During the Napoleonic Wars, Eurobloxia became engulfed in conflict, leading to the gradual abandonment of Waterloo at Home Island by colonial powers. As a result, most fortifications on the island fell into rumble, and the population dwindled to fewer than 100 inhabitants. These remaining residents were mainly subsistence fishermen, hermits, retired soldiers, and descendants of pirates and settler families. This period is often referred to as The Last Days of the Old Island.
War
In autumn 1815, shortly after Napoleon’s final defeat at the Battle of Waterloo, twelve ships carrying nearly 600 Bloxapartist exiles arrived at Volcano Bay on the island. These exiles included marshals, engineers, scholars, artisans, and families loyal to the Napoleonic cause. Upon arrival, the settlers renamed the nearby Northern Island New Carthage and proclaimed the foundation of the Republic of Waterloo.
Upon landing, the Rogaulian exiles encountered the remaining pirate and smuggler settlers who had controlled the island’s coastlines and harbors for years. In a swift and decisive campaign lasting approximately one month, the Bloxapartist settlers engaged in combat against the pirates and smugglers. The exiles leveraged superior military discipline, organization, and engineering skills to capture and defeat pirate strongholds and fortifications. Fighting was fierce but brief, as the pirates were ill-prepared for the well-equipped and motivated newcomers. By the end of the month, the Rogaulian exiles had eliminated all pirate resistance, effectively ending the era of pirate control on the island — referred to as the end of the Old Island.