenotypos]

Napoleon also didn't have (for the first time) Marshal Berthier, who supervised everything in the army until now, his right hand man. It led to several problems. He also didn't have his best Marshals anymore, in particular Lannes and Davout are thought to be people that could have changed the outcome of the battle.

[@richardkent7369]

The most important parts of the battle plan were Wellington's choice of battle field with the fortified farm houses and reverse slopes. Also Wellington knowing he must not commit his reserves too soon. Lastly the British army had mastered standing in line and firing rapidly to repel an advancing french column. All this they learned in Spain.

[@axeuk9718]

And in Portugal.

[@richardkent7369]

@@axeuk9718 Where the Lines of Torres Vedras lie.

[@allenwilliams1306]

Precisely: the video gave the impression that the allied troops were relatively inexperienced. They (particularly the British), weren't. In fact, the British infantry were particularly battle-hardened, and extremely well-disciplined. Ultimately it was the French who ran away.

[@davidhyams2769]

Rapid fire was a speciality of the British Army. Even 100 years later, during the first Battle of Mons in World War One, the first confrontation between the British Army and the Germans, the British speed of rifle fire led the Germans to believe the British were using machine guns.

[@richardkent7369]

@@allenwilliams1306 Yes the video needed a 2-3 minute reminder of Wellington and his Army's peninsular campaign.

[@davidhyams2769]

In your previous video (1814), Napoleon wasn't "sighting the guns" (as in aiming them) he was SITING the guns - that is, having been an artillery officer, he was using his experience to place them on the battlefield to get the best advantage.

[@shoutyman9922]

Dear SoGal, I have watched all of your posts on the Napoleonic Wars. Your thirst for knowledge is refreshing and I hope it is the start of a lifelong passion for history. Having said that, I see that many of the comments below suggest that you watch the movie "Waterloo." It stars Christopher Plummer and Rod Steiger. The History Buffs Channel declares it to be one of the best historical movies ever made. It is accurate in almost every detail and being made in the days before CGI, scale could only be achieved by the use of real live bodies. So Russian troops were used. They were drilled and equipped as period soldiers. When you see aerial shots of thousands of men, there were thousands of men. I saw this movie when it came out in 1970 at a place called a cinema. I was astounded by the movie and have never seen its like since. I will bet all my money against a box of Krispy Kreams that this movie will transport you back 200 years.

[@gerrylamb3780]

A major reason for Wellington wishing the battle to be named after the small village nearby was that he wanted a name that could be easily pronounced ( and thereby remembered ) by his troops and the British people.

[@jean-luchochart6960]

Il n'y avait pas que l'armée anglaise à Waterloo! Sans les prussiens et les autres les british auraient pris la pâtée! Les britanniques se sont toujours débrouillés pour se donner les lauriers de la victoire alors que durant tout le temps des guerres napoléoniennes ils n'ont fait que profiter des autres armées européennes. Une constance chez-eux!

[@walshaw2]

@@jean-luchochart6960 There wasn't an English army at Waterloo......There was a British army at Waterloo, that had some English regiments in it......The french lost....get over it you sore french loser.

[@oldman1734]

The Battle of Waterloo was named after the railway station just south of the Thames.

[@richardkent7369]

@@jean-luchochart6960 The French Army was usually multi national during these wars. It was the French alliance vs British Coalition.

[@jean-luchochart6960]

@@richardkent7369 Oui!Effectivement! Il s'agissait d'une coalition.Dès lors pour quelles raisons les britanniques s'approprient tout le mérite d'une victoire qui revient à l'ensemble des armées alliées? Ils sont coutumiers du fait. Leur haine envers la France leur a toujours fait dire des bêtises,des mensonges et surtout des contrevérités historiques sur nos braves soldats!

[@christosntapsis1464]

Dont forget that Napoleon was fighting for almost 10 years against 4, 5, or even 6 countries the same time. Mostly he was in the defensive position, as the coalitions declared war on him (and by him wining, made it even worse for them). His bigest mistakes were his invasion of Russia which was a disaster, and was done not to conquer, but as punishment for not obeying to the continental system, and of course Spain.

[@BadgerUKvideo]

You need to watch the "Sharpe" television series. It follows the green coats (riflemen). It stars Sean Bean (Game of Thrones - Ned Stark). You get to see Wellington in all of his glory.

[@Manu-rb6eo]

In wich episode does Shawn bean die ? Lol 🤣

[@BadgerUKvideo]

@@Manu-rb6eo Lol! Well, the last thing we see is the Riflemen march towards the enemy through a cloud of smoke. So let's say yes. Of course he died! edit: found the clip kzbin.info/www/bejne/g6S3i3-Hot59mK8

[@Manu-rb6eo]

@@BadgerUKvideo hahaha 🤣. I'm sure when shawn bean receives a skript he reads immediately the last page to know how his character dies 😂

[@Macilmoyle]

Bean also presented a documentary looking at the battle which is available on You Tube and is worth checking out kzbin.info/www/bejne/bpqVhaSiaaeegtU

[@reecedignan8365]

@@Manu-rb6eo actually one of the only two series where he doesn’t die. The other being the Percy Jackson movies - where he played Zeus - but saying as those are quite poor movies we can just say this is the only series in which Sean Bean actually survived the whole series - it seems all you have to do is be the main character and be stoically British the entire way through.

[@randomguy9113]

This was their first video on Napoleon so it’s multiple years old at this point. The rest of the series was created more recently which is why it looks different. The channel HistoryMarche has a video titled “The Truth Behind Napoleon’s Final Defeat” which goes more in depth leading up to this battle, and gives some possible explanations as to why he lost. Although it skips over how Napoleon regained his power in France. That channel also has a great series on the general Hannibal and also a few videos on Caesar that I’d highly recommend

[@iwatchDVDsonXbox360]

And Michael the Brave.

[@AdurianJ]

Dont expect famous battles to take place near important towns. The battles of Breitenfeld and Lützen two important battles during the Swedish period of the 30 years war are tiny villages that are basically suburbs of Leipzig

[@ritaDas-xl4kz]

Wellington is in belgium(at that point part of the united netherlands) because the british played a huge role in netherland's independence from france, and the fact that the british could stay with their minor allies(dutch,belgian,nassau,Brunswick,hanover who had smaller amounts of soldiers),while their larger allies can field their own soldiers in large amounts

[@jobfranschman8436]

When Napoleon returned, it had not yet been decided what the borders in Belgium would look like. Belgium had been part of France since 1794 and before that of Austria, so the Dutch could not return just like they had in the north. The British had to control the area until the Vienna Congress was finished.

[@ritaDas-xl4kz]

@@jobfranschman8436 Ya that too you added information that i missed thanks

[@f0rth3l0v30fchr15t]

Played a significant part in maintaining Belgium's independence for the Netherlands, too. Though that was at the price of a certain infamous scrap of paper signed in 1839.

[@jobfranschman8436]

@@f0rth3l0v30fchr15t yeah the British backstabbing the Netherlands ones again. First you decide to give the Netherlands Belgium and only 15 years later you support the independence 🤷‍♂️

[@f0rth3l0v30fchr15t]

@@jobfranschman8436 There are 2 things the British can't stand: people who are inotolerant of other people's cultures, and the Dutch.

[@googlyzeyz31]

Hi SoGal & Roger! It’s been quite a journey and I’ve enjoyed every episode very much! Your my favourite history teacher 💕

[@jamestheteabeaumont5900]

Wellington had studied Napoleon's tactics and knew how to best fight him

[@josedro]

Napoleon's army was not even close what it was at its beginnings . The emperor fought with its remains only. and Wellington was last minute saved by Blucher

[@markh8116]

An enjoyable series of videos. I’ve enjoyed learning with you! As for not getting every piece of information on the first pass, that sounds very human. Some things my brain locks onto straight away, but especially when there’s a lot going on, it takes multiple attempts to sink in.

[@SuperCiacho0]

Remember, after the great retreat from Moscow, Napoleon lost half of million the best troops in europe. His army was never the same. During Waterloo campaign his best soldiers lay beneth russian soil and his guard was formed from younger and less experienced troops. Shout out from Poland!

[@iangreenway5580]

Yes the British really where that good! When asked about his victory Wellington said, “They came on in the same old way and we defeated them in the same old way.” My x5 great grandfather fought at Waterloo and I have his medal. His brother fought all through the 1812 war too. The battle is know by everyone as Waterloo.

[@mwrench4185]

lol The british were saved by Blucher...

[@SNP-1999]

The Germans used to call it the battle of "La Belle Alliance", not Waterloo, but now that has also changed and Waterloo is the accepted term in Germany.

[@EonFafnir]

The french call it "La Bataille de Mont-Saint-Jean" (The battle of Mount Saint Jean).

[@iangreenway5580]

@@EonFafnir history is written by the victors, no one cares what the French call it. 🤷‍♂️

[@Cteabis]

Wellington’s birthday was 1st May (1769 I think) and Napoleon died 200yrs ago on May 5th (1821) so good timing 🙂

[@MarkVrem]

I'd rank Wellington a better General, than the Union General Ulysses S. Grant (Bday April 27th, 1822). Grant had this thing where he only cared about his army's movement and didn't necessarily at all care about what the Confederates were doing. From what I've seen out of Wellington in these videos he was always very aware of what the enemy is doing or might do and take advantage of that. On the other hand, Wellington always fought outnumbered for the most part, or at least pick his spots carefully. Grant would always have a numerical advantage.

[@ritaDas-xl4kz]

@@MarkVrem Most people rank Wellington better than grant cause yes wellington is better

[@reecedignan8365]

Wellington was a careful and strategic commander. He always fought a battle his way or no way. Grant on the other hand fought a different battle. Grant fought battles with supplies and numbers as he knew the enemy couldn’t replenish theirs as much as he could. It’s why he got the name “Bloody Grant” by his own people and troops as they expected to be thrown into attritional battles. It’s also why his own people were demanding he be removed as a general of the war until he took control of the main army fighting the Army of Virginia and started winning against it. At which point people still hated his willingness to throw bodies at things but that got overshadowed by his winning - everyone likes a winner. This was different to Wellington who disliked wasting his troops. This was both a personal trait of his - as he cared deeply for the men under him. While he could be a massive snob towards those who came from the lower aristocracy than him, when it came to his men he would never actually speak major ill of them or treat them poorly (it is noted several times he got into arguments and berated members of British nobility and aristocracy who belittled the common soldiers) - also on this was the fact that he couldn’t afford the same loses. In the peninsular war, Britain and Portugal were the smaller army who could less afforded casualties compared to the more numerous French. His smaller more professional force vs the more conscript heavy but numerically superior French forces.

[@MarkVrem]

@@reecedignan8365 Glad you brought that up! I was scratching my head actually for a bit, trying to remember what the hell was Grant good at. Logistics and a steady-hand guy. lol

[@wh_kers]

wellington is gud, but not great as napoleon.

[@stephendavies1585]

another great reaction young lady.studied this for months in school but learned much more from you.

[@tonywilkinson6895]

There’s a very good film named Waterloo,funnily enough with Rod Steiger as Napoleon.It captures the scale of the battle very well.

[@rachelhenderson2688]

It's definitely one of the best (if not THE best) depictions of a genuine historical event! Goodness knows how many times I've watched it! Road Steiger really looks like Napoleon, and the actor who plays Wellington (and whose name has just gone right out of my head!) looks like the real person. AH! Christopher Plummer! He played the part of Wellington!

[@Andrew-pr9xv]

Britain: Whew, well, that was tough. But now France is defeated, there are no other wars Britain needs to worry about. Canada: Erm, we're still at war with the USA, remember? Britain: We are? Since when?! You OK up there Canada? Canada: Well we did get invaded, but we saw that off without much fuss. Britain: OK then. Here, have a bunch of ships. Give them Yanks a slap on the wrist. Go set fire to Washington DC or something.

[@catherinewilkins2760]

There is one thing not mentioned, it was raining, Wellington saw that as a good omen, he had won other battles in rain. The big hats, or bearskins, were taken by the British, to this day the Queen's Guards wear them.

[@graemerigg4029]

It wasn't just rain, at the end of April Mount Tambora (volcano) had exploded changing the weather all over the world. More rain than the annual fall had come down the night before. That's why Napoleon had to wait the next morning. 1816 became known as the year without a summer. That was the year Lord Byron and friends took a villa in Italy and Mary Shelly wrote Frankenstein.

[@oliversherman2414]

I love your channel keep up the great stuff!

[@skydubz7331]

yeah this was an older video of theirs,made waaaay before they even started the Napoleonic series with the siege of Toulon in 1793 video.Thats why the video quality and animation is more modest and they skipped a lot of important info,Napoleons return to Paris,the battle of Ligny,where they defeated the prussian army right before the battle of waterloo.What i havent seen and would be crazy to see is Napoleon expedition to Egypt in 1798,when he wasnt emperor yet,the battle of the pyramids where he defeated the turks in Egypt,the battle of the Nile,a naval battle where the british forced the french to abandon the egiptian campain,and even his battles in Italy,the battle of Marengo in 1800,the famous crossing of the Alps wich gave birth to the famous painting of Napoleon on a horse.Furthermore,in Egypt he found many ancient artefacts:the rosetta stone,the oldest written stone of mankind,the golden mask of Tutankamun,all these he brought to Paris and can be found today at the Louvre museum today,and because of this started the worlds fascination with egiptology,nobody knew or cared about ancient Egypt before Napoleon returned from there in 1799. So definetly you should watch even more of Napoleonic videos,cause this is just 10% of his story. Never stop making these videos,i watch all of them as soon as they appear! youll become famous in no time. As always i love your hair

[@adrianburchell8075]

Napoleon didnt face the British in Egypt, just the Ottoman Empire. Nelson fought the French navy in the Battle of the Nile. It was about a year or so later Napoleon left for Paris without facing the British, just the Mamluk forces of the Ottomans. The only time Napoleon faced British troops was at Waterloo.

[@skydubz7331]

@@adrianburchell8075 i would have died if i didnt know that

[@omarbradley6807]

@@adrianburchell8075 Well i am pretty sure who the landing at Aboukir was not only of Ottoman soldiers, and Toulon was held by British

[@joshthomas-moore2656]

Napoleon didn't actually have the full French army to invade Belgium, he had troops holding down the boarders with Spain Italy and Austria, he also had forces putting down a royalist revolt

[@wafs1393]

Yep but even those forces were very small, somewhere near 10 to 20k in each front

[@omarbradley6807]

@@wafs1393 but togheter they would more than double his army.

[@andrewclayton4181]

I read a book about The Hundred days, as this campaign is sometimes referred to several years ago. In it there was a comment that many years earlier Wellington had been touring Europe and passed down the road south of Brussels. He remarked to his companion, on seeing the topography, This would be a wonderful place for a battle. So it proved.

[@dharma1666]

Don’t need to apologize to those people, we’re all here to learn and further our knowledge

[@sarahscott5305]

13.7 thousand subscribers already! Well done! I'm happy to be learning along with you x

[@lucymunro3465]

This is an older video than the others, but it is rumored that Epic History TV will make an updated version.

[@deaks25]

The British defense of the three farmhouses is considered to be the foundation of the victory for the Allies; Napoleon couldn't easily out flank Wellington's army with miniature forts there as anchoring points for infantry, but for the most part, the battle of the minds of Wellington and Napoleon is a very widely studied subject, because it's one of the few times Napoleon meets his match by one individual; previously it's taken multiple nations and multiple commanders to achieve that. Blucher obviously makes a contribution, but for most of the battle, it's Napoleon vs Wellington in terms of commanders.

[@marignanofils866]

Hey! Your impression of Napoleon "micro-managing" is right. People forget that even while on campaign, he was issuing directives dealing with everything to do with his civilian rule of France and also the annexed territories; a finger in every pie....and there were a lot of pies! Admin, admin, admin, admin....between his return to France and his defeat at Waterloo, he managed the formation of a new government, organisation of regional and municipal elections, a new constitution, the abolition of the slave trade in French colonies (no-one ever mentions this), as well as the complete reorganisation and recruitment of 4 separate armies to guard France against the new coalition. 4 months of hyper-activity which shames every other European monarch, and their belief in the Divine Right of Kings. No wonder they didn't like him!

[@gumdeo]

A brilliant series, thank you.

[@PeterDay81]

You should have a look at the Sean Bean on Napoleon's Greatest Defeat | Sean Bean on Waterloo | Timeline. A great documentary.

[@samuelterry6354]

Waterloo I was defeated, you won the war Waterloo Promise to love you forever more

[@craigbrown4734]

great series loved every one , well done.

[@markwilliamson2864]

Thank you for putting together an excellent set of informative videos Sogal, I’ve enjoyed them immensely. Additionally I feel that you’ve become rather an expert on the tactics and strategies of Napoleonic warfare which I believe would make you perfectly capable of commanding a corps in battle, I would happily serve under you as a mere private.🙂

[@Nikolapoleon]

25:09 A "rear guard action" is designed to block an enemy advance. Simply put, the Old Guard was trying to shield the rest of the army from annihilation, and in so doing allow it to regroup later.

[@BlackHawk2b]

Also because of honour and glory

[@alansmith1989]

I am so sorry that some have `Chided` you Sogal, just because some data is missed by you. Goodness! We're all human and you don't need to be sorry for anything in my opinion. This series has very much educated me also; as I only had scant knowledge of the era. You are doing your best and that's all to the good. Please don't be disheartened by such comments and carry on. Frankly- such `comments` say more about the critics to me. Again; carry on the good work.

[@alansmithee8831]

Ditto namesake.

[@daniellastuart3145]

Well done hun it was very enjoyable

[@raytreadwell903]

Wow, SoGal you make history so much more interesting than when I was at school, ❤️ thank you 😘

[@Hunter27771]

The old guard dies, but does never surrender!

[@BlameThande]

It's a great line but is apparently a bowdlerisation, the original involved more swearing!

[@tobiusgregory2805]

@BlameThande It's a bit of a furphy that the Old Guard's response to the request to surrender at Waterloo was "Merde!" and ignores the fact that the Old Guard did indeed ultimately surrender anyway. But it's an awesome part of the Legend of the Old Guard and all civilisations need their legends 🙂

[@rustyyorkshire7063]

At the time of the battle Napoleon was suffering from gallstones and had some sort of sickness so he had to rely on he’s commander to fight the battle for him

[@tomhirons7475]

I look foreward to your military vids, so interesting x

[@davidderuiter726]

The Dutch army consisted for a part of former Dutch Elite troops of Napoleon who switched to fight for the King of the newly formed Kingdom of the Netherlands. They knew about Napoleon his tactics and that helped massively in favor of Wellesley the Duke of Wellington. He took the credits for something that was for a big part done by a Dutch general even against Wellington his orders. If Wellington would have had total control over the Dutch Army Brussels would fallen and Napoleon would have won. But Rebeque (Swiss born) went against the orders of Wellington during Quatre Bras and also when during Waterloo the ranks broke and Wellington wanted the Dutch to retreat he went into the offensive by dressing some of this man up as lieutenants which spooked the French cause they tought that the Dutch all of a sudden had massed a big army so they run back to retreat only to been sent straight into the ranks of the Prussian Army. Waterloo was a succes thanks to the bravery of Prussian and Dutch command and bravery of all the soldiers. But is almost failed because of a pompous arrogant man who later took full credit.

[@danddjacko]

You definitely need to watch a video that details the 100 days leading to Waterloo

[@sangfroidian5451]

Perfect that the final video of the Napoleonic Wars series is released on 200th anniversary of Napoleon's death - 5th May 1821.

[@goodoldsmoke]

Your misunderstanding of some crucial events in european history can feel frustrating, yes, but your desire to know more and figure it all out is what matters the most, and it's also the main reason I've subscribed to your channel. Keep up the good work, good luck with your studies in history, and greetings from Russia!

[@christianlorenzen2448]

"Waterloo" comes from an old Flemish dialect, with "loo" meaning "forest". Hence, the name refers to swampy woodlands.

[@daniellastuart3145]

the battle was in fact fought on a area called Mont St Jean farm

[@Glund117]

The reason for Napoleons poor performance here is highly debatable. The french had always had trouble defeating the British armies and Wellington was an accomplished commander. Napoleon was very ill and may have had less tactical involvement than expected with his marshals taking over.

[@omarbradley6807]

Yes, but you know 50,000 Prussians hiting his flanks were a very important reason

[@TheAviador4]

French comnanders at waterloo were a disaster.

[@Glund117]

@@omarbradley6807 yes obviously, but my point is that ordinarily the Napoleons army would smash through the opposing army being able to turn and fight the Prussians but the french vastly underperformed against Wellingtons army compared to what people would have expected

[@TheAviador4]

The attack of hugomont and d erlon in the center were poor coordinated and using not the correct formation to attack, that formation was use by the imperial guard as well and maybe that was a good reason for napoleons defeat.

[@omarbradley6807]

@@TheAviador4 Yes that didn't help but remember who the Frenchs could not attack in lines but in columns as long as the farms funneled their advance.

[@idleyorkshireman3962]

Love your channel lass...keep up the good work...

[@alansmithee8831]

Is ta fra Idle i Bradford?

[@idleyorkshireman3962]

Halifax Alan 🙂

[@alansmithee8831]

I reckon Roger's pal should call ersen ReytLass wi all at Tykes on ere. Ar'd she seh Luddendenfoot o Mixenden?

[@theradgegadgie6352]

Napoleon's time on St Helena was not an an exile, so much as an exceptionally civilised imprisonment.

[@joshthomas-moore2656]

Also not all of the British Army was there and ready some of their troops were coming back from the US after the war of 1812 and one of their Generals Pickton actually had to fight the battle i his civilian cloths as his uniform and the rest of his baggage hadn't caught up with him

[@originalkk882]

Correct. Many of the British regiments only had their typically under-strength 2nd (reserve) battalions at Waterloo.

[@rachelhenderson2688]

His name was PICTON

[@f0rth3l0v30fchr15t]

I kind of wish Wellington had taken Blucher's suggestion to name the battle after the inn where the two met at the end of the fighting, instead of the name of the village where he had slept the previous night. The, you'd be reacting to the Battle of La Belle Alliance.

[@Nonsense010688]

yeah in terms of naming Blücher was superior to Wellington. Maybe he wanted "waterloo" because that was his battle, but it has been suggested that Wellington was a dry character and simply didn't see the beauty of the name "beautiful Alliance"

[@reecedignan8365]

It’s also said that Wellington wanted the easier name of Waterloo so that his troops and the people of Britain could remember and say it easier. A

[@jamiengo2343]

@@Nonsense010688 the Battle of La Belle Alliance sounds weird to me. It may be that I’m just used to Waterloo, but the name’s a bit too long I think.

[@Nonsense010688]

@@jamiengo2343 it is longer but the symbolism behind it is kinda beautiful

[@Groffili]

The political situation surrounding the whole Napoleonic era is complicated. The video was correct in saying that after Waterloo, there were no European wars for 40 years. But it ignores that these times were also marked by extreme autoritarian backlash, supprssion of liberalism and regional autonomy. Instead of a war between states, there was kind of a constant war of these states against their own unruly population, who had experienced increased civil liberties and constitutional freedoms and didn't want to miss these things. It has been said that Europe would have been a "better" place had Napoleon won. And it's true: Napoleon did a lot of good things for the people. Reforms of the laws - the "Code Napoleon" that was introduced in France and subject states is still the basis for a lot of European civil law systems. Support for the arts and sciences. A successful Napoleon might indeed have a boon for Europe. But Napoleon's power was based on his military successes... and there just was no way he could have won forever. Even at the height of his power, his "reforms" were payed for with extreme suppression and extortion of the conquered countries... and France herself. He had no means to make a lasting peace with all his enemies... and together they were too much for him to vanquish. All he could have ultimately hoped for was a victory of attrition... which would definitly NOT have been a boon for Europe. Then... he wasn't a genius in administration either. His insistence on planting his family on Europe's thrones - most of whom weren't as talented or interested as him - was a major setback. Both in administration itself as well as in diplomatic relations. It's difficult to see how he could have succeeded in the long term. Why did he come back from Elba? Personal frustration might be one point. He wasn't made for ruling a small backwater island. He had been the master of Europe. He got bored quickly with being the Prince of Nowhere. A real interest in the wellbeing of France might be another point. The Bourbon restauration didn't go smoothly. For the most part, Louis XVIII had been welcomed back by the people... because they hoped he would bring peace. But he also brought poverty, repression (by indifference mostly, not malice) and slights to the honour of France, the proud republic and empire. Napoleon thought he could make it better, if he just got the chance. But he never would get this chance... and never could have. Even if he had won at Waterloo, there was no chance for him to win this campaign. The coalition forces still outnumbered his forces by far, the Austrians and Russians had their armies ready to march into France again... and especially Czar Alexander was dead set on getting rid of Napoleon.

[@aliti9315]

Okay. I dont know if somebody answered your questions already but here I go: - How did he escape his exile on Elba: - How exactly he did it i dont know. I do know however that he was the "emperor" of Elba and was reforming the island. He also had 1000 man in his island militia/military. His spy network still had influence and they fed him useful information from the outside world. I think he probably used his influence over the island to escape. :D (thats just hypothesis on my end tho) - Why Napoleon had so much trouble here despite doing great earlier: - Napoleon was a master tactician. He usually trapped his enemies in terrain that was advantageous for himself. Here he followed the enemy in territory they chose (before they even started advancing on france). AND he was sick and unwell. I mean he was before but in the battle of Waterloo his health was at the worst state its ever been. He was unconcentrated, unfocussed - at least to some extend. The next thing was, that Napoleon probably underestimated Wellington because the british generals previously were very inexperienced. With Wellington he faced one of the few more experienced generals of the Britains. Despite all that he did good :D

[@21nickik]

Waterloo is way overhyped by English speaking authors for the next 100 years. Its the only time the British beat Napoleon on land, and that mostly because the Prussians were there. The British take credit for defeating Napoleon when in reality the Russians by far had the largest contribution. But a lot of this gets lost in Nationalist history writing where every nation during the next 100 years wrote its own history. British focus on the Navy but Waterloo was the prove that they could be a great land power too. I highly recommend: - Russia Against Napoleon: The True Story of the Campaigns of War and Peace Is a great book, or on youtube just listen to the author 'Dominic Lieven' on youtube. You are totally right, he had no chance of winning against Britain, Russia, Austria and Prussia.

[@starrynight1657]

Even if there's some hype in books (it was the final defeat of Napoleon) it's not celebrated at all. The French meanwhile have been commemorating Napoleon's death. There's really a lot less celebrating of political events in Britain than elsewhere.

[@hypersp3ce596]

I strongly recommend that you watch the Movie "Waterloo (1970)". It's a great depiction of the battle and a favourite among Napoleonic Wars lovers. The movie has a remastered version on KZbin kzbin.info/www/bejne/aXXGiH2or7Bjrbc&ab_channel=BonaparteTheatre

[@barriehull7076]

Waterlooville is a market town in Hampshire, England, approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) north of Portsmouth. It is reputed that the name derived from a pub that stood at the centre of the village, then known as Wait Lane End, where the stage-coach horses waited to change places with the team that pulled the coach up and over Portsdown Hill. The pub had been named Heroes of Waterloo because, on its opening day, in 1815, soldiers who had just disembarked at Portsmouth, returning from the Battle of Waterloo, decided to stop there and celebrate their victory.[4] According to local legend, many of them settled there.[4][4] The pub was thereafter renamed[5] in their honour and the area around the pub became known as Waterloo. In order to differentiate the town from other places with the same name, it became known as Waterlooville at a later date. The town was known as Waterloo parish at the time of the 1911 Census.[6]

[@da90sReAlvloc]

No it's the battle of Waterloo in every country Great video nice reaction 👍🇬🇧

[@Anton-kp3mi]

30:21 Europe did not even had 40 years of peace after the fall of Napoleon in 1815. The reestablishment of the old political order wanted by the monarchist great powers which had defeated Napoleon made many people unhappy in Europe. Revolution spread back to southern Europe as soon as 1820 with uprisings in Portugal, Spain, Italy, and Greece. This marks the failure of the Congress of Vienna only 5 years after Napoleon was defeated. Two major revolutionary waves will follow in 1830 and 1848 which will greatly shake continental Europe.

[@omarbradley6807]

Napoleon performance at Waterloo was not so great here. I recomend the HistoryMarche video of why Napoleon lost at Waterloo, actually they themselves are the ones who begun to run EpicHistory TV at the last episodes. Also i remember who you reacted to Napoleon's videos on Trafalgar and Eylau at kings and Generals, there are of course more videos, but only 2 (very important) of Napoleon battles himself (Somosierra and Eckmuhl)

[@SNP-1999]

The Battle of Waterloo was indeed a very bloody affair - one English officer, a veteran of the Peninsular War in Portugal and Spain, commented during the battle that "He had never heard of a battle in which everybody was killed, but it looked very much as if that might happen here!" (or words very much to that effect). It was also indeed "A very close run thing" as Wellington said afterwards - if the Prussians had not arrived just in time, Napoleon would have undoubtably driven the Anglo- Netherlands army from the battlegrounds and would have won the battle. It was also a slogging match, with hardly any maneuvres on both sides, just head on massed attacks by the French against Wellington's forces who were nearly pounded to death by artillery, but stood their ground against everything that Napoleon threw at them. Even the inexperienced German, Dutch and Belgian troops held out - as did the veteran British regiments and the excellent troops from Hannover of the King's German Legion. Nevertheless, had Field Marshall Blücher not arrived with two Corps of his srmy in time to attack the French right flank, Wellington's position would have become untenable in the end. Waterloo was indeed an allied victory and the German name for the battle "La Belle Alliance" (the beautiful alliance), named after the guest house where Wellington and Blücher met after Napoleon had fled the battlefield, was indeed more fitting than "Waterloo" (which was named after Wellington's HQ before and after the bsttle). The English being who they are, the name Waterloo just sounded more English than the French alternative and therefore the name stuck.

[@davidhyams2769]

The British and French use different tactics. The French infantry advance in a column, not very wide, but deep. Only the soldiers at the front and a few at the sides can shoot at the enemy. The British fight in a long, thin line. Every soldier can fire at the enemy, so the British have an advantage in firepower. The French, even though they've come up against this way of fighting in Spain, never seem to have figured out a way to beat it. There's a great scene in the movie Zulu that shows how the British use their rapid-fire-by-rank system. Even though it's set 64 years after Waterloo, the tactics are almost identical.

[@frenchusquackus5323]

About the last thing you said, "it's crazy how many people had to die because of the ego of one guy" That was in no way an ego, he came back when he had the chance, and his chance was when alot of the French population hated the new bourbon King to death. Edit: I may be a little biased with this, I am quite fond of Napoleon, but great and Epic video Edit 2: Let the hell begin, 18 comments.

[@allenwilliams1306]

No, it was purely one man's ego. He had already been deciseively defeated once, purely because he was an utter menace to peace and prosperity in Europe. No sane person would have been so deluded as to suppose that the same thing would not happen again, particularly since British land forces were now heavily involved, having sorted out his forces once and for all in the Iberian peninsula.

[@frenchusquackus5323]

@@allenwilliams1306 yes he had, but let me remind you he did everything he could to save the French from the new King, who undoubtedly was terrible. He lost, fair and square, but he tried - He already knew having power in France brings himself no happiness, he talked about that while on Elba. Edit 1: "an utter menace to peace in Europe".. You do realise every coalition up until the 6th was him defending, right?

[@dave_h_8742]

Wellington was not a nice guy for the lower classes at least Napoleon was trying to make the country fairer and democratic.

[@frenchusquackus5323]

@@dave_h_8742indeed.

[@marvelfannumber1]

This is complete nonsense, the Bourbons were not hated by 99% of Frenchmen (ignoring the fact that we don't have opinion polls that far back, Napoleon had to put down a pro-royalist uprising during the 100 Days). Paris hated the Bourbons, sure, and the army did too. But France is not Paris, and France is certainly not its military. The Bourbons were actually quite popular among the rural population, as well as in the Southern France, and this had remained the case even throughout the Revolution despite Royalism being heavily suppressed. Say what you want about the Bourbons, but they at the very least knew that France needed to heal and recover from constant death, war and misery. They kept the country at peace, only directly waging war in a brief conflict with Spain that was quite popular, which allowed France to continue being a Great Power even after total defeat.

[@markwilliamson2864]

There’s nothing wrong with your brain Sogal, your learning about this stuff for the first time, not lecturing about it! I would much prefer you paused the video when you’ve got a question rather than wait until the end and forget it.

[@fraso7331]

1: Waterloo is not near the battlefield. It was named due to Wellingtons propaganda. He wanted to become prime minister. 2: They did not explain, that Marshal Berthier, Napoleons chief of staff, was not at Waterloo. Marshal Ney couldn't fullfill his role. A lot other Generals were missing, too. That's why a lot things didn't work like usual. 3: He died the 5th of May 1821, so since a few days he is dead for 200 years. 4: The dark large hats were a part of psychological warfare. 5: He had reasons to come back. And a lot of the people wanted him back, after they knew Louis XVIII.. In those times Dignity and Honour were important reasons, even for war.

[@EK-gr9gd]

When Wellesley returned from India in 1805, he stopped at St. Helena. He wrote quite positively about it.

[@RetrousseRaptor]

This is my least favorite of the Epic History vids. The reason the maps looked so much better in earlier vids was because they worked with the history channel HistoryMarche which is another very excellent channel.

[@chrisigoeb]

Thats gonna be soo sad. The Waterloo campaign just makes me sad all the time :( Cant fully watch it, it hurts too much. Looking forward to the marshals series, what a journey its been

[@marvelfannumber1]

I dunno, Napoleon really didn't know how to quit, despite his other great feats. Towards the end he was *really* putting himself and his own prestige over the well-being of France, and causing a lot of unnecessary bloodshed for his own glory. I feel bad about the whole Russia invasion, and Leipzig. But after that he really should have quit while he was ahead, he probably could have kept the throne too if he had done that.

[@chrisigoeb]

@@marvelfannumber1 I agree he should have accepted the frankfurt proposal but this was NOT him. He was noone that would quit, you have alot of these people in history. His good abilities outweigh his flaws.

[@marvelfannumber1]

@@chrisigoeb Yeah, but that's not a very good mark on him as a leader. Napoleon was a great strategist and military tactician, but he was evidently not a good politician. All those people that died in France, both during the advance on Paris and in the 100 Days did not need to die. Napoleon could have avoided all of that had he just accepted the two earlier peace proposals that would have given him what he wanted at Waterloo anyway. Part of being a good leader is knowing when to quit, and when you've overextended yourself. Napoleon didn't seem to be very good at that, at least towards the end, and many people suffered unnecessarily because of it. Say what you want about the Bourbons, but they at least kept France at peace and allowed the country to recover economically from the decades of constant war. Napoleon III would make the same mistake as his uncle by 1870 too, starting a pointless war they were bound to lose for some useless prestige, though at the very least he kept that destructive glory seeking to a minimum by comparison.

[@chrisigoeb]

@@marvelfannumber1 Napoleon was so much more than a leader. He revolutionised the world. He was a great politicians, he reformed Frances social system, founded the bank of france and made the economy recover in a rapid pace. Ypu should say he was such a great leader that he couldn't bear the thought of giving up. He was a celebrated hero in France and still is today, the bourbons and their thirst for power lead to 1848. And you cant compare Napoleon and Napoleon III. I dont think Napoleon would have lost the franco-prussian war or even started over a silly trick from Bismarck

[@marvelfannumber1]

@@chrisigoeb Sure, his Napleonic Code was revolutionary and undoubtedly a political success. But again, what did France really gain from all that fighting towards the end? Nothing. He knew his sun was setting, and still tried to tilt windmills, which to some extent is admirable, but only when you ignore the consequences of that reckless stubbornness. In the end he was left with nothing, and he really didn't have anyone else to blame but himself. Considering he had plenty of options to keep his throne, or to make peace.

[@martynnotman3467]

A big part of Waterloo is Wellingtons planning. He PICKED his battleground and knew exactly what to do with it. He may not have been a very pleasant man and he was a dreadful prime minister but he was a brilliant strategist general.

[@G1NZOU]

For the most part with these old battles, they're fought out in the open in fields, near bridges/fords/crossroads/villages etc. Then they get named for a local landmark or village, Agincourt got named so after King Henry V won, the English and French heralds watched the battle from a nearby hill and agreed Henry V was the clear victor, and the French heralds provided the name of the nearby castle, Henry V got the honour to name the battle and chose that.

[@serfranke5744]

14:13 The reason the British were in Belgium was that they were going into position for the invasion of France. Keep in mind that Napoleon had returned to Paris on March 19th and the Waterloo campaign was fought June 15th - June 18th. During the three months inbetween the allied powers were bringing their armies into positions from which they could invade France from all sides, effectively overwhelming Napoleon with their numbers. The best position for the British to place their army was Belgium (back then part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands), as a large portion (about 1/3) of Wellington's army consisted actually of Dutch-Belgian troops and another third of all kinds of German units. The position in Belgium also provided Wellington with good supply lines as he had the channel ports (like Antwerp), and thus the connection to Britain, directly to his rear. The reason Napoleon chose to strike the Allied armies in Belgium first was that they were closest to him -the Austrians and Russians were still getting into position. 28:40 In France the battle was (or maybe even still is) known as Battle of Mont Saint Jean, which is the name of another small village of Farm house on the battlefield. In many parts of Germany (except for Hanover) "that other name" was actually more popular until about the end of WW2. In Berlin there was a "Belle-Alliance-Platz" until 1946 when it was renamed "Mehringplatz".

[@FLORATOSOTHON]

Some years ago, I read an article about the examination of Napoleons remains with modern methods and apparently they found traces of arsenic poison. If true, then maybe Napoleon was helped a bit to pass away...

[@DruncanUK]

Napoleon was very ill the night before and the morning of the battle. It is believed that stomach pains and diahorrea left him waek and sick and severe hemaerrhoids meant he was unable to survey the battle from horseback. This, obviously, left him at a disadvantage during the battle.

[@HenioGracie]

Yeap he had syndroms back in the Elba i think, if not further. Some say he had issues at Borodino ad fas as in 1812. Family issue, his father, bother, sister and i think mother all died from stomahe cancer.

[@tSp289]

About those huge hats: they're the reason the Queen's guard wear bearskins. They were originally trophies the 1st Foot Guards took from the French elite troops at Waterloo, then they later had their own version made.

[@PhilHug1]

If I remember correctly, additional motivation for why Napoleon escaped Elba was that the Allies weren't paying him the full monthly stipend they promised to pay during the negotiation process and there were rumors that the Allies were going to transport him to St. Helena to get him further from Europe. Napoleon actually waited until a moonless night to escape so British ships wouldn't notice him and he even made this ship look like a British one.

[@tobiusgregory2805]

Good effort lass! Don't listen to the haters in the comments by the way; you're doing great. 14:15 The Treaty of Vienna 1815 provided that Britain would provide a force to counter Napoleon once he had returned to power in France. The number of 150 000 agreed upon by each of the signatory forces, however, was not possible for Britain as most of her professional force were scattered around the world, most significantly in Canada following the conclusion of the War of 1812. Britain thus paid subsidies to the new Kingdom of the Netherlands and various of the German Principalities within the influence of George III (as Elector of Hanover) and sent what troops she could to Belgium (part of the Netherlands at that time) to oppose Napoleon. 16:40 "Heavy Summer Showers" - Try torrential monsoon! The effect of the mud on this battle cannot be understated. 20:00 Wellington was a master of the use of the "Reverse slope" tactic and the heavy mud meant that French artillerymen couldn't "graze" their shot (imagine skimming rocks on the surface of a pond) to hit the troops sheltered behind Mont Saint Jean. 20:50 It's worth mentioning that by this stage in his career, it can be said that Napoleon most definitely was past his prime. He showed none of his customary energy, enthusiasm and unorthodoxy in prosecuting this battle; he was ill and left the battlefield multiple times during the battle. In more specific reference to this moment, British Heavy Cavalry also had better horses than the French and indeed, than most of the nations of Europe who had exhausted all but their breeding stocks of horses from 20 years of warfare. It's a shame that here, at the moment Uxbridge's Heavies charged, they lived up to the epithet of "The Noblest Cavalry in Europe - and the Worst Led". 21:25 You've touched on an interesting point here which is a historiographical challenge; the contention that Napoleon was more of a masterful propaganda master and an unorthodox thinker on the battlefield rather than being a truly gifted Great General. At the beginning of the French Revolution, the armies of Europe throughout his career were stratified, slow to adapt and evolve and largely untrained conscript armies so perhaps, just perhaps, he wasn't as gifted a strategist and military tactician as people think. This is one for the historians to argue over though. 21:43 A bit too much is made of this. The Heavy Brigade did indeed suffer terrible losses but they weren't destroyed and indeed, played a prominent role at key moments for the rest of the battle. 22:00 It's contentious to back this up with sources, but there is a strong suggestion that at this point of the battle, Napoleon had retired from the battlefield due to illness and was not able to countermand Ney's foolish advance. 24:00 ImadeonemistakeinmylifeIshouldhaveburnedBerlin - "Waterloo", 1970 24:40 "In which direction, Your Grace?" "Why straight ahead, to be sure!" - "Waterloo", 1970 25:12 "The Old Guard dies, it does not surrender!" This is a bit of the legend of the Old Guard (As they did ultimately surrender) but the Honour and Glory of battle and sacrifice for one's comrades is part of the mythos of the Brotherhood of Arms. 25:52 I don't think this can be emphasised enough. It really did come down to the razor's edge, even though this video doesn't make it appear so. 29:40 There are many people throughout history who feel they have a Guiding Star, a sense of destiny, a need to secure themselves in the history books. These sorts of people have a habit of ending up in the history book indeed, for better or for worse. Another great video and it's been amazing watching you learning this stuff! The love of learning is one of the most important things to be encouraged among the young people of today (Says I, as a 32 year old who has loved history since I was old enough to read haha!)

[@paulfieldsend295]

Actually, you were right to question Napoleon's tactics are the battle. The directness of the attack surprise and disappointed the Duke of Wellington, who was expecting Napoleon to try and outflank him to the west. In the video, you can see some British/Allied troops stationed well out on their right flank, placed there to guard against such a maneuver, which didn't end up playing any part in the Battle because of it. When it became clear that Napoleon was not going to try any such tactic and was attacking head on instead, Wellington is said to have exclaimed, "D--n the fellow- so he is a mere pounder after all".

[@richardvandeursen2395]

This was a very as you saw, once over lightly overview of the Battle. There are a couple of other documentary's on Waterloo around but this was done 5 years ago. The Congress of Vienna resumed after Waterloo and Metternich the Austrian Representative did a lot of work to get the status quo retained. For good or ill. Napoleons Marshals series is definitely worth a watch. You have heard of them of course throughout the Napoleonic series and the episodes will give you a glimpse into the mindset of people at the time. The Old Guard and their rear guard action was their sacrifice for Napoleon to get safely away. Their loyalty was to him. He made them and they owed him for that. Watching you watching these videos you have an uncanny knack of asking a question just before the answer comes in the video. Funny. Keep up the good work.

[@stephensinclair3771]

The British infantry particularly the guard and highland units were VERY good. They could fire 3/4 volleys a minute. More importantly they fought in thin 2 deep lines where every musket was effective. Not like the French columns. They had also learned since the American revolution to use rifle skirmishers very well.

[@omarbradley6807]

One of the key reasons of why the Frenchs couldn't do the 2 or 3 lines clasical attack was how narrow the battlefield was, as the British continue holding the flanks

[@philiplaw9336]

the most important thing is what you are learning it to enjoy what you are looking at

[@andrewclayton4181]

There is a BBC programme called QI ( short for Quite interesting ) which recently mentioned Napoleon. It seems he was taken from France aboard a Royal Navy ship called The Bellarophon. It's crew called it The Billy Ruffian. When it stopped in the port of Plymouth, Napoleon was not allowed ashore, because A he might escape, and B he would be feted by the mob. He was really popular among the working classes as a representative of the French revolution. Huge fleets of small boats would take visitors out into Plymouth Sound in the hopes of catching a glimpse of him. From there he was taken to St Helena. He was thoroughly miserable in exile and frequently wrote letters of complaint. Rumours concerning his death include that he was poisened by the arsenic used in the colouring of his wallpaper. Also that he was smuggled off the island, being replaced by a willing substitute, and died of old age in Paris. Not a lot of evidence for either theory.. most of his body is interred in Les Invalides in Paris, but his penis was removed during the autopsy, and the last I heard, it was owned by an American in New York.

[@donfzic7471]

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