On June 18, 1815, in the muddy farmlands near a quiet Belgian village, the fate of Europe thundered to a climax.

The Battle of Waterloo wasn’t just a clash of armies—it was the final, defiant gamble of Napoleon Bonaparte, the Corsican general who had once crowned himself emperor and shaken the world.

This episode of Dave Does History unpacks the drama, chaos, and consequences of that pivotal day. We’ll walk the battlefield hour by hour, hear from the men who stood in the squares, and examine the mythmaking that followed in its wake.

From Wellington’s cool precision to Blücher’s iron will and Napoleon’s last desperate charge, Waterloo reminds us how quickly power can shift—and how empires fall. So grab your muddy boots and a bicorne hat, because today we revisit the last roar of the eagle, the legacy of a legend, and the day history held its breath.