Hundred Days

Overview

The Hundred Days marked the period between Napoleon's return from eleven months of exile on the island of Elba to Paris on 20 March 1815 and the second restoration of King Louis XVIII on 8 July 1815. This period saw the War of the Seventh Coalition, which includes the Waterloo campaign and the Neapolitan War as well as several other minor campaigns. The phrase les Cent Jours was first used by the prefect of Paris, Gaspard, count of Chabrol, in his speech welcoming the king back to Paris on 8 July.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The Hundred Days encompasses the period from Napoleon's return to Paris on 20 March 1815, following eleven months of exile on Elba, to the second restoration of Louis XVIII on 8 July 1815. The episode constituted the War of the Seventh Coalition and included the Waterloo campaign, the Neapolitan War, and several smaller campaigns. The coalition arrayed forces of 800,000 to 1,000,000 against a French military establishment of approximately 280,000, and France sustained some 40,000 casualties before Napoleon's final defeat. The period's name derives from the phrase les Cent Jours, coined by the Paris prefect Gaspard, count of Chabrol, in his address welcoming Louis XVIII back to the capital on 8 July — giving the episode its enduring label in historical memory.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (29)