Wellington and Blucher beat him around Braine-l'Alleud and Plancenoit, writes Uri Friedman.
But the victor chooses the dateline.
When the battle concluded, leaving tens of thousands dead, it had no name. "The French initially called it 'Battle of Mont Saint-Jean' after the Braine-l'Alleud plateau where the allies were positioned," the Journal noted. "The Prussians chose 'Battle of La Belle Alliance' after a farm in Plancenoit where Wellington and Blücher reportedly met." It was Wellington's day-after report of the military confrontation from his headquarters in Waterloo that gave the battle its enduring title.
