Dancing into Battle: A Social History of the Battle of Waterloo

The social backdrop, vividly described, to one of the greatest battles in European history, Waterloo 1815

The summer of 1815 saw the final and desperate efforts of European powers to usurp Napoleon's reign over France.

The pivotal moment was unfolding in an age where war was a social occasion; the military urgency was matched only by the soldiers and their wives' frantic efforts to keep apace of the lavish balls which were being thrown. The intention to deny war with frivolity persevered unt...