No More Napoleons: How Britain Managed Europe from Waterloo to World War One

Andrew Lambert discusses the impact Napoleon left on Anglo-European politics and how Britain worked to secure order in Europe.

At the conclusion of the Napoleonic Wars, a fragile peace emerged in Europe. The continent’s borders were redrawn, and the French Empire, once a significant threat to British security, was for now cut down to size. But after decades of ceaseless conflict, Britain’s economy was beset by a crippling debt. How could this small, insular seapower state secure order across the Channel?

Andrew Lambert argues for a dynamic new understanding of the nineteenth century, showing how British policymakers shaped a stable European system that it could balance from offshore. Through judicious deployment of naval power against continental forces, and the defence strategy of statesmen such as the Duke of Wellington, Britain ensured that no single European state could rise to pose a threat, rebuilt its economy, and established naval and trade dominance across the globe.

This is the remarkable story of how Britain kept a whole continent in check, until the final collapse of this delicately balanced order at the outset of the First World War.

This talk is part of the National Army Museum’s Waterloo Week, marking the 210th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo.

About the speaker

Andrew Lambert is Laughton Professor of Naval History in the Department of War Studies at King's College London. His books include, 'The Crimean War, 1853-1856' and 'The British Way of War'.