During the history of mankind there have been certain events that have marked the beginning or end of a specific era, such as the death of Jesus Christ, the fall of the Roman Empire, the beginning and the end of world wars, the discovery of America and much more; but, on this occasion, we will talk about a fact that marked the end of the story of one of the most celebrated military and political characters of the 17th and 19th centuries: the end of Napoleon Bonaparte and the fall of the French Empire at the battle of Waterloo .
Index of the article
Causes of the battle of Waterloo
First of all, In order to understand the causes that caused this battle of Waterloo you must place yourself in the historical context of that time.
Napoleon was at a time when only his honor made him move forward, he returned from exile in the Elba Island (where he was for twelve months) and frustrated to see how Louis XVIII "lost" territories to return to ancient France.
This fact generated that, both in the masses and in the army fr ances there was a certain malaise that Napoleon takes advantage of to take strength and when he returns to Paris where takes the reins of power ; from that moment the period called the One Hundred Days begins, in which Napoleon restores the French Empire and carries out what will be the last of the Napoleonic Wars.
At the same time , Louis XVIII flees from France and, in the Congress of Vienna, the so-called Seventh Coalition is formed, consisting of the United Kingdom, Prussia, the Netherlands and other kingdoms, countries and other ducats; all this in order to end Napoleon definitively since it is considered at this point as illegitimate.A fundamental event for the development of the battle of Waterloo .
Last phase of the battle of Waterloo
Although since June 15, 1815 and a little earlier there had already been battles, it is the 18th on which the troops of Napoleon face allied troops near Waterloo , guided by the Duke of Wellington.This is the real battle of Waterloo .
The preparation of a side and from another beginning early; the allies ate meat, biscuits and took gin, while the Napoleonic troops drank conac.
Gradually the French cavalry was destroyed , being the allied forces more organized than the Napoleonic ; but, in the afternoon, Napoleon decides to summon Imperial Guard, who were almost untouchable, however, this maneuver was not positive either, since the Allied forces deployed 1500 guards, body to ground, surprised the forces of the French Empire and , again, Napoleon was in trouble.
After this, everything started to fall apart , with a British army that did not stop making offensive advances and that completely devastated the French army.The last force that remained of the army was the called La Belle Alliance, reserve and guard of Napoleon.
Also, such was the disorder of the army of the French empire that, even towards the night there were small groups of soldiers who "fought alone" which were captured by the Prussian forces immediately; At 21, Marshal William was captured at La Belle Alliance, where Napoleon was previously.
End of Napoleon and the French Empire
The end of the battle of Waterloo is glimpsed on July 10 when surrenders Napoleon , being his official and definitive end as emperor of the French Empire that would also cease to exist, with which he managed to conquer Europe and make them French people were proud to belong to their country.
Two days before surrendering, that is, on July 8, the crown was restored, becoming King Louis XVIII again .16 days after his capture, Napoleon is exiled to the island of Santa Elena, an island lost in the Atlantic Ocean and place where later he will die.
His death too it was controversial, since the causes were never so clear, at first it was believed that he died thanks to a stomach cancer, since he complained of feeling a sensation of pain and heaviness; but, in recent studies through a sample of his hair (preserved thanks to being cut shortly after he died) it was found that it was most likely poisoned with arsenic , being very large the amount of this substance found in the sample.
As for the French Empire , when its Napoleonic structure was disarmed, many changes in the geopolitics of Europe developed , resulting in the birth of new territories, but if you want to know more about this, read the next section.
Consequences of the Battle of Waterloo
One of the most important and notable consequences of Napoleon's end in the battle of Waterloo is that of the emergence of liberalism and political nationalism reflected in many areas that are they were affected by the French occupation, as is the case of some areas of Spain, leading to the 1820 revolution.
How do you we said before, Europe is geopolitically redesigned with the fall of the French Empire undergoing notable changes such as the annex of Poland to Russia; that of the recovery of the Balkan territories by Austria, as well as the seizure of almost all of northern Italy; Portugal and Spain return to their previous limits to the Napoleonic wars; France is again the same as in 1792; and the United Kingdom takes over the island of Malta, Sri Lanka and the Cape Colony.
In addition, kingdoms such as Denmark, which support Napoleon, lose territories while countries like Switzerland, to the that his neutrality and San Marino are recognized, his independence is recognized, they take great advantage of the treaty.
Not forgetting all the political ideas as military that left a man who , today, is still admired by many people around the world, awakening a great admiration for his figure and legacy .
Anyway, we hope this article has been of Easy to read, liked and been helpful to illustrate how the development of the battle of Waterloo and the end of Napoleon Bonaparte and its empire until next time!
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