Two hundred years ago, the decisive Battle of Waterloo was fought near Brussels, in present-day Belgium, on June 18, 1815. Napoleon's French army of 93,000 soldiers was defeated on the battlefield by the 125,000 troops of the Seventh Coalition, which was made up of armies allied with the United Kingdom. Tens of thousands of men were killed by cannon fire, bullets, bayonets, and swords in violent skirmishes that were fought at a distance and face to face in the Belgian countryside. The loss of the battle ended Napoleon's "Hundred Days" of restored power in France, resulting in his abdication and bringing in a new era of European peace after decades of war. Over the weekend, thousands of reenactors donned period uniforms on the battlefield to commemorate the historic battle.
Reenacting the Battle of Waterloo
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Read morePerformers take part in the reenactment of the "The Allied Counterattack" battle during the bicentennial celebrations for the Battle of Waterloo, in Waterloo, Belgium, on June 20, 2015. #
Yves Herman / Reuters -
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Read moreFrenchman Frank Samson who is taking part in an reenactment of the Battle of Waterloo poses in front of the Lion's Mound of Waterloo during the bicentennial celebrations on June 17, 2015. #
Yves Herman / Reuters -
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Read moreA panoramic image of historical reenactors gathered ahead of a large scale reenactment of the battle of Waterloo on June 18, 2015. Spectators were able to walk around the bivouac camps as reenactors 're-lived' history, eating sleeping and living in much the same way as soldiers and their families would have done before, during and after the battle. #
Dan Kitwood / Getty -
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Read moreA reenactor films other performers in the French troops bivouac during the bicentennial celebrations of the Battle of Waterloo, on June 19, 2015. #
Yves Herman / Reuters -
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Read moreA reenactor has lunch in the French troops bivouac on June 20, 2015. #
Yves Herman / Reuters -
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Read moreHistorical reenactor Kenny de Tey from Antwerp poses for a photograph in his role as a Captain Lord in the Allied navy ahead of the second part of a large scale re-enactment of the battle of Waterloo on June 20, 2015. #
Carl Court / Getty -
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Read moreAlan Larsen, a historical events consultant from New Zealand playing the role of The Duke of Wellington, gestures with his hat prior to the second and last part of a reenactement of the Battle of Waterloo on June 20, 2015. #
John Thys / AFP / Getty -
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Read moreReenactors take part in the first part of a reenactement of the Battle of Waterloo on June 19, 2015. #
John Thys / AFP / Getty -
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Read moreFrench troops walk forward in the reenactment of "The French Attack" battle as part of the bicentennial celebrations of the Battle of Waterloo on June 19, 2015. #
Charles Platiau / Reuters -
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Read morePerformers prepare for the re-enactment of the "The French Attack" on June 19, 2015. #
Yves Herman / Reuters -
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Read moreReenactors in the Allied army march in front of the Lion's Mound of Waterloo, to prepare "The French Attack" on June 19, 2015. #
Charles Platiau / Reuters -
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Read moreHistorical re-enactors take part in the first part of a large scale re-enactment of the battle of Waterloo on June 19, 2015. #
Carl Court / Getty -
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Read moreRe-enactors reconstruct "The Allied Counterattack" in Waterloo on June 20, 2015. #
Geert Vanden Wijngaert / AP -
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Read moreHistorical reenactors take part in the first part of a large scale re-enactment of the battle of Waterloo, to mark it's bicentenary on June 19, 2015 in Waterloo, Belgium. #
Dan Kitwood / Getty -
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Read moreWaterloo reenactors take part in "The Allied counterattack" on June 20, 2015. #
Emmanuel Dunand / AFP / Getty -
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Read moreRe-enactors reconstruct "The French Attack" as part of the commemoration of the bicentenary of the battle of Waterloo in Braine-l'Alleud, near Waterloo, Belgium, June 19, 2015. #
Geert Vanden Wijngaert / AP -
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Read moreFrenchman Frank Samson, who plays Napoleon, rides his horse during the re-enactment of "The Allied Counterattack" on June 20, 2015. #
Charles Platiau / Reuters -
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Read morePerformers take part in the reenactment of "The French Attack" battle on June 19, 2015. #
Yves Herman / Reuters -
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Read morePerformers take part in the reenactment of "The Allied Counterattack" on June 20, 2015. #
Charles Platiau / Reuters -
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Read moreReenactors reconstruct "The French Attack" in Braine-l'Alleud, near Waterloo, on June 19, 2015. #
Geert Vanden Wijngaert / AP -
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Read moreFrench troops take part in the reenactment of "The French Attack" on June 19, 2015. #
Charles Platiau / Reuters -
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Read morePerformers take part in "The Allied Counterattack" on June 20, 2015. #
Yves Herman / Reuters -
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Read moreRe-enactors take part in the second and last part of a re-enactement of the Battle of Waterloo on June 20, 2015. #
John Thys / AFP / Getty -
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Read morePerformers take part in "The Allied Counterattack" battle on June 20, 2015. #
Yves Herman / Reuters -
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Read morePerformers in "The French Attack" reenact the battle as part as the bicentennial celebrations of the Battle of Waterloo on June 19, 2015. #
Yves Herman / Reuters -
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Read moreRe-enactors take part in the "The Allied counterattack", during the celebrations of the 200th anniversary of The Battle of Waterloo, in Waterloo, Belgium, on June 20, 2015. #
Emmanuel Dunand / AFP / Getty
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