The Battle of Waterloo took place on June 18, 1815, near the town of Waterloo in present-day Belgium. It was a crucial conflict that marked the end of the Napoleonic Wars and the downfall of Napoleon Bonaparte. The battle was fought between Napoleon's French army and a coalition of forces led by the Duke of Wellington and the Prussian army under Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher. The outcome of the battle was decisive, with Napoleon's defeat leading to his exile to the island of Saint Helena. The victory at Waterloo reshaped Europe, establishing a balance of power that would last for decades and preventing any single ruler from dominating the continent again.