Napoleonic Wars

After French expansion into Switzerland in 1798, Great Britain issued an ultimatum demanding that France withdraw to its own borders. When France refused, Great Britain declared war in 1803. Fighting occurred across the European continent on land and on sea, and important battles occurred at Trafalgar, Leipzig, and Waterloo. Throughout the war, Great Britain saw many different configurations of allies and took part in five coalitions against the French Empire. The war came to an end in 1815, when Napoleon suffered defeat at Waterloo and was exiled to Saint Helena in the southern Atlantic Ocean.