The Battle of Waterloo, fought on June 18, 1815, is a significant event that marked the end of the Napoleonic Wars. The battle took place near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, where the forces of the Seventh Coalition, led by the Duke of Wellington and Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher, decisively defeated Napoleon Bonaparte’s army. This defeat effectively ended Napoleon's rule as Emperor of the French and led to his subsequent exile to the island of Saint Helena. The outcome of the battle reshaped European political boundaries and restored stability to the continent.