Year

1815

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1815

Military 19th Century North America

U.S. Forces Win Battle of New Orleans in War of 1812

The War of 1812 between the United States and Great Britain had dragged on for over two years, with British forces attempting to control key American ports and territories. On January 8, 1815, British troops under Major General Sir Edward Pakenham launched a major assault on American defensive lines near New Orleans, Louisiana. Major General Andrew Jackson commanded a diverse force of regulars, militia, sailors, and volunteers who had fortified positions along the Rodriguez Canal. The British attack faltered under withering American artillery and rifle fire, resulting in heavy British casualties including the death of Pakenham. News of the victory boosted American morale even though the Treaty of Ghent ending the war had already been signed weeks earlier.

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1815

Military 19th Century Europe

Napoleon Escapes Exile on Elba Island

Following his abdication in 1814 after the War of the Sixth Coalition, Napoleon Bonaparte had been exiled to the island of Elba off the coast of Italy under the terms of the Treaty of Fontainebleau. European powers, including Britain, Austria, Prussia, and Russia, monitored the situation amid the Congress of Vienna's redrawing of the continent. Napoleon grew restless on the small island, where he governed a modest domain but received news of political discontent in France under the restored Bourbon king Louis XVIII. On the evening of February 26, 1815, he boarded the brig Inconstant with about 1,000 loyal troops and a small flotilla, evading British naval patrols. He landed near Golfe-Juan in southern France on March 1 and began...

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1815

Military 19th Century Europe

Napoleon Lands in France from Elba

Exiled to the island of Elba after his 1814 abdication, Napoleon Bonaparte escaped with about 1,000 loyal troops aboard the brig Inconstant. He landed at Golfe-Juan on the southern French coast on March 1, 1815, issuing a proclamation asserting his return to power. Avoiding royalist strongholds in Provence, he marched northward through the Alps, where troops sent to stop him instead joined his cause. This began the period known as the Hundred Days, ending the Bourbon restoration temporarily. By March 20 he reached Paris and resumed control.

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1815

Politics 19th Century Europe

Napoleon Enters Paris to Begin Hundred Days

Following his abdication in 1814 and exile to Elba, Napoleon Bonaparte escaped in late February 1815 with a small force and landed near Cannes on March 1. As he marched north, French troops sent to oppose him defected en masse, swelling his ranks dramatically. King Louis XVIII fled the capital on March 13. On March 20, Napoleon arrived in Paris amid jubilant crowds and reclaimed power, launching the period known as the Hundred Days. He immediately began reorganizing the government and army while promising constitutional reforms to broaden support. European powers, already gathered at the Congress of Vienna, swiftly formed a new coalition against him.

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1815

Disaster 19th Century Southeast Asia

Mount Tambora Erupts in Largest Recorded Volcanic Blast

In the early 19th century, Mount Tambora on Sumbawa island in the Dutch East Indies had been dormant for centuries before showing signs of activity in 1812 with rumbles and a dark cloud. On April 5, 1815, a major eruption began, with explosions heard hundreds of kilometers away, initially mistaken for cannon fire. The climax occurred on the evening of April 10 when three eruption plumes merged, turning the mountain into flowing liquid fire that sent pumice and ash raining down, followed by pyroclastic flows and tsunamis. The village of Tambora was completely destroyed, and the eruption ejected massive amounts of material into the stratosphere. Immediate effects included thousands of direct deaths from the flows and tsunamis across the region.

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1815

Military 19th Century Europe

Napoleon Defeated at Battle of Waterloo

After escaping exile on Elba, Napoleon Bonaparte rapidly rebuilt his army and launched the Hundred Days campaign to reclaim power in France. He faced a Seventh Coalition of European powers determined to prevent his resurgence. On June 18, 1815, near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, Napoleon's 72,000 French troops confronted approximately 68,000 Allied soldiers under the Duke of Wellington, reinforced later by 45,000 Prussians commanded by Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher. Intense fighting throughout the day saw repeated French assaults repelled, with key strongpoints like Hougoumont and La Haye Sainte changing hands. The timely arrival of Prussian forces on the French flank turned the tide, leading to a rout as the Imperial Guard's final attack failed.

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1815

Politics 19th Century Europe

Napoleon Begins Permanent Exile on St. Helena

After defeat at Waterloo and a second abdication, Napoleon surrendered to British forces in July 1815. The British government chose remote Saint Helena in the South Atlantic to prevent further escapes or influence. On October 15, 1815, HMS Northumberland anchored off the island, and Napoleon disembarked the next day with a small entourage including generals Bertrand and Montholon. He initially stayed at The Briars before moving to Longwood House. The exile isolated him from European politics until his death in 1821.

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