The Battle of Waterloo represents the final act of the Napoleonic wars and the establishment of the “Balance of Power” that inaugurated a relatively peaceful and stable period in European affairs until the Franco-Prussian war of 1870. In 1814, Napoleon had been forced to abdicate the French throne following the successful military campaigns of the Allied forces of Britain, Austria, Russia and Prussia. In spite of fighting a long and strategically brilliant withdrawal, in which he displayed his old military genius, Napoleon had been eventually forced back within the French borders. The French armies simply could not withstand the relentless advance of the numerically superior Allied forces and with his political control slipping with each military setback, and the entry of the Allied armies into Paris on 31 March, Napoleon relinquished power on 7 April...
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Citation: White, Karl. "Battle of Waterloo". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 17 January 2006 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=108, accessed 09 June 2026.]
