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Waterloo Was Not the End | The Untold Aftermath of Waterloo

Lionsberg Cinematic History

12,120 views

While the battlefield of Waterloo became a symbol of Napoleon's final defeat, the reality was far more complex. The French Army did not simply vanish. Marshal Grouchy successfully withdrew nearly 28,000 men. Marshal Davout still commanded powerful forces around Paris. French fortresses remained in French hands. Across the country, soldiers continued to fight, and some victories were still being won.

In this documentary, we explore the dramatic events that unfolded after the Battle of Waterloo in June and July 1815. Follow Napoleon's desperate journey back to Paris, the political struggle inside the French government, Grouchy's remarkable retreat from Wavre, the Allied advance on the French capital, the final defense of Paris, and Napoleon's last attempt to escape France.

Could Napoleon have continued the war?

Did France still possess the military strength to resist the Coalition?

Was Waterloo truly the decisive end of the Napoleonic Wars, or did political betrayal and exhaustion achieve what enemy armies could not?

This episode examines the final weeks of the Hundred Days Campaign, from the retreat after Waterloo to Napoleon's surrender aboard HMS Bellerophon and the beginning of his exile to Saint Helena.

Series Name: THE HUNDRED DAYS WAR, 1815

Series Progression:
Episode I. Napoleon Returns from Elba {Episode 1: Napoleon’s Escape from Elba, 18...}
Episode II. Napoleon Marches on Paris {Episode 2: Napoleon marches through the Al...}
Episode III. Battle of Ligny {Episode 3: The Battle of Ligny, 1815}
Episode IV. Battle of Quatre Bras {Episode 4: The Battle of Quatre Bras, 1815}
Episode V. Battle of Waterloo {How Waterloo Was ACTUALLY Fought}
Episode VI. Battle of Wavre {Episode 6: The Battle of Wavre, 1815}
Episode VII. Retreat to Paris {Episode 7: Waterloo Was Not the End | Napo...}
Episode VIII. Exile to Saint Helena {How Napoleon spent His Last Years in Saint...}
➡️ Then: Battle of La Suffel (Coming soon)

Episode 1: The Betrayal of Joachim Murat
The Prelude to Tolentino, 1815, Episode 1:...

Episode 2 : The Prelude to Tolentino, 1815
The Road to Tolentino, 1815, Episode 2 : M...

Episode 3 : The Battle of Tolentino, 1815 Day 1
Episode 3: The Battle of Tolentino, 1815, ...

Episode 4 : The Battle of Tolentino, 1815 Day 2
Episode 4, Battle of Tolentino, 1815, DAY ...

⚔️ In this documentary:

Time Tags:
0:00 – Intro
0:44 – Retreat from Waterloo
6:45 – Where's Grouchy?
10:00 – Napoleon in Paris
25:31– The Fall of an Empire
33:30 – From Emperor to Exile
42:50 – The Birth of a Legend

This video is part of our ongoing Hundred Days and Waterloo Campaign series. If you have not yet seen the previous episodes, be sure to watch our documentaries on Quatre Bras, Ligny, Wavre, and Waterloo to experience the complete story of Napoleon's final campaign.

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#Napoleon #Waterloo #BattleOfWaterloo #HundredDays #NapoleonicWars #NapoleonBonaparte #HistoryDocumentary #MilitaryHistory #FrenchEmpire #MarshalGrouchy #MarshalDavout #Blucher #Wellington #Paris1815 #SaintHelena #FrenchHistory #EuropeanHistory #LionsbergCinematic #WaterlooCampaign #NapoleonicHistory

16 Comments

@immortalfrom90 16 hours ago

Davout was the Goat till the very end

@MedjayofFaiyum 22 hours ago

This is a really well made video man

@noname123412 1 day ago

Thank you for your kind words for the beloved Emperor! Vive l'Empereur!

@quintorezwalker5210 1 day ago

Thank you for uploading a new video and I'm looking forward to seeing the next episode on the Peninsular War. Much appreciated! 😊💯🙌🏾

@CovfefeDotard 1 day ago

Grouchy was a scapegoat
Napoleon gave up to quickly

@militemus77 1 day ago

Brilliant

@vantoth6674 1 day ago (edited)

Thanks for this. I believe the reality is this, during and after the French revolution, Napoleon actively and positively supported the new French State. France was attacked in the midst of chaos and defended itself (greatly due to Napoleon). The coalition was defeated, and as such, the so called "winner" always makes the final terms of the piece treaty. In this case, this is what happened, nothing unusual. The problem is that France became too powerful, Europe was partitioned as per Napoleon's will. And this could not last as such. A number of new coalitions were formed (as should have been) to restore Europe's monarchies. In the midst of this, Napoleon acted with iron fist and kept winning and dictating and forcing his will on defeated coalitions. What would you have done if you were Napoleon? Would you have made different piece treaties? Is this where all went wrong? Even if so, what would have been the guaranty that the coalition would not attached the young French state? I guess we will never know. However, what we know is that Napoleon got drunkened with his own victories, his egos and selfish motives. These now have driven him more than of France's well being. Just remember, in his memoir, he mentioned riding into India (after the Egypt campaign - has he won there) with having turban on his head and conquering more than Alexander the great. Another example, Austria, through its foreign minister Klemens von Metternich, proposed terms to Napoleon in 1813 allowing him to remain Emperor and France to keep its natural frontiers, including the Rhine River. This diplomatic effort occurred during the armistice period following the disastrous 1812 Russian campaign but before the decisive Battle of Leipzig in October 1813. Napoleon rejected it. Was this for the benefit of France as well? No way! So with that in mind, in the process, he has lead millions of his own to death, not to mention millions of the coalition forces as well. Napoleon was labeled by the British "The Napoleon complex, also known as short-man syndrome, is a cultural stereotype and colloquial term describing persons of short stature (typically men) who are perceived to exhibit overly aggressive, domineering, or ambitious behavior to compensate for their height." At the end, the coalition declared war on Napoleon, not on the nation of France, and this speaks for itself. So the question is, does he deserve a legendary status in history? Partially yes, and partially no. We want to leave in piece not in war!

@AariyavirMishraSec-vidyaclass 1 day ago

There's nothing we can do.

@KetutSumber-u3e 1 day ago

What is never talked about is the people who let him escape from Elba ??? Those people cost the lives of 50000 men !!?!!!!!

@rexlasagna 3 hours ago

For so many times in the history Europe was on the way to became unified, more centralized, but failed all the time because of infighting like this example. So sad Napoleon didn't win.

@swhip3 1 day ago

I used to admire Napoleon. Since learning more about him, not so much. So many lives lost for pride, his and France's.
Love your channel.

@MedjayofFaiyum 22 hours ago (edited)

I am writing a novel with time rifts where Napoleon wins Waterloo.

It is so tragic the way the battle went. The aftermath is…

I believe we have been living in a timeline that is cursed. If Napoleon reigned then Britain’s rule would have been challenged for a century.

@ChingChangWallah. 1 day ago

Napoleon abandoned his troops in Egypt, Russia, Liepzig, and finally Waterloo.

He always found a scapegoat.

@Marguerite-tv4tq 1 day ago

The Emperor, whose famous phrase "Death is nothing, but to live defeated is worse than death" is frequently quoted—acted, yet again, like a cowardly deserter.
In 1812, he secretly fled Russia, abandoning the remnants of his shattered and exhausted Grande Armée; in 1813, he fled the Battle of Leipzig, having ordered the hasty destruction of the only bridge and leaving 30,000 of his troops on the enemy-held bank; and in 1815, following Waterloo, he fled France and humbly surrendered himself to the mercy of his eternal enemies, the British.
Moreover, he claimed the sole credit for every victory for himself, yet never accepted blame for any failure or defeat, instead shifting the fault onto his army commanders. Of all his commanders, Marshal Ney paid the highest price for his loyalty to the Emperor.

@robertoldach2560 1 day ago

This video feels like Napoleonic propaganda and is very confusing. Did you use Napoleon's fairytale as a source for this? A victorious French Army after La Belle Alliance? This is probably your worst video so far, because you let yourself be lulled by Napoleonic propaganda. Did you use Davout's autobiography? Have you ever heard of the Battle of Issy?