The Napoleonic Wars were fought from 1803 to 1815, ending with Napoleon’s defeat at the Battle of Waterloo in June 1815.

Core timeline

  • Most historians date the Napoleonic Wars from 1803, when war between Britain and Napoleonic France resumed after the short peace of Amiens.
  • They end in 1815, with Napoleon’s final defeat at Waterloo on 18 June 1815 and his subsequent exile to Saint Helena.

Wider context

  • Many scholars treat the Napoleonic Wars as the later phase of a broader 23‑year era of conflict that begins with the French Revolutionary Wars in 1792 and runs through 1815.
  • Within this longer period, the “Napoleonic” phase is distinguished by Napoleon Bonaparte’s rule and his campaigns for dominance over most of Europe.

Quick Scoop (forum-style)

In history discussions and forums, when someone asks “when were the Napoleonic Wars,” the usual short answer is “from 1803 to 1815, ending at Waterloo,” sometimes with the note that, in a broader sense, they sit inside the 1792–1815 age of Revolutionary and Napoleonic warfare.

TL;DR: The Napoleonic Wars ran from 1803 to 1815, though the larger era of related wars stretches from 1792 to 1815.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.