Mont-Saint-Jean, Belgium

Coordinates: 50°41′27″N 4°24′22″E / 50.69083°N 4.40611°E / 50.69083; 4.40611

Mont-Saint-Jean is a hamlet located in the province of Walloon Brabant, Belgium, south of Waterloo located partly on Waterloo and partly on Braine-l'Alleud where the National road (N5) going from Brussels to Charleroi crosses the National road (N234) going from Nivelles to Leuven.

History

Mont-Saint-Jean is on the reverse slope of the escarpment where the Battle of Waterloo was fought, and is the name Napoleon Bonaparte gave to the battle (la bataille de Mont-Saint-Jean). At the time of the battle there was a farm called Mont-Saint-Jean Farm, on the Charleroi–Brussels road about halfway between the edge of the escarpment and the village.

Les Miserables

In the novel Les Miserables by Victor Hugo, Chapter X is called "The Plateau of Mont-Saint-Jean" and it describes the massive French cavalry attacks on the British infantry squares situated on the reverse slope of the escarpment at the height of the battle.

References

• Victor Hugo. Les Miserables, Chapter X: The Plateau of Mont-Saint-Jean
• Napoleon Bonaparte (1820). Mémoires pour servir à l'histoire de France en 1815, avec le plan de la bataille de Mont-Saint-Jean
• Staff. Mont-Saint-Jean The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001-05.
• Staff. Battle of Waterloo: Section V Mont-Saint-Jean (Archived 2009-11-01) Encarta