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| 1815, March 20–June 22 |
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| HUNDRED DAYS. The Bourbon Restoration and the difficulties at the Congress of Vienna encouraged Napoleon to return to France. | 1 |
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| March 1 |
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| Napoleon escaped from Elba and landed at Cannes where the troops sent to oppose him rallied around him. Louis XVIII fled to Ghent. | 2 |
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| March 13 |
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| Allies issued a ban against Napoleon. | 3 |
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| March 20 |
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| Napoleon entered Paris, established a government, and began rebuilding the army. | 4 |
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| March 25 |
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| A new alliance was formed between Austria, Britain, Prussia, and Russia. Each agreed to supply 180,000 men; all the European nations were invited to join the coalition, and most did (with the exception of Sweden, which was engaged in the conquest of Norway) resulting in a combined force of approximately one million men. An Austrian force defeated Murat, who had declared for Napoleon again at Tolentino, and the Bourbon king, Ferdinand, was restored to the Neapolitan throne. Murat was captured, court-martialed, and shot after the war (Oct. 13). | 5 |
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| April 23 |
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| Acte Additionnel aux Constitutions de l'Empire, drafted by Benjamin Constant, was promulgated. This constitution provided the emperor with only limited executive authority and ensured individual rights, including freedom of the press. | 6 |
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| June 16 |
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| Napoleon entered Belgium and then forced Blücher to fall back at the Battle of Ligny, while the prince of Orange defeated Marshal Ney at Quatre Bras. | 7 |
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| June 18 |
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| Battle of Waterloo. Napoleon attacked Wellington's army after ordering Grouchy to engage the Prussians. Wellington's army held the line all day, and Blücher, having escaped Grouchy's forces, relieved Wellington's army toward evening. The French were completely defeated. | 8 |
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| June 22 |
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| Napoleon surrendered to British admiral Hotham and abdicated the throne after unsuccessfully attempting to flee to America. Napoleon was exiled, by unanimous resolution of the allies, to St. Helena, where he arrived in Oct. and remained until his death on May 5, 1821. The allies retook Paris (July 7) and returned Louis XVIII to the throne. | 9 |
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| Sept. 26 |
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| The Holy Alliance was formed between Alexander I of Russia, Francis I of Austria, and Frederick William III of Prussia, and ultimately accepted by all the European rulers except the British prince regent, the pope, and the sultan of the Ottoman Empire. This document established the premise that European countries would be governed by Christian principles. Although innocuous in its form, it demonstrated an acceptance of more traditional, conservative values by the rulers on the Continent. It clearly spoke against the anticlericalism and territorial aggression of the French Revolution and Napoleonic France. It was later confused in the public mind with the Quadruple Alliance. | 10 |
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| Nov. 20 |
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| SECOND PEACE OF PARIS. This peace limited France to the boundaries of 1790 (roughly equivalent to those of 1789 with the inclusion of Venaissin and Avignon). France was to pay 700 million francs for the expense of the war and support the garrisoning of 17 allied fortresses on the northern and eastern frontiers for five years. (See European Diplomacy) (See France) | 11 |
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