Episode 47 Waterloo and Beyond
Living the French Revolution and Age of Napoleon
Dr Suzanne M Desan
Film Review
After retaking power, Napoleon believed his only hope of regaining French popular support was a successful offensive strike against the Anglo-Dutch and Prussian mobilizing against him in Belgium. His proposed strategy was to use his 125,000 troops, and his strategy to drive a wedge between the Prussian Army (which had 117,000 troops ) and the Anglo-Dutch army (which had 110,000).
After defeating the Prussian army on June 16 at Ligny, he and his generals made a number of strategic errors. The first was their failure to pursue fleeing Prussian troops who circled round to attack the French rear flank. The second was Napoleon’s decision to let the ground to dry out before launching a cavalry charge. The third was the failure of General Grouchy to march his 30,000 troops back to Waterloo after the engagement at Ligny.
Eight thousand French troops were taken prisoner at Waterloo and 25,000 killed or wounded.
Following Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo, he abdicated (for a second time) on June 22, requesting asylum for himself and his brother Joseph in the US. As he was negotiating for the US Navy to transport them, the British navy blockaded France’s west coast and their army took him prisoner on July 15. Although he also requested exile to the UK, he was eventually sent to St Helena, a remote volcanic tropical island 1,950 km (1,210 miles) west southwestern Africa, and 4,000 km (2,500 mi) east of Rio de Janeiro. Joseph received asylum in the US.
Napoleon took up residence on St Helena with his Irish doctor and four French soldiers and their families. He devoted the rest of his life to spinning his legacy. Soon after arriving, he developed stomach and liver problems, which some speculate related to arsenic poisoning. He eventually developed hepatitis and stomach cancer and died following on Mary 5, 1821 at age 51. It’s still disputed whether he died of stomach cancer or arsenic poisoning, possibly related to the medical potions he was being given.*
With Napoleon’ departure, Louis XVIII resumed the French throne and the Congress of Vienna met to reassign the territory France had conquered. After negotiations dragging out over months, the Congress reduced France to its 1789 borders an ordered the French government to pay $700 million in reparations. It returned two-thirds of Saxony to Prussian, in addition to territory in the Rhineland and Poland. This would leave modern day Germany as a loose confederation of 39 German speaking states and the remainder of Poland (known as Congress Poland) under the rule of the czar’s brother.
Austria resumed control of Lombardy, Veneto and the Dalmatian Coast (in modern day Italy). Britain gained control of Malta and their troops occupied France for three years.
The Napoleonic wars killed a total of 916,000 French troops, 3,000,000 European troops and 1,000,000 civilians. They led Prussia to abolish serfdom and institute mass conscription. The papal states and Piedmont-Sardinia dismantled the democratic reforms Napoleon had instituted. Lombardy, Switzerland and Prussia, in contrast, retained many of the reforms. Naples, Piedmont, Spain and France restored their kings.
*Hair samples showed very high arsenic levels. See https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0379073807005695
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The Most Revolutionary Act 