NAPOLEON’S LAST VICTORY

Fought on the same day as Quatre Bras, the Battle of Ligny saw Napoleon defeat part of the Prussian army commanded by Field Marshal Blücher. Almost forgotten today, Ligny still resulted in very high casualties and was – most intriguingly – the last battlefield victory in Napoleon’s military career. Zack White, PhD Researcher at the University of Southampton and host of the podcast The Napoleonicist, reveals how the emperor “clutched defeat from the jaws of victory” in a battle that did not reflect Napoleon’s military genius.

What were the circumstances that led to the battle?

Ligny was meant to be the realisation of Napoleon’s strategy. The previous day he had stolen a march on