Waterloo's Great Turning Point

In this episode, we dive into four lesser-known but decisive moments that shaped the outcome of the 1815 Waterloo Campaign — moments that didn’t make headlines like the final charge of the Imperial Guard, but without which Napoleon’s defeat may never have happened. We begin on 15 June, as Prince Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar takes the initiative to defend the crossroads at Quatre Bras, halting the French advance and giving Wellington the breathing room he needs to concentrate his army. Next, we move to the heart of the battlefield itself, where Wellington’s decision to make a stand on the Mont-Saint-Jean ridge — a modest rise just south of Waterloo — gave the Anglo-Allied army a defensible position that would prove critical in weathering repeated French assaults. We also explore the strange fate of D’Erlon’s I Corps on 16 June — a force that marched back and forth between two battles without firing a shot. Its absence from both Quatre Bras and Ligny robbed the French of the decisive blow Napoleon so desperately needed. And finally, we look at Napoleon’s uncharacteristic inaction on 17 June, when the French failed to press their advantage after Ligny. This lull allowed Wellington and Blücher to regroup — and ultimately, to reunite. Each of these moments may seem small in isolation, but together, they tipped the scales. On the anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo, tune in as we unpack how timing, initiative, and a few fateful decisions changed the course of European history at Waterloo. Support our show and get all episodes early at https://www.patreon.com/c/thenapoleonicwarspod