1814: Allies capture Paris

European forces march triumphantly into Paris, formally ending a decade of French domination on the continent. Napoleon, one of the greatest military strategists in history, seized control of the French state in 1800 and in 1804 was crowned emperor. By 1807, he controlled an empire that stretched across Europe. In 1812, however, he began to encounter the first significant defeats of his military career, suffering a disastrous invasion of Russia, losing Spain to the Duke of Wellington and enduring total defeat against an allied force in 1814. Exiled to the island of Elba, he escaped to France in early 1815 and raised a new Grand Army that enjoyed temporary success before its crushing defeat at Waterloo. He was then exiled to the island of St. Helena, where he died six years later.