SYMPOSIUM: »Bounaparte, der Beelzebub, stört aufs neue die Ruhe«. Deutsche Soldaten bei Waterloo und im Feldzug von 1815

In the organizer's words:

This contemporary comment sums up the shock and mobilizing force that Napoleon's return in the spring of 1815 triggered throughout Europe, especially in the German states. After years of occupation, foreign rule and wars with many losses, the fear of renewed domination by the "Beelzebub" Napoleon was deeply rooted. The German royal houses reacted with remarkable unity and determination.
In the campaign of 1815, they not only provided the largest contingent in the Prussian army, but also in the multinational force of the Duke of Wellington. Of the approximately 73,000 men under Wellington, around 45 percent were German-speaking, while the Prussians under Field Marshal Blücher formed the largest single contingent of the allies with around 48,000 soldiers. This meant that Napoleon's approximately 72,000 French soldiers on the battlefield of Waterloo were opposed by almost as many German soldiers.
The heavy losses suffered by German troops in Belgium in 1815 underline how seriously the threat posed by Napoleon was taken. Their deployment at Waterloo led to a turning point: they made the Allied victory in the battle on June 18, 1815 possible, which played a decisive role in securing the post-Napoleonic order under the "leadership of the Holy Alliance" of Russia, Austria and Prussia. At the same time, it paved the way for Prussia's rise to become the pre-eminent German and European power.
The symposium on August 30, 2025 will shed light on the fate of German soldiers in the campaign of 1815 with selected lectures.

Further questions about the symposium can be directed to Markus Stein by e-mail. Free admission on August 30 and 31, 2025.

An event in cooperation with www.napoleon-online.de.

Header image: "After the Battle of Waterloo on June 21, 1815 on the road to Binche", unknown artist, November 1815, porcelain posters, MHM © MHM / David Brandt