Who Owned Waterloo? Battle, Memory, & Myth in British History, 1815-1852
Winner, Society for Military History 2023 Distinguished Book Award, First Book Category
Runner Up, Society for Army Historical Research 2023 Best First Book Prize
Order the UK Paperback here.
Pre-order the US Paperback here.
“Narrated in a lively, engaging style, with a sure-handed mastery of its sources, Who Owned Waterloo? marks the debut of an historian of exceptional promise. Luke Reynolds documents an astonishing array of Waterloo tributes and mementoes, making us comprehend how deeply the battlefield victory shaped the British psyche and polity for more than a generation. Not just an important work of history, but a vastly entertaining one.”
Ron Chernow, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Alexander Hamilton and Washington: A Life
"Who owned Waterloo? covers a great deal of ground in a relatively short space and without ever feeling too compressed. Reynolds writes very well: his prose is lively and free of jargon, so that this is a monograph which can be read for pleasure as well as information. He shows great skill in selecting examples to explore in detail, while never losing sight of the wider picture, and his judgment is confident and convincing. This is an important book which explains a great deal about the way that memories of Waterloo contributed to Britain’s understanding of her place in the world in the decades following the battle, and, by implication, how other countries in other times shape their own self-image."
Rory Muir, author of Wellington: Waterloo and the Fortunes of Peace, Napoleonica® the Journal
“In this compelling account of cultural appropriation, Luke Reynolds examines the many ways - from public commemorations to battlefield tourism and theatrical productions - by which nineteenth-century Britain claimed the memory of Waterloo as its own as it sought to turn Wellington’s victory in the battle into a central plank of British identity.”
Alan Forrest, Emeritus Professor of History, University of York
“This fascinating, thoroughly documented colourful cultural history reveals how, through an army of entrepreneurs and impresarios, civilian Britain embraced and reinvented the military victory at Waterloo. From veterans’ memoirs, battlefield tourism and relic exhibitions to spectacular re-enactments, the art of celebration, monuments and merchandise, Waterloo mania and the cult of Wellington forged popular legends that bolstered the self-image of imperial Britain. Beyond a name for rebranded pubs, hotels, squares and terraces, the battle of Waterloo still rages on, in myths that underpin a proud nation’s collective identity today.”
Julius Bryant, Keeper Emeritus of the Victoria and Albert Museum, Former Director of Museums and Collections at English Heritage, and Director of Apsley House
“Reynolds’ enthusiasm for his subject is infectious, and his analysis of the variant ways in which Waterloo was commemorated is intelligent. Although no one man or group could truly claim ownership over Waterloo, during Wellington’s lifetime cultural ownership of the battle shifted and spread, and by the time of his death, Reynolds shows us, it had become a truly national phenomenon.”
Máire Macneill, British Journal for Military History
“Every page captures Reynolds’ clear joy in recreating (and commenting dryly upon) the events and items inspired by the battle… Who Owned Waterloo? should be essential reading both for scholars and non-specialist readers with an interest in the battle itself, of the Napoleonic Wars more broadly, or of the political landscape and material culture of nineteenth-century Britain.”
Matilda Greig, Journal of Army Historical Research
"In conclusion, Luke Reynolds has written a notable work...that delves into the historical memory of the symbol that was Waterloo. This author has made a far-ranging contribution to studies of the history of public memory, a less-developed field in 19th century history."
Alberto Cañas de Pablos, Historia y Política
“Who Owned Waterloo? is highly recommended to those with an interest in Waterloo, British history, and identity, but also for anyone interested in the fascinating process of how collective cultural memories are constructed.”
George Satterfield, Journal of Military History
Who Owned Waterloo? is Luke’s first book and was published by Oxford University Press in 2022.
It can be ordered directly from OUP UK here.
It can be ordered directly from OUP US here.
It can be ordered from Amazon.co.uk here.
It can be ordered from Amazon.com here.
Who Owned Waterloo? examines the afterlife of the battle of Waterloo in the collective memory of Great Britain. It explores the concept of cultural ownership of a military event and locates the victory in Britain’s creation myth. It seeks to show how different aspects of the Waterloo mythos were valued and employed by different portions of the population. Based on a wide variety of primary sources and cultural artifacts and engaging with the literature of multiple fields and subfields, Who Owned Waterloo? charts the nationalization of the battle’s memory via histories, memoirs, battlefield tourism, relic collecting, annual commemorations, reenactments, exhibitions, theatrical performances, paintings, monuments, namings, and material culture.
The full bibliography for the project can be found here.
The database of the 1,770 British officers who survived Waterloo upon which I based several chapters of my dissertation not included in Who Owned Waterloo? and now being adapted into articles can be found here.