The battle that marked the end of Napoleon Bonaparte's rule was the Battle of Waterloo, fought on June 18, 1815. This decisive conflict took place near the town of Waterloo in present-day Belgium and pitted Napoleon's army against a coalition of forces led by the Duke of Wellington and the Prussian army under Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher. Napoleon's defeat at this battle resulted in his abdication and exile to Saint Helena, where he spent the remainder of his life. The outcome of Waterloo effectively ended the Napoleonic Wars, leading to a shift in the balance of power in Europe and the establishment of the Congress of Vienna.