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The Hundred Days & Precursory Battles

Napoleon's return from Elba Narrow escape of Prince Blucher The 7th Queen's Own Hussars under Sir Edward Kerrison, charging the French at Quatre Bras. 16th June 1815

The period known as “the hundred days” marked the events that occurred between Napoleon’s return to Paris on March 20, 1815, after his exile on Elba, and the second restoration of King Louis XVIII to the throne of France on July 8, 1815. Within five days of Napoleon’s return, the European powers at the Congress of Vienna declared him an outlaw and committed to increasing military troops on the ground in order to end his rule once and for all. This time period included the military engagements of the Waterloo Campaign (June 15 – July 8, 1815), a series of battles fought between the French Army of the North and the Anglo-Allied and Prussian armies, which culminated in the decisive Battle of Waterloo and the final demise of Napoleon’s reign.

Items on Display

  1. Morgan's Improved Protean Scenery, Napoleon at Elba

    London: W. Morgan, 1838
    Hand-colored lithograph 24 x 26 cm
    Transformational or Protean images, which became popular in the early to mid-19th century, are scenes that are altered or transformed when illuminated from behind. Initially, this scene depicts Napoleon during his exile to Elba, alone and in full uniform, gazing across the vast and empty sea. If the viewer held the image to the sunlight or backlit it with a candle, a crowd of adoring soldiers would appear before the emperor. These two images represent Napoleon's continued military and political aspirations, as well as the celebratory reception that he was given upon his return from exile.

  2. Retour de Bonaparte (Bonaparte's Return)

    Francois-Joseph Heim (artist)
    Couche Fils (engraver)
    Paris, Joubert, 1815
    Hand-colored engraving 32 x 24.5 cm
    Transformational or Protean images, which became popular in the early to mid-19th century, are scenes that are altered or transformed when illuminated from behind. Initially, this scene depicts Napoleon during his exile to Elba, alone and in full uniform, gazing across the vast and empty sea. If the viewer held the image to the sunlight or backlit it with a candle, a crowd of adoring soldiers would appear before the emperor. These two images represent Napoleon's continued military and political aspirations, as well as the celebratory reception that he was given upon his return from exile.

  3. Der grosse Wiener Friedens – Congres zur Welderherstellung von Freiheit und Recht in Europa

    L. Zuco (engraver)
    Vienna, A. Tessaro, 1815
    Hand-colored engraving 33.3 x 26.4 cm
    This engraving depicts the political negotiations at the Congress of Vienna. Held in the Austrian capital from September of 1814 through June of 1815, this conference of leaders from various European states sought to resolve the political problems that the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars had created. They worked toward restructuring boundaries, restoring peace, and balancing powers in Europe. On March 13th, 1815, when the congress learned of Napoleon's return to power, they officially declared him an outlaw and began strategizing collective military action to defeat him.

  4. "Quatre Bras" and "The Castle of Ligny" The Battles of Quatre Bras, Ligny, and Waterloo

    Nicolson Bain
    Edinburgh, Michael Anderson for John Carfrae, 1819
    This book relates the events of the Waterloo Campaign and their political consequences. The Battles of Quatre Bras and Ligny were both fought on June 16th, 1815, two days before the Battle of Waterloo. At Quatre Bras, Wellington’s army faced the French Army of the North, led by Marshal Michel Ney. Simultaneously, Napoleon was commanding troops against Blücher at Ligny. The French prevailed at both locations, holding Wellington’s advance and defeating Blücher. However, the bulk of Blücher’s troops survived and joined Wellington’s forces two days later. Despite the tactical victories for the French, military historians often categorize these two engagements as lost opportunities for Napoleon. If the emperor had succeeded in stronger defeats, the outcome of the Battle of Waterloo might have been very different.

  5. Friedrich Wilhelm, Herzog von Braunschweig-Lüneburg-Oels, findet zeinen rühmvollen Heldentod in der Schlacht von Quatre-Bras d. 16 Juny 1815

    Nürnburg, Friedrich Campe, c. 1815
    Hand-colored engraving 25.5 x 21 cm
    In this combat scene of the Battle of Quatre Bras, Friedrich Wilhelm, the Duke of Brunswick, a military hero and commander of the Black Brunswickers within the Anglo-Allied Army, receives a mortal wound.