On 15 June 1815, a history-changing event was held in the house of the Duke of Richmond, Charles Lennox, in Brussels. There, the Duchess of Richmond had a ball planned, that historians later called the most important ball in history. Today known as the Duchess of Richmons’s Ball, it went down in history as a brilliant affair. At that time, half of Europe fought against the invasion through Napoleon Bonaparte. What makes the ball so special was the fact that it was held three days before the final battle, The Battle of Waterloo where Napoleon got defeated. The circumstances under which the ball took place were therefore more than serious, considering that on the same day, Brussels’s peace was interrupted by constant and on-going fighting, while on the next day, the Battle of Quatre-Bras set Europe on fire.
But why was it the most important ball in history, considering the women’s quota at the party amounting to only 25%? A party with this few ladies? Sounds pretty disappointing. But what made the ball extremely outstanding was the long list of important royals, politicians and military officers. Dukes, princes, lords and generals, the superstars of the second half of the 19th century were present. The next event to be compared to this ball in terms of exclusivity was certainly the wedding of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt.A multitude of famous paintings showed the historical get-together that enabled the political and military string-pullers to plan the battle against Napoleon. Thus, the ball did have a crucial strategic importance in the war against France, besides the glamour it must have radiated.
