The significance of the Battle of Waterloo in European history lies in its definitive conclusion to the Napoleonic Wars and the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte. Fought in June 1815, this battle pitted Napoleon's French forces against a coalition army led by the Duke of Wellington and Prussian commander Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher. Napoleon's defeat marked the end of his rule and his final exile to Saint Helena. The victory at Waterloo reshaped the political landscape of Europe, leading to the Congress of Vienna, which restored balance and set the stage for a century of relative peace in Europe until World War I.