The Second Coming of Napoleon: What If France Had Won at Waterloo?

The Battle of Waterloo, fought on June 18, 1815, is widely regarded as one of history’s most decisive conflicts. It marked the end of Napoleon Bonaparte’s reign and the beginning of a new European order. However, had the battle played out differently—had Napoleon emerged victorious—France and the world would have been set on an entirely new course.

A French victory at Waterloo was not an impossibility. Napoleon, despite being outnumbered, was still a military genius who had orchestrated countless triumphs before. His strategy depended on dividing and defeating the Anglo-Allied and Prussian forces separately before they could fully unite. For much of the battle, the French had the upper hand, with their artillery hammering British lines and their cavalry sowing chaos among enemy ranks.

One key turning point was the delayed arrival of Marshal Grouchy and his troops. Had Grouchy pursued and effectively neutralized the Prussian forces under Blücher, Napoleon would have been able to concentrate his full strength on Wellington’s forces, likely forcing them into retreat. With the British lines collapsing and no reinforcements arriving, the battlefield could have been transformed from a site of French defeat into one of Napoleon’s most remarkable victories.

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