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In 1815, Napoleon returned to France from exile and immediately launched the Battle of Waterloo. No one knew at the time that Napoleon would permanently withdraw from the world stage after the war. What no one expected was that the key figures that would determine the fate of this battle, and even Europe as a whole, were the 400 infantrymen of the British King's German Regiment. They were responsible for the defense of Chateau La Haye-Saint, which was the only way to Brussels. With the help of newly unearthed eyewitness reports and details, Brendan Sims, an expert on the history of international relations at the University of Cambridge, reconstructed the fearless image of 400 warriors including Brigadier Opdida, Major Bahrain, and Infantry Lindau who fought tirelessly and continuously to repel waves of French troops out of their awareness against Napoleon's tyranny, loyalty to the British king, German patriotism, comradeship, friendship, and military professional ethics. Although they suffered heavy casualties and eventually retreated, their delay in fighting overwhelmed Napoleon and single-handedly determined this battle with a far-reaching impact in European history. Sims's re-examination of the Battle of Waterloo around La Haye Sainte gives us a new perspective on how Napoleon was closer to victory at Waterloo than is often thought. This book is a classic work in military history that should not be missed.

Throughout European history, Britain has always played a tangled, complex, and contradictory role. It has invaded other countries and been invaded; it has changed sides and stood aside; it has displayed shameless cynicism and embraced the vaguest idealism. In every century, troops from the British Isles have roamed the continent in pursuit of a variety of goals, not the least of which was the intertwined defense of British parliamentary liberties and "European liberty." Britain also has close dynastic ties with countries such as Spain, the Netherlands, Germany and France. In this bracing and highly readable book, Brendan Sims charts the highs and lows of Britain's encounter with continental Europe from the Dark Ages to the present day. The importance of understanding this history is recounted in the book's final chapter, which also dramatizes the issues surrounding the UK's relationship with the EU and shows how the UK's vote to leave the EU - far more than just a legal or financial issue - raises all sorts of thought-provoking questions about Britain's own vision and how it affects the EU's view of Britain. At a moment when great dangers and great opportunities coexist, "A Thousand Years of British-European History" may reveal Britain's next move.