The battle on June 18, 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium was to be Napoleon's greatest triumph—but it ended in one of the most remarkable military upsets, still one of the most argued-over battles in history. Lord Wellington knew it could have turned out differently, yet the British victory became simplified and ever-more iconic, a triumph of endurance that bolstered Britain's claim to being the foremost world power. Alongside the great drama and powerful characters, Jeremy Black places this battle in the larger story of the tectonic power shifts in Europe, and the story of military modernization.