Napoleon and Wellington (1997)

When people speak of towering arrogance and catastrophic defeat, they speak of Waterloo. It was the 1815 battle in which the balance of world power changed, in one afternoon, for a hundred years to come.
The players were of epic stature. Leading the French was Napoleon Bonaparte, the greatest military commander since Alexander the Great. Leading the British was the Duke of Wellington, a commander some consider 'the greatest man England ever produced'. There was so much on the line that Wellington was told his task was 'to save the world'. Over 140,000 men, 30,000 horses and 400 cannons were at the disposal of these two grand masters of war. In a bloody clash that wavered back and forth all afternoon, the battle came down to one fateful decision, and one key moment. The Battle of Waterloo has become a part of our legacy – the word a part of our language, a legend of epic proportions. But what really happened? This exciting two-hour presentation reveals the answers and tells the whole story through historical and military experts, including the views of the present day Duke of Wellington. It is the story of the great military leaders who collided in battle, and the one fateful decision that settled the see-saw fight. Find out what really happened as HISTORY presents NAPOLEON AND WELLINGTON.