What does the expression to meet your Waterloo mean?

To suffer a final, decisive defeat

Battle of Waterloo Quiz: Napoleon's Last Battle in 1815

This Battle of Waterloo quiz tells the story of Napoleon's last battle on June 18, 1815, from his escape from Elba and the Hundred Days to the Duke of Wellington, the Prussian general Blücher, the fight for Hougoumont, Marshal Ney's cavalry charges, the Imperial Guard, exile on Saint Helena and the Lion's Mound. Fifteen questions.

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🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 15 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 15 Time: 150s

Date
On which date was the Battle of Waterloo fought?
Location
In which modern country is Waterloo located?
Background
From which island did Napoleon escape in 1815 to return to power?
Commanders
Who commanded the British-led allied army at Waterloo?
Commanders
Which Prussian field marshal arrived to help Wellington during the battle?
Weather
How did the weather the night before affect the battle?
Hougoumont
Hougoumont, fiercely defended all day, was what kind of place?
Ney
Which French marshal led massive cavalry charges against the allied squares?
Guard
Late in the day, which elite French force attacked and was driven back?
Ligny
Two days before Waterloo, Napoleon defeated the Prussians at which battle?
Exile
Where was Napoleon sent in exile after Waterloo?
Quote
How did Wellington famously describe the battle?
Monument
What is the large artificial hill built on the battlefield to mark where a Dutch prince was wounded?
Horses
What was the name of the Duke of Wellington's horse at Waterloo?
Language
What does the expression to meet your Waterloo mean?

Explanations: answer key for all 15 questions

Q1: On which date was the Battle of Waterloo fought?
Answer: June 18, 1815
The battle took place on Sunday, June 18, 1815. July 14, 1789 is the storming of the Bastille, and December 2, 1805 is Austerlitz.
Q2: In which modern country is Waterloo located?
Answer: Belgium
Waterloo lies about 15 kilometers south of Brussels. At the time, the area was part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Q3: From which island did Napoleon escape in 1815 to return to power?
Answer: Elba
Napoleon escaped from Elba in February 1815 and returned to Paris. His brief return is known as the Hundred Days.
Q4: Who commanded the British-led allied army at Waterloo?
Answer: The Duke of Wellington
Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington, had fought the French in Spain and Portugal. He later became British Prime Minister.
Q5: Which Prussian field marshal arrived to help Wellington during the battle?
Answer: Gebhard von Blücher
Blücher's army arrived in the afternoon and attacked Napoleon's right side. Their arrival decided the battle.
Q6: How did the weather the night before affect the battle?
Answer: Heavy rain delayed the start
Napoleon waited for the muddy ground to dry so his cannons could move. The delay gave the Prussians more time to arrive.
Q7: Hougoumont, fiercely defended all day, was what kind of place?
Answer: A walled farmhouse
British and allied troops held the farm despite repeated French attacks. Wellington later said the battle turned on closing its gates.
Q8: Which French marshal led massive cavalry charges against the allied squares?
Answer: Ney
Marshal Michel Ney's charges failed against infantry formed in squares. Napoleon called Ney the bravest of the brave.
Q9: Late in the day, which elite French force attacked and was driven back?
Answer: The Imperial Guard
The Guard's retreat caused panic in the French army. Soon after, the whole French line collapsed.
Q10: Two days before Waterloo, Napoleon defeated the Prussians at which battle?
Answer: Ligny
Napoleon won at Ligny on June 16, but the Prussian army escaped. Marshal Grouchy was sent to follow them but failed to stop them reaching Waterloo.
Q11: Where was Napoleon sent in exile after Waterloo?
Answer: Saint Helena
Saint Helena is a remote island in the South Atlantic. Napoleon died there in 1821.
Q12: How did Wellington famously describe the battle?
Answer: The nearest-run thing you ever saw
He meant that the result had been extremely close and could easily have gone the other way. Both sides suffered huge losses.
Q13: What is the large artificial hill built on the battlefield to mark where a Dutch prince was wounded?
Answer: The Lion's Mound
The Lion's Mound was finished in 1826. Visitors can climb more than 220 steps for a view of the battlefield.
Q14: What was the name of the Duke of Wellington's horse at Waterloo?
Answer: Copenhagen
Copenhagen carried Wellington for about 17 hours on the day of the battle. Marengo was one of Napoleon's horses.
Q15: What does the expression to meet your Waterloo mean?
Answer: To suffer a final, decisive defeat
The phrase comes from Napoleon's defeat. The Swedish band ABBA also won Eurovision in 1974 with a song called Waterloo.

Battle of Waterloo Quiz – Napoleon's Final Defeat

The Battle of Waterloo, fought on June 18, 1815, in what is now Belgium, ended Napoleon's career and changed European history. After his defeat and exile in 1814, Napoleon escaped from the island of Elba, returned to Paris and rebuilt his army in a period known as the Hundred Days.

He marched north to fight two armies before they could join: a British-led allied force under the Duke of Wellington and a Prussian army under Gebhard von Blücher. On June 16 he beat the Prussians at Ligny, but they escaped. Heavy rain the night before Waterloo delayed the French attack, giving the Prussians time to come back.

The battle was brutal. Allied troops defended the walled farm of Hougoumont all day, Marshal Ney's cavalry charged against infantry squares, and in the evening Napoleon's Imperial Guard was driven back. When the Prussians attacked from the east, the French army broke.

Wellington called it the nearest-run thing you ever saw. Napoleon was exiled to Saint Helena, where he died in 1821. Today the Lion's Mound marks the battlefield, and the phrase to meet your Waterloo means a final defeat.

What This Quiz Teaches

Napoleon's escape from Elba
Wellington and Blücher
The battle at Ligny
Hougoumont, Ney and the Imperial Guard
Napoleon's exile to Saint Helena
The battle's place in language and culture

Quick Facts About Waterloo

About 200,000 soldiers took part in the battle.
The fighting lasted around ten hours.
Many British soldiers' teeth were later used for dentures, called Waterloo teeth.
London's Waterloo station is named after the battle.
Napoleon was 45 years old at the time of the battle.
A large reenactment is held near the site every few years.