The famous battle that marked the end of the Napoleonic Wars was the Battle of Waterloo, fought on June 18, 1815. This decisive confrontation took place near Waterloo in present-day Belgium and pitted the French army, commanded by Napoleon Bonaparte, against an alliance led by the Duke of Wellington and Prussian forces under Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher. Napoleon's defeat resulted in his abdication and exile to Saint Helena, concluding his rule and the series of conflicts that had engulfed Europe. The battle reshaped the continent's political landscape, leading to a period of relative peace and stability in Europe.