Who ordered the construction of the Lion's Mound at Waterloo in 1820?

King William I ordered the construction of the Lion's Mound in 1820.

William I was king of the newly created United Kingdom of the Netherlands, a state that included what are now the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg in varying constitutional arrangements. He commissioned the monument five years after Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo, transforming part of the battlefield into a major national memorial.

The mound was intended to mark the place where William's elder son, the future William II, was wounded during the battle while serving as Prince of Orange. The monument therefore has both a personal dynastic association and a broader commemorative purpose: it celebrates the Allied victory rather than glorifying one army alone.

A common mix-up is to credit the architect, Charles Vander Straeten, with ordering the work. Vander Straeten designed it, while King William I gave the commission. Construction began later and was completed in 1826.