Waterloo | The Rise and Fall of Napoleon Bonaparte | CR Studios Documentaries
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- Опубліковано 23 чер 2024
- By 1810, Napoleon Bonaparte had been the undisputed controller of all of European Politics. For nearly a decade, his rule in France and many smaller client states had been without question; but following a series of major military disasters, his position was collapsing - with hostile powers closing in on his Empire and its allies which once spanned the continent having crumbled away. This is the story of his abdication, his dramatic return, and a bold one hundred days of warfare; culminating in the dawn of a new age in Europe....
This is a documentary about the Months and Days leading upto, and proceeding, the Battle of Waterloo
Written by:
Matthew Stanton
Directed by:
Matthew Stanton
Filmography:
CR Studios (Callum Reid)
Editing:
CR Studios (Callum Reid)
With thanks to:
- The Domain of the Waterloo 1815 Battlefield www.waterloo1815.be/en/
- Musée Wellington www.museewellington.be/?lang=en
- Dernier QG Napoleon www.dernier-qg-napoleon.be/en...
- LIGNY 1815 MUSEUM www.ligny1815.be/
Music provided by Epidemic Sounds
Stock Footage provided by Envanto Elements
Imagery Provided from Multiple Sources
Icons provided ny The Noun Project - Ігри
Hey Guys!
We are aware of a few minor visual and audio-related issues with this documentary! This is a first attempt at a project of this scale and some issues were going to occur!
These will be fixed in due course, but for now, We both hope you enjoy, and learn something, from this video!
CR Studios & Matthew Stanton
If this becomes a full on history channel im here to support it
Many thanks for this extensive response, I am sure that most of us try to find out what really happened on these eventful days in June 1815 and I appreciate your work. I understand Dutch as well as German and I recently decided to dig into the matter deeper. Several Dutch publications, challenging the dominant British version, materialized in the 1800s. At the time there was even outrage about the mainstream version but the Prince of Orange decided to keep his distance since he did not want to jeopardize his good relationship with the Duke of Wellington.
A Dutch source mentioned a German publication from 1915: "Englands große Waterloo-Lüge zu den Jahrhunderttagen von 1815". I decided to order it since in 1915 it was very well received by the Dutch. The book is not easy to read, it is in gothic script and I wonder how many people have actually read this book. It is a 529 page, extremely detailed, publication. I qualify language and style as brutally honest. The author acknowledges the Duke of Wellington as a great military leader and the British troops are positioned as great soldiers. Napoleon is mentioned as an unreliable source. The Prussians are in a paragraph portrayed as savages so I would not qualify the book as pro-German. The almost complete annihilation of the British troops by the Guard is described in great detail; after the Guard was driven back by Prussians and Hanoverians faint incoming bagpipe music was noticed in the distance. A massive difference between this work and the British version (including Becke) is the timeline. The British timeline places events significantly earlier in time!
What puzzled me is why the Duke of Wellington is almost always portrayed as the victor of Waterloo and only 25% of Napoleon's opponents were British. This book provides an (obvious) explanation: Waterloo was predominantly a Prussian / French / German / Dutch event.
Publications related to Waterloo seem to be driven by agenda's rather than historical fact. On UA-cam "archeologists/historians" have listed "fact" explaining the absence of human remains. This varies from the "1815 peasantry" burning bodies on an industrial scale to the "current locals" "being uncooperative" in supporting archeological work to uncover the dead. Developers are accused of "disturbing the field" so that "evidence" will be lost forever. Fact of the matter is that there are no substantial remains left: more than 25000 tons of bones (human/horses) from Napoleonic battlefields were imported through the port of Hull to be processed into fertilizer.
"Englands große Waterloo-Lüge zu den Jahrhunderttagen von 1815" makes complete sense to me. If this is another "Napoleonic forgery" it certainly is the best one yet ..... or it simply comes very close to the truth ...... don't believe me but decide yourself. I am not sure if a version in English exists: ISBN/EAN 9783747702055
Very nice!
The British version of events at Waterloo is still dominant! Something that never made sense to me was the charge of the Imperial Guard as described. They seemed to have changed overnight from the most feared warriors of the time to an old folks' home. In German and Dutch publications the charge is also described. They came up the slope decimating the British forces until Zieten arrived. Zieten had received notice from a Prussian liaison officer in Wellington's camp that collapse was imminent. British and Dutch deserters, on their way to Antwerp, were spreading the word that Wellington had been killed. Zieten ignored orders from Gneisenau and came to the rescue. The arrival came as a complete surprise: "They promised us Grouchy and give us Prussians". This was the reason for the retreat, not in a panic, but in an orderly fashion down the slope, starting 08.30PM. The British charge never took place and is myth nor were the famous words (La Garde meurt ... ) ever spoken (at least not there); instead the word "Merde" was heard frequently.
Hi: I'm the narrator of the video. Thanks for the comment.
The Old Guard by the Hundred Days Campaign had assumed the role of the reserves of the French Army. With much of their force being conscripted in 1815, they saw more combat in the Hundred Days campaign as a Corps, than they had in the previous two campaigns combined. Zieten's attack with the Prussian I Corps was important and significant to the battle, and yes he also fought against units of the Old Guard. I will admit I neglected to mention this as directly as perhaps you suggest I should have. This is something that can be added in later and so thank you. At the same time, Historians such as Archibald Frank Becke writing in 1911 suggest that by the time Zieten's attack on Plancenoit had commenced, the majority of the Guard Corps which had threatened the British front were already in the process of being pacified; suggesting that the "Crisis was now over". Zieten's main importance was threatening the cavalry brigades of Vivian and Vandeleur which threatened Wellington's left flank near Plancenoit. Becke stated that this is "not something that can ever be underestimated" in terms of importance.
When identifying exactly who beat the Guard itself, we can also use the same sources as used in the video as the individual regiments were carefully documented in the battle. Cohn Halkett’s British Brigade, a Dutch-Belgian battery, and a brigade of Chassé’s Dutch-Belgian division; the second and third échelons by the Guards, the 52nd, and the Royal Artillery were all credited with the destruction of the Guard Corps. The forces in Placenoit numbered 5 battalions.
We also state that despite public media suggesting the Old Guard were beaten finally in one swift stroke, this was untrue, and the British pursued them to the mid-point of the Battlefield whilst the Prussians continued the pursuit even further, burning down Napoleon's Headquarters for example - this is also something we agree on, and this was mentioned in the video.
I appreciate constructive criticism, and yes, I know the British viewpoint is dominant still for Waterloo, however most sources used have been coroborated with German and French historians; as well as using sources from the official museums at both Ligny and Waterloo: both of which have won awards for their telling of the history in the ways they do so.
But please do let us know of anything else I have missed and I will work on trying to follow up on this video in the future with additions and changes that tell a broader story.s (Around 10% of the Guard)