The outcome of the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 was a decisive defeat for Napoleon Bonaparte, marking the end of his rule as Emperor of the French. The battle took place on June 18, 1815, near the town of Waterloo in present-day Belgium. A coalition army, comprised mainly of British forces under the Duke of Wellington and Prussian troops commanded by Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher, successfully defeated Napoleon's forces. This defeat led to Napoleon's abdication and subsequent exile to the island of Saint Helena, permanently ending his political power in Europe and ushering in a new era of peace, known as the Congress of Vienna.