How was Napoleon captured after the Battle of Waterloo?
How was Napoleon captured after the Battle of Waterloo? After the Battle of Waterloo on June 18, 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte’s defeat marked the end of his rule and the Napoleonic Wars. Following the battle, Napoleon fled to Paris, where he briefly attempted to rally political and military support to continue fighting. However, facing pressure from the French legislature and realizing that his position was untenable, Napoleon abdicated the throne for the second time on June 22, 1815, in favor of his son, Napoleon II.
Napoleon initially hoped to escape to the United States, but with British warships blockading French ports, his escape became impossible. He sought refuge in the port city of Rochefort in July 1815, but realizing that there was no way out, Napoleon surrendered himself to the British on July 15, 1815, aboard the HMS Bellerophon, a British warship anchored off the coast of Rochefort.
The British, fearing that Napoleon might escape again and spark more wars, decided to exile him to the remote island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic, where he was held under strict surveillance until his death in 1821.