The Battle of Waterloo (Sunday 18th June 1815)

[Basher]

https://en.wikipedia.org/?title=Battle_of_Waterloo

 

Today is Thursday the 18th June 2015 and here in the UK it's a bright, sunny & warm day.

Exactly 200 years ago, there was an enormous battle near the small village of Waterloo, in Belgium.

 

The day started out dull, overcast & it rained hard, making the ground wet & slippery.

A hotch-potch Army led by the Duke of Wellington of (mostly) Anglo, Irish & Dutch Regiments, together with some Brunswickers were the only thing in the way of the Emporer Napoleon reaching Brussels.

 

By the end of the day, and with the help of our Allies the Prussians, led by Field Marshal Blucher, the French forces were in total disarray & Napoleion had to flee for his life. He was captured a few days later & sentenced to Exile (again) on St. Helena. A small island in the Atlantic, where he died a few years later.

 

Now how, do you ask, is such a pivotal battle in European history being commemorated in the UK ?

 

by....absolutely nothing whatsoever, it appears.

 

In Belgium, on the site of the battlefield there's a huge ceremony going on. Belgium have also struck a coin, to mark the event.

 

The French are pretending they won (how's that for a PR spin!!!)

 

Perhaps those in charge here don't wish to upset the French, as we're all now part of the EU.

 

 

(Edit: To add link)

Edited June 18, 2015 by Basher

[LAOLONG]

Napoleon was a genius that brought the wind of enlighten to Europe.

[Apech]

Sky News showed quite a lot of commemorative activity.

 

What I can't quite work out is what role Abba had in all this

[Brian]

Sky News showed quite a lot of commemorative activity.

 

What I can't quite work out is what role Abba had in all this

I think they provided the soundtrack for the Hundred Days.

 

Tchaikovsky scored the pre-Elba period.

[LAOLONG]

If napoleon was not defeated in Waterloo, maybe ww1 and ww2 wouldn't have happened.

[Apech]

If napoleon was not defeated in Waterloo, maybe ww1 and ww2 wouldn't have happened.

 

 

Yes ... interesting thought.

[Zhongyongdaoist]

Oh, I remember Napoleon, he was that little Corsican fellow who conquered France, you know Mouse that Roared, that sort of thing.  Well, jolly good, and keep reading your Tully, remember, no Tully, no enlightenment. What, What?

[Brian]

Tully as in Cicero?

[Zhongyongdaoist]

Tully as in Cicero?

 

Who else?  Though the life and adventures of Tully Bascomb is a close second.

[Brian]

LOL

[Basher]

Hi Cobi,

yes interesting thought indeed.....perhaps no WW1 or WW2, but would the rest of Europe / the World have stood back & let France rule everywhere ? I think not ! How many lives would it have cost ? Who can say.

 

Lest we forget, during the French Revolution, Napoleon was also the one who opened fire on unarmed men, women & children with Grapeshot (ie Nails, shot & other bits of metal fired from a Canon).

 

Napoleon was a tactical genius, of that there is no doubt.

He rewarded Loyalty and tried to bring some se,blance of order out of the previous chaos.

He aspired to be like one of the ancient figures from history, like a Ceasar or Alexander the Great.

He brought pride & some magnificent architecture to France, but at quite a cost.

 

He did however, make some huge errors of judgement.....attacking Russia in 1812 for instance.

Hitler repeated that mistake in WW2.

[LAOLONG]

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/waterloo-anniversary-what-would-britain-look-like-if-napoleon-had-won-the-battle-10328511.htmlm

[Zhongyongdaoist]

The link didn't work:

 

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/waterloo-anniversary-what-would-britain-look-like-if-napoleon-had-won-the-battle-10328511.html

I corrected it above, so it works now.

[LAOLONG]

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Edited July 19, 2015 by cobi