> In 1815, the Hundred Days campaign involved which European leader?And the answer: Napoleon. Photo credit: public domain.If the Hundred Days were a movie, it would be knownas "Napoleon, Part Two." After more than a decade as emperor of France, NapoleonBonaparte was forced to abdicate the throne and go into exile. However, lessthan a year later, he reemerged with an army and took over the empire forroughly 100 days, but was defeated for the second time at the Battle ofWaterloo. Although he was sent to exile in Elba, Napoleon remained in the loop of Frenchaffairs. By the time he had heard of the shrinking French empire and reinstallednobility in Paris, Napoleon was ready to make one final attempt at the throne.Luckily, as a man who based his career on the ability to win over others,Napoleon convinced the French military to rally around him on the mainland bygreeting them, unarmed, with the phrase: "Go ahead, shoot your emperor." Louis the 18th soon caught wind of Napoleon's return, and escaped from Paris. ByMarch of 1815, Napoleon effectively regained control of Paris and, more widely,France. This marks the beginning of the Hundred Days. Needless to say, major European powers weren't too happy to see Napoleon. Assuch, they began to reorganize their military forces in an effort to forceNapoleon out for good. The French king decided taking the offensive would bebest, and launched a campaign against the combined powers of Great Britain andPrussia in what is now Belgium. However, it all came down to the Battle of Waterloo. After an extremely bloodybattle (where 40-50,000 people were killed or injured), Napoleon lost. Somebelieve that the ground conditions of the battle contributed to Napoleon's loss,as it favored defensive positions over that of the offensive. After the battle,the French retreated to Paris, where Napoleon surrendered. Learn more about Napoleon's Hundred Days below.