Meeting of Wellington and Blücher, at La Belle Alliance, 1815

Coloured aquatint by J C Stadler after William Heath, published by Thomas Tegg, 1 April 1818. Illustration for a narrative poem by Dr Syntax, 1818.

The Battle of Waterloo on 18 June 1815 was the last great battle of the Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815) and marked the end of France's attempt to dominate Europe. The Allied commander, the Duke of Wellington (1769-1852), called the battle 'the nearest run thing you ever saw in your life'. The outcome of the battle was in doubt until late afternoon when Blücher's Prussians arrived in force and broke through Napoleon's right flank.

This print depicts a meeting of the two commanders in the aftermath of battle at the 'La Belle Alliance' tavern. Napoleon had used the tavern as his headquarters during the battle and Blücher suggested that the battle be named after it to commemorate the multinational coalition that had defeated the French emperor. Wellington instead recommended Waterloo, the village just north of the battlefield, commenting that it would not do to name the battle after the loser's command post.