BBC - iWonder - The Duke of Wellington: Forging the 'Iron Duke' The Duke of Wellington: Forging the 'Iron Duke' 1769 Share this on Twitter The 'last great Englishman' The legacy of the Duke of Wellington towers over British history. The hero of Waterloo, vanquisher of Napoleon – poet laureate Alfred Lord Tennyson hailed him as the 'last great Englishman'. Statues still adorn the streets of many British towns and cities while his name has become synonymous with one of Britain's most celebrated victories. So how did Arthur Wellesley become the 'Iron Duke' we remember today? 1769 Universal History Archive/Getty Images Wellington spent much of his childhood at Dangan Castle, Ireland. The future Duke of Wellington was born Arthur Wesley (later changed to Wellesley) around 1 May, third surviving son in an aristocratic Irish family. His father, Garret, was the first earl of Mornington while his mother, Anne, was the eldest daughter of Arthur Hill, first Viscount Dungannon. An unhappy, lonely boy, Wellington exhibited few of the talents that would come to make his name. Lazy and socially awkward, his early schooling was fragmented, his performance uninspired.

Only his violin playing showed any real promise. I vow to God I don't know what I shall do with my awkward son Arthur. Anne Wellesley, Countess of Mornington and Wellington's mother 1781 WAVE/Getty Images Eton College viewed from the river, painted in 1786. When Wellington was 12, his father died. That same year he started at Eton with his younger brother, Gerald. Anne, his mother, thought Wellington a slow, foolish child. His exploits at Eton did nothing to dispel that opinion. Frequently unsociable and occasionally aggressive, with little appetite for learning, Wellington was removed from school in 1784. His father's death in 1781 had hit the family's financial standing and another of Wellington's younger brothers, Henry, looked to be a more promising scholar. Wellington followed his mother to Brussels in 1785. Jobs for the boys Print Collector/Getty Images As Wellington was making his way in the army, the French Revolution came to a head, including the storming of the Bastille in 1789.

At his family's behest, a career in the military beckoned – few other suitable options existed for such an unpromising young aristocrat. Wellington studied fencing, horsemanship and maths, but remained typically uninterested. His brother’s wealth and influence secured him a number of commissions, first as junior officer in the 73rd Foot and then as aide-de-camp to the lord lieutenant of Ireland. As the French Revolution moved towards its climax, Wellington’s elevation continued, even taking a seat in the Irish parliament. By October 1792 he had held five commissions in six different regiments. Revolution and focus DeAgostini/Getty Images The execution of Louis XVI challenged the established social order not just in France but throughout Europe. Events in France sent shockwaves through Europe. On 21 January King Louis XVI was executed at the guillotine. France had declared her egalitarian principles to be universal. The very fabric of established social order was under threat and by February Britain and France were at war. Wellington had to grow up quickly. He marked his new-found focus by setting aside 'frivolous' things like his violin. In April he joined the 33rd Foot, soon becoming the regiment's commanding officer.

This was as far as his brother's influence could take him. He would now have to earn his promotions, on active service. Print Collector/Getty Images British troops attack the French during the Flanders Campaign. Wellington's opportunity came quickly. In 1794 the 33rd Foot was sent to the Netherlands and he fought the French for the first time. Though Wellington won plaudits for his role in the fighting, the Flanders Campaign as a whole was disastrous. By spring 1795 British forces had withdrawn, dejected and demoralised, and were evacuated from Hanover. The French had won, replacing the Dutch Republic with a client state. Wellington's first experience of war had come with the taste of defeat. Few of his fellow officers, he saw, had known how to command an army. I learnt what one ought not to do; and that is always something! Wellington, on his early military experiences, speaking in 1839 1796-1805 Epics/Getty Images Wellington defeats Indian leader Dhoondiah Waughat the Battle of Conaghull in India. Bad weather spared Wellington a dangerous trip to the West Indies.

Diversion to India, moreover, offered much greater career prospects. With him he brought several hundred books, including titles on military history. He was determined not to repeat the mistakes of other officers he had witnessed first-hand. After some early successes, Wellington was promoted to the rank of major general and in 1803 he claimed the first major victory of his career. Facing an enemy force much greater than the 7,000 at his disposal, he won a desperate battle at Assaye, a small village in western India. His name made, Wellington looked to home. I understood as much of military matters as I have ever done since or do now. Duke of Wellington on the experience he gained in India, reflecting in 1838 1806 Kitty Mary Evans Picture Library Wellington hadn't seen Kitty for more than a decade when he proposed to her again on his return to England. Back in England, Wellington was now a wealthy man and growing further in status – he became MP for Rye in April. That same month, he married. Wellington first proposed to Kitty Pakenham in 1793 but, young and in debt, was rejected by her family.

Though there had been little contact in the intervening decade, he proposed once more when he arrived back in England. When he met her again in November 1805, he harboured considerable doubts. She was not the woman he had met all that time before. Nonetheless, perhaps out of duty, he married her and the couple had two sons. The relationship was not a happy one. '40,000 Frenchmen in 40 minutes' Print Collector/Getty Images British forces under Wellington's command routed the French at the Battle of Salamanca. Wellington had been in overall command of British forces in the Iberian Peninsula since 1809. In January 1812 he led troops from Portugal into Spain. Early victories saw Wellington reach Salamanca in June but by July he was locked in stalemate with an evenly matched French force. On 22 July, his opportunity finally came. Over lunch an aide delivered the message Wellington had been waiting for: the French had over-extended. A quick glance through his telescope was enough. "Marmont", the French general, he said excitedly, "is lost".

In under an hour, his forces won a decisive victory and all Europe acknowledged Wellington’s military genius. By God! That will do! Reported exclamation of the Duke of Wellington on seeing the gap in the French lines at Salamanca 1814 Peterloo Culture Club/Getty Images Many were killed and hundreds injured when cavalry charged the protesters at St Peter's Fields in Manchester. Serving under Lord Liverpool, Wellington joined the Cabinet. Politics, he discovered, was every bit as fierce a battleground as those he had left. Liverpool's government was known for repressive policies. Legislation was passed to keep public order and take action against vagrants, including many discharged from war service after Waterloo. Crowds gathered in St Peter's Fields in Manchester on 19 August to demand parliamentary reform were charged by troops. Hundreds were injured and many killed. The refusal of Wellington and the political classes to countenance social and political reform put them out of step with the public. An extraordinary affair. I gave them their orders and they wanted to stay and discuss them.

Duke of Wellington, after his first Cabinet meeting as prime minister, 1828 1829 Pistols at dawn Culture Club/Getty Images The Duke of the Wellington and the Earl of Winchilsea duelled on Battersea Fields in March 1829. If Wellington thought MPs could be ordered into unity he quickly discovered he was mistaken. One of the most divisive issues of the day centred on Catholic emancipation. Catholics had been barred from holding public office since the 17th Century but by 1829 these restrictions threatened civil strife. Some Tories, who had championed Wellington's appointment, were aghast at his support for the Roman Catholic Relief Act. One, the Earl of Winchilsea, was particularly vitriolic in his criticism and on 23 March the duke and the earl fought a duel on Battersea Fields. Both survived. Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty Images Wellington was almost 90 years old when he eventually retired from public life. Wellington had remained active in government, as foreign secretary and, latterly, a minister without portfolio. Approaching his ninth decade, Wellington finally retired from public life in 1846.

Even then he retained his post as commander-in-chief of the armed forces, unable to step away completely from the public service to which he had devoted his life – servant of crown and country to the last. 1852 Death and state funeral Universal History Archive/Getty Images In death, the image of Wellington that people remembered was that of the war hero and conqueror of Napoleon. On 14 September Wellington succumbed to a stroke at his favourite home, Walmer Castle, in Kent. In death the duke's divisive political legacy was forgotten. Wellington was the hero of Waterloo once more. On 18 November, Britain said goodbye to a hero of a bygone age. The nation united in a display of grief more extravagant than anything seen before. More than 1.5 million lined the streets to pay their respects as Wellington's coffin was borne to St Paul's, where a further 10,000 dignitaries packed into the cathedral. Wellington may have been gone, but his reputation lived on.

Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (1769 - 1852) - Genealogy Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington Birthdate: Mornigton House, Upper Merrion St., Dublin, Ireland Death: in Walmer Castle, Walmer, Kent, England Place of Burial: Added 2015-08-28 06:13:59 -0700 by John Headen Collection: May 1 1769 - Mornington House, 24 Upper Merrion St., Dublin, Ireland Death: Sep 14 1852 - Walmer Castle, Kent, England Parents: Lord Garret Colley Wellesley, Anne Wellesley Wife: Apr 29 1769 - Upper Merrion St., Dublin, Dublin, Ireland Death: May 1 1769 - Mornigton House, Upper Merrion St., Dublin, Ireland Death: Sep 14 1852 - Walmer Castle, Walmer, Kent, England Mother: Catherine Sarah Dorothea Wellesley (born Packenham) Siblings: ...everend Gerald Val

erian Wellesley, Lady Anne Wellesley, William Wellesley-Pole, Richard Colley Wellesley, Sir Henry Wellesley, Duke Welli...

May 1 1769 - Mornington House, 24 Upper Merrion Street, Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland Death: Sep 14 1852 - Walmer Castle, Kent, England Parents: Garrett Wellesley, Anne Wellesley (born Hill-Trevor) Spouses: Catherine Sarah Dorothea Wellesley (born Packenham), Elizabeth Rennie Winder, Mary Wellesley (born Burroughs) Children: Charles Wellesley, Arthur Richard Wellesley, Thomas White Melville Winder Siblings: ...ole, Sir Henry Wellesley, Richard Colley Wellesley, Reverend Gerald Valerian Wellesley, Mary Elizabeth Stepp (born Wellesley), Francis Se... Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, KP, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS (c. 29 April/1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852), was an Anglo-Irish soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the nineteenth century.

Born in Ireland to a prominent Ascendancy family, he was commissioned an ensign in the British Army in 1787. Serving in Ireland as aide-de-camp to two successive Lords Lieutenant of Ireland he was also elected as Member of Parliament in the Irish House of Commons. A colonel by 1796, Wellesley saw action in the Netherlands and later India where he fought in the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War at the Battle of Seringapatam. He was later appointed Governor of Seringapatam and Mysore. Wellesley rose to prominence as a General during the Peninsular Campaign of the Napoleonic Wars, and was promoted to the rank of field marshal after leading the Allied forces to victory against the French at the Battle of Vitoria in 1813. Following Napoleon's exile in 1814, he served as the ambassador to France and was granted a Dukedom. During the Hundred Days in 1815, he commanded the Allied army which defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo.

An opponent of parliamentary reform, he was given the epithet the "Iron Duke" because of the iron shutters he had fixed to his windows to stop the pro-reform mob from breaking them. He was twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom under the Tory party and oversaw the passage of Catholic Relief Act 1829. He was Prime Minister from 1828-30 and served briefly in 1834. He was unable to prevent the passage of the Reform Act of 1832 and continued as one of the leading figures in the House of Lords until his retirement. He remained Commander-in-Chief of the British Army until his death. Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, KP, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS (c. 29 April/1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852), was an Anglo-Irish soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the nineteenth century. He is often referred to as simply "The Duke of Wellington", even after his death, when there have been subsequent Dukes of Wellington.

Born in Ireland to a prominent Ascendancy family, he was commissioned an ensign in the British Army in 1787. Serving in Ireland as aide-de-camp to two successive Lords Lieutenant of Ireland he was also elected as a Member of Parliament in the Irish House of Commons. A colonel by 1796, Wellesley saw action in the Netherlands and later India where he fought in the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War at the Battle of Seringapatam. He was later appointed governor of Seringapatam and Mysore. Wellesley rose to prominence as a general during the Peninsular campaign of the Napoleonic Wars, and was promoted to the rank of field marshal after leading the allied forces to victory against the French at the Battle of Vitoria in 1813. Following Napoleon's exile in 1814, he served as the ambassador to France and was granted a Dukedom. During the Hundred Days in 1815, he commanded the allied army which defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo. Wellesley's battle record is exemplary, ultimately participating in some 60 battles throughout his military career.

An opponent of parliamentary reform, he was given the epithet the "Iron Duke" because of the iron shutters he had fixed to his windows to stop the pro-reform mob from breaking them. He was twice Prime Minister under the Tory party and oversaw the passage of the Catholic Relief Act 1829. He was Prime Minister from 1828–30 and served briefly in 1834. He was unable to prevent the passage of the Reform Act of 1832 and continued as one of the leading figures in the House of Lords until his retirement. He remained Commander-in-Chief of the British Army until his death in 1852. Other References The Duke of Wellington's Family Name [ Victorian Web Home —> Political History —> Prime Ministers —> The Duke of Wellington ] The family name at the time was Wesley, not Wellesley. Arthur's eldest brother (there were two elder — Richard, William (later Wellesley-Pole) and and an elder sister, Anne, followed by Henry and Gerald Valerian. The grand father was Richard Colley (or Cowley or Cooley — which would be most applicable in eighteenth-century Ireland?

Despite this the family preferred the Anglicized version Colley). The name Wellesley was adopted by Richard (Arthur's eldest brother) when in search of Marquessate. Afetr service as Governor General of India, he became Marquis Wellesley ignoring the Mornington, because he thought it reflected a genealogy back to Norman, which the Cooleys didn't have. Recommended reading James, L. The Iron Duke: a military biography of Wellington. London, 1992. Longford, E. The Years of the Sword. London, 1969. The late Lady Longford (who married Frank, later Lord, Longford and had access to family archives and those of HM the Queen and the Dutch royal family - Kitty Wellington, wife of 1st Duke, m 1807, was a daughter of Lord Longford) can be regarded as the definitive author on the subject. Longford, E. Wellington: Pillar of State. London, 1972.

Surname Database: Wellington Last Name Origin Links (1) Last name: Wellington This very famous surname is English locational and derives from one of the towns called Wellington, of which examples can be found in the counties of Somerset, Hereford and Shropshire. The origin is from the Olde English pre 7th century 'Weolintun' recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles for the year 904, and refering to the Somerset town. In fact all three places are recorded in the 1086 Domesday Book, and in each case the meaning is the same. This is 'the people (ingas) living in hamlet (tun) in the cleared area (leah) by the temple (Weo)', although it is possible that the prefix 'Weol' is a personal tribal name. Early examples of the surname recording include Johannes de Welinton of Devon , and William de Welynton of Somerset in the same Hundred Rolls of 1273. Later in 1581 James Wellington of Hereford is recorded as being a student at Oxford University, whilst in 1661 James Wellington married Elizabeth Marriott at St James Church, Clerkenwell, London.

The famous 'Iron Duke' (1769 - 1852) derived his title from Wellington in Somerset. His family name was Wellesley a name which means much the same 'The Dweller by the Spring at the Farm', and is also of Somerset origins, however he was born in Ireland! The Coat of Arms has the blazon of Quarterly 1st and 4th, red, a silver cross between five plates in saltire, 2nd and 3rd, gold, a red lion rampant. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Robert de Welinton which was dated 1273, The Hundred Rolls of Shropshire during the reign of King Edward I, The Hammer of the Scots, 1272 - 1307. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling. © Copyright: Name Origin Research 1980 - 2017 Want to dig deeper into your family history? Take a look at our page on building a Family Tree .

Or get scientific and enter the exciting world of Ancestral DNA ! The Duke of Wellington: 11 things you didn't know - Telegraph Culture The Duke of Wellington: 11 things you didn't know As a new exhibition opens at the National Portrait Gallery marking the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo, we dig out some little-known facts about the Iron Duke The Duke of Wellington: pioneer of the military crew cut Photo: Photo: The National Gallery London. By Jonathan McAloon 12:44PM GMT 12 Mar 2015 1) Wellington was Irish Although Wellington is remembered as a British military hero, and was honoured with land and titles in England during his life, Arthur Wellesley (1769-1852) was actually born in Dublin. However, he never thought of himself as Irish and claimed, perhaps less than tactfully, that "because a man is born in a stable it does not make him a horse".

The Duke of Wellington as Prime Minister in 1829 (unfinished portrait by Sir Thomas Lawrence) 2) Wellington became a politician at 20 Everyone knows that he was twice elected Prime Minister after retiring from the battlefield, but Wellington had already worked in politics long before that. After an education at Eton, in Brussels and in France – a country that, lest we forget, he later trounced on the battlefield – Wellesley went into the Irish Parliament at just 20 years of age, where he served for five years. The little blighter: Wellesley was elected to Parliament at the age of 20 3) Wellington thought the British Army was rubbish When he first started out, that is. At the age of 25, Wellington fought in the 1794 Flanders Campaign during the French Revolutionary war. He was appalled by British strategy. It was this that inspired him to study the art of war. 4) Wellington has at least 90 English pubs named after him If you are an Iron Duke enthusiast, you can drink in 53 pubs called the Duke of Wellington , as well as 37 that go by an unadorned "Wellington".

And that’s just in England. The Duke of Wellington is the oldest licenced pub in Melbourne, and now serves a variety of gastropub food. And then of course there are the countless pubs called simply The Duke. Just don't feel the need to get a pint in each one. Enjoy a selection of real ales in Dalston's The Duke of Wellington pub 5) Wellington hated fighting Though he rarely showed emotion, Wellington cried when he read the list of dead after Waterloo and he would always avoid unnecessary bloodshed. He was upset by the sight of battle carnage and never glorified warfare, putting him in line perhaps with a more modern mindset. Though he always demanded obedience, in person Wellington was reserved, raising his voice only at officers he considered pampered. As a junior officer, he often failed to punish the men who thieved and pillaged on his watch. Wellington, in an uncharacteristic show of aggression, challenges Prince Regent to a duel in Black Adder the Third 6) Wellington anticipated military camouflage Wellington wore dark clothes without decoration so that enemies would not be able to distinguish him from other officers in the field.

Because of this, he wasn’t an easy target for those looking to assassinate him and could stay close to the front line, managing the lowest of his troops in the thick of battle. This can be seen as a forerunner of the modern camouflage adopted during the First World War. Modestly clad: Hugh Fraser plays the Duke of Wellington in the ITV series Sharpe 7) Wellington pioneered the military crew cut At a time of powdered wigs or pigtailed hair, Wellington kept his hair short. This was considered a sign of modish flamboyance: Beau Brummell , the Regency dandy credited with inventing the monochrome suit, wore his hair short, and so did the fashionable London elite. But as for practical, earthy and plain-living gentlemen, wigs or longer, powdered hair were considered more respectable. Though he was noted for his sharp dress sense, even being nicknamed “the Beau” by his soldiers, his hairdo was a functional affair. After a while, the sense of having less hair to worry about during battle filtered down through the ranks.

Hair raising: The Duke of Wellington (left) in 1804, painted on ivory by Robert Home and Admiral Nelson (right) in 1805 painted by Lemuel F Abbott 8) Wellington has nothing to do with Beef Wellington Some think this classic British dish emerged from Wellington’s fondness for a beef fillet covered in foie gras pâté and mushrooms and cooked in pastry (the ham and mustard must have come in later). Some believe it was a PR stunt similar to the Americans renaming French Fries "Freedom Fries", with England appropriating a French classic during the Napoleonic Wars. Some even believe it was an American or Kiwi dish . In any case, there is no evidence of the dish being eaten during either the Duke’s lifetime or the rest of the 19th century. John Malkovich as the Duke of Wellington, telling somebody the 'recipe' for Beef Wellington 9) Wellington definitely did have something to do with Wellington Boots These were named after the multipurpose custom footwear Wellington wore during his campaigns .

Adapted from the standard-issue leather Hessian boot, they had a low heel and were lined with calfskin ro ease the strain after a long day of battle, and could be translated into a fashionable evening setting. Beau Brummell, the infamous dandy mentioned above, also contributed to their popularisation, wearing his own version of the Hessian boot in drawing rooms before Wellington’s Victory at Waterloo made him a figure to emulate. In 1852, these boots started to be made from rubber rather than leather. The Duke of Wellington caricatured as a Wellington boot 10) Wellington wasn’t always popular back home Though respected, the Duke notoriously made an unsuccessful Prime Minister in later life. He hated attention and was embarrassed by public cheers; his plainness of speech was often mistaken for rudeness and he never addressed his troops en masse, thinking this “the stuff of players”. But then even while he was defeating Napoleon's generals one after the other during his Portuguese and Spanish campaigns, the British government were sceptical of his chances, refusing to send him reinforcements or supplies, and at one point calling him home to be court-martialled. The future George IV , then Prince Regent, had more admiration for Napoleon .

But this lead Wellington to be a more resourceful soldier and leader. In contrast, Napoleon was always spoilt for loyalty, troops and resources and often squandered the lot. 11) Wellington quit while he was ahead Having no thirst for blood or victory for the sake of it, Wellington would always retreat if that meant avoiding heavy casualties or defeat. Because of this, he never lost a battle, whereas more daring and relentless military leaders of the time such as Nelson and Napoleon either died fighting or lost wars. Having reached his peak after the victory at the Battle of Waterloo, Wellington retired from the battlefield aged 46. The Duke of Wellington painted by Sir Thomas Lawrence after the Battle of Waterloo The Duke of Wellington [ Victorian Web Home —> Political History —> Prime Ministers ] Three paintings of the Duke reproduced in The Illustrated News (1852) — left to right: Portraits by Pelligrini, Sir Thomas Lawrence, and Sir George Hayter.

[Clock on thumbnails for larger images.] Arthur Wellesley, the first Duke of Wellington and one of England's greatest military leaders, served as Prime Minister from 22 January 1828 to 16 November 1830 and again from 17 November to 9 December 1834. The third son (the fourth child of six) born to Garrett Wesley , first Earl of Mornington and Anne Hill, the man later known as "the Iron Duke" was born in Dublin on 1 May 1769. The family was from the Anglo-Irish ascendancy and Wellington maintained links with his Irish family and friends throughout his life. He was educated at the Diocesan School at Trim in County Meath; between 1781 and 1784 he attended Eton and then was tutored privately by the Rev. Henry Michell in Brighton. In 1785 he went to Brussels where he was again tutored privately. He had little interest in education and appeared to be uncomfortable with society life.

In order to find something which "poor Arthur" could do, his parents purchased a commission as an ensign for him in the 73rd Regiment of Foot in May 1787; in December he became a Lieutenant in the 76th Foot and the following month he transferred to the 41st in Dublin. Later he moved to the 12th Light Dragoons. When he arrived in Dublin, he became aide-de-camp to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland and served in that post until March 1793. On 30 April 1790 Wellington was elected to the Irish parliament in Dublin as MP for Trim even though he was under age at the time. He continued to represent the constituency until 1797 when he left to go to India.

He also continued in the army, moving up in rank through the purchase system: 30 June 1791 Captain in the 58th Foot 30 April 1793 Major in the 33rd Foot September 1793 Lieutenant-Colonel May 1796 Colonel Wellington saw active service for the first time between June 1794 and April 1795 when his regiment was posted to the Netherlands in the early stages of the French Wars. His next experience of warfare was in India during the fourth Mysore War where he was involved in the fighting against Tippoo Sultan. The campaign culminated in the siege and fall of Seringapatam in May 1799; Wellington was appointed as Governor of Seringapatam by the Governor-General of India, Lord Mornington — who happened to be Wellington's eldest brother. In 1803, and by then a Major-General, Wellington fought in the second Mahratta War against Scindiah of Gwalior; his successful campaigns included victories at Assaye and Argaum. Wellington was created a Knight of the Bath for his work in India in September 1804.

He returned to England a year later and reported to Lord Castlereagh at the Foreign Office. There he met Admiral Lord Nelson who died six weeks later, on 21 October, at the Battle of Trafalgar. Wellington was appointed Colonel of the 33rd Regiment of Foot in January 1806. April 1806 was a busy month for Arthur Wellesley: he was elected as MP for the borough of Rye on 1 April; on 10th he married Catherine Pakenham in Dublin. She was the daughter of Baron Longford, also one of the Anglo-Irish aristocracy. In 1791, Wellington was in debt and Lord Longford refused to allow him to marry Kitty; it seems that Wellington felt obliged to keep his promise to marry her even though he found her very trying. Kitty was over-emotional, self-critical, and easily depressed. She was incompetent as a housekeeper and continually found herself in debt, which infuriated Wellington, whom she hero-worshipped. She was described by contemporaries as unaffected and simple-minded.

Kitty died on 24 April 1831, but the couple had been estranged for a long time prior to that. On 22 April Wellington made his maiden speech in the House of Commons, defending his brother's Indian policies. In 1807 Wellington found himself elected as MP for Mitchell in Cornwall, Newport on the Isle of Wight and for Tralee in County Kerry. He chose Newport. Concurrently he was appointed as Chief Secretary for Ireland by the Duke of Portland and worked with Charles Lennox, Duke of Richmond who was the Lord-Lieutenant. Like Wellington, Richmond served in the British army from 1787. By October 1807 the Peninsular Campaign was under way after the French declared war on Portugal, Britain's oldest trading partner. The French occupied Spain in May 1808, which led to a Spanish and Portuguese revolt. A British expeditionary force under the temporary command of Wellington was sent to Iberia on 1 August by Lord Grenville 's ministry; in its first campaign the British defeated the French at the Battle of Rolica and at Vimeiro.

Unfortunately, the new commander, Lieutenant General Sir Henry Burrard insisted that the Convention of Cintra was signed: it gave very favourable terms to the French. Wellington was blamed for the Convention although he was cleared of responsibility by a military enquiry in Britain whence he returned in October 1808. Sir John Moore was left in command of the army in the Peninsular. In January 1809, Moore led his troops in retreat to Corunna but was killed in the subsequent battle. Wellington resigned as Chief Secretary for Ireland and resumed command of the army in Iberia. From then until 1815, Wellington was occupied with leading the British army in the defeat of the French. He was created Earl of Wellington in February 1812 at Spencer Perceval 's recommendation; eight months later, at the start of Lord Liverpool 's ministry, he was elevated to a Marquisate and in May 1814 he was given a Dukedom; he took his seat in the House of Lords in June.

Parliament gave him several grants of money in recognition of his achievements in the French Wars including a £15,000 annuity in 1814 and £200,000 in 1815 to buy an estate: he purchased Stratfield Saye in Hampshire.. He also received £60,000 in prize money after the Battle of Waterloo but returned £40,000 of this to the Treasury. The Duke of Wellington bought Stratfield Saye in 1817, using the money voted to him by parliament for 'services rendered' in the defeat of Napoleon. Wellington's comment after the Battle of Waterloo was, 'Nothing except a battle lost can be half so melancholy as a battle won'. Although he was appointed as Commander-in-Chief of the Army, he did not return to active military life but became a politician and 'elder statesman'.

He was important as a diplomat in the years following the defeat of Napoleon at the Battle of Leipzig in 1814 and then after Waterloo in June 1815: August 1814 Wellington took up residence in Paris as Ambassador to France April-March 1815 he was Britain's representative at the Congress of Vienna July-November 1815 (after Waterloo) he was commander of the army of occupation in France; he was Britain's delegate to the Congress of Aix la Chapelle October-November 1822 he was Britain's delegate to the Congress of Verona February-May 1826 Wellington was sent to Russia to try to avert a Russo-Turkish war over Greece. Czar Nicholas I had succeeded to the throne in 1825 and was very much an 'unknown quantity' at this point On 22 January 1827 Wellington accepted the post of Commander-in-Chief of the British army but resigned when Canning became PM in April. He was reappointed by Goderich in August 1827 and then became PM in his own right on 22 January 1828.

When it was realised that he was still Commander-in-Chief there was a public outcry and he was forced to resign that position. Wellington's Tory government was defeated in the House of Commons when MPs voted in favour of repealing the Test and Corporation Acts. In February 1828 Wellington decided to pass the legislation himself, a measure in diametric opposition to traditional Tory 'Crown, Church and Constitution' policies. The next month Wellington's President of the Board of Trade introduced legislation for a sliding scale on corn duties which was passed without amendment. Huskisson refused to vote with the government and resigned, precipitating the County Clare election that led ultimately to the passing of the Catholic Emancipation Act on 13 April 1829. However, before the legislation passed, the Duke fought a duel with Lord Winchilsea over the issue of Catholic Emancipation: both men deloped and honour was deemed to be satisfied. Wellington also took the opportunity of Huskisson's resignation to remove all the other Canningites who were in his Cabinet. "Number 1, London": Apsley House, the London home of the Duke of Wellington.

He had steel shutters fitted to the windows because they were cheaper than replacing the glass each time a mob broke them. [Click on thumbnail for larger image.] Following the death of George IV, the new king William IV kept Wellington as his PM; however, the campaign for parliamentary reform was gathering strength and was advocated by the Whigs in both Houses of Parliament. On 2 November, Earl Grey demanded to know whether Wellington intended to introduce any reform measure. Wellington's speech in response to Grey's question caused such a furore that he was obliged to resign on 16 November; Earl Grey formed the first Whig ministry since 1783 and brought in the so-called Great Reform Bill in 1832. After Grey's resignation in July 1834, a ministry that lasted only four months was formed by Lord Melbourne . When he resigned, the king asked Wellington to form a ministry. The Duke declined but suggested that the post should be offered to Sir Robert Peel who was in Italy. Wellington became acting PM until Peel's return, remaining in the Cabinet as Foreign Minister in Peel's first ministry.

When Peel resigned in April 1835, Wellington found himself out of office; he led the Tory opposition in the House of Lords until the start of Peel's second ministry in September 1841, at which point he became a Cabinet Minister without Portfolio until Peel's next resignation in June 1846. Three illustrations from The Illustrated London News's series on Wellington's funeral — left to right: Lying in State at Chelsea Hospital; the Funeral Procession; and The Duke of Wellington's Funeral Car. [Click on thumbnails for larger images.] Once he was out of office, Wellington was appointed as Commander-in-Chief of the army, a post that he held until his death, which took place suddenly at Walmer Castle on 14 September 1852. He lay in state there until 10 November and then in Chelsea Hospital until 17 November. He was given a state funeral and was buried in St. Paul's Cathedral . He was 83 years old.

Related Materials Arthur Wellesley, 1st duke of Wellington | prime minister of Great Britain | Britannica.com Arthur Wellesley, 1st duke of Wellington prime minister of Great Britain Written By: Alternative Titles: Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, Marquess of Douro, Marquess of Wellington, Earl of Wellington, Viscount Wellington of Talavera and of Wellington, Baron Douro or Wellesley, Arthur Wesley, Iron Duke, Sir Arthur Wellesley Arthur Wellesley, 1st duke of Wellington Prime minister of Great Britain Also known as Iron Duke Arthur Wesley Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, Marquess of Douro, Marquess of Wellington, Earl of Wellington, Viscount Wellington of Talavera and of Wellington, Baron Douro or Wellesley Sir Arthur Wellesley Sir William Francis Patrick Napier Arthur Wellesley, 1st duke of Wellington, in full Arthur Wellesley, 1st duke of Wellington, marquess of Douro, marquess of Wellington, earl of Wellington, Viscount Wellington of Talavera and of Wellington, Baron Douro or Wellesley, byname Iron Duke (born May 

1, 1769, Dublin , Ireland —died September 14, 1852, Walmer Castle, Kent , England ), Irish-born commander of the British army during the Napoleonic Wars and later prime minister of Great Britain (1828–30).

He first rose to military prominence in India , won successes in the Peninsular War in Spain (1808–14), and shared in the victory over Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo (1815). Arthur Wellesley, 1st duke of Wellington, oil on canvas by Sir Thomas Lawrence. The Granger Collection, New York Wellington twice reached the zenith of fame with a period of unexampled odium intervening. By defeating Napoleon at Waterloo he became the conqueror of the world’s conqueror. After Waterloo he joined a repressive government, and later, as prime minister, he resisted pressure for constitutional reform. False pride, however, never prevented him from retreating either on the field or in Parliament, and for the country’s sake he supported policies that he personally disapproved. In old age he was idolized as an incomparable public servant—the Great Duke. Reaction came after his death. He has been rated an overcautious general and, once, Britain’s worst 19th-century prime minister. Today there is widespread appreciation of his military genius and of his character as an honest and selfless politician, uncorrupted by vast prestige .

Early life Wesley (later, from 1798, Wellesley) was the fifth son of the 1st earl of Mornington. Too withdrawn to benefit from his Eton schooling, he was sent to a military academy in France, being, in his widowed mother’s words, “food for powder and nothing more.” At the age of 18 he was commissioned in the army and appointed aide-de-camp to the Irish viceroy. In 1790–97 he held the family seat of Trim in the Irish Parliament. At 24, though in debt, he proposed to Catherine (Kitty) Pakenham but was rejected. Arthur abandoned heavy gambling to concentrate on his profession. As lieutenant colonel of the 33rd Foot by purchase, he saw active service in Flanders (1794–95), learning from his superiors’ blunders. After failing to obtain civil employment, he was glad to be posted to India in 1796. In India he adopted a regimen of abstemiousness and good humour. The arrival of his eldest brother, Richard, as viceroy enabled him to exploit his talents.

He commanded a division against Tipu Sultan of Mysore and became governor of Mysore (1799) and commander in chief against the Marathas. Victories, especially at Assaye (1803), resulted in a peace that he himself negotiated. All the successful qualities he later exhibited on European battlefields were developed in India: decision, common sense, and attention to detail; care of his soldiers and their supplies; and good relations with the civilian population. Napoleon was unwise in later writing him off as a mere “Sepoy general.” Wellesley returned to England in 1805 with a knighthood. Britannica Stories Ringling Bros. Folds Its Tent Wellesley’s new assignments were disappointing: an abortive expedition to Hannover, followed by a brigade at Hastings. But he felt he must serve wherever duty required. One duty was to marry his faded Kitty in 1806; another was to enter Parliament in order to repel radical attacks on his brother’s Indian record. He spent two years in Ireland as Tory chief secretary. On a brief military expedition in Copenhagen (1807), a welcome break, he defeated a small Danish force.

When in 1808 the Portuguese rose against Napoleon, Wellesley was ordered to support them. Victory in the Napoleonic Wars British Culture and Politics Wellesley did not intend to be “half beaten before the battle began”—the usual effect on continental armies of Napoleon’s supremacy. With “steady troops” he expected to master the French attack. His “thin red line” of British infantry did indeed defeat Gen. Andoche Junot’s columns at Vimeiro (August 21), but the arrival of two superior British officers prevented a pursuit because they preferred to sign the unpopular convention of Sintra , whereby Junot’s army was repatriated. Public outcry brought about the court-martial of Wellesley and his colleagues. Though acquitted, Wellesley returned to Ireland as chief secretary. After the British evacuated Spain, however, he persuaded the government to let him renew hostilities in 1809, arguing that Portugal could still be held, a decision that was crucial to Europe.

Landing at Lisbon , he surprised Marshal Nicolas-Jean de Dieu Soult , captured Oporto , and chased the French back into Spain, but a joint Anglo-Spanish advance on Madrid failed despite a victory at Talavera (July 27–28). Though rewarded with a peerage for his offensive, Viscount Wellington retreated with his greatly outnumbered force to his Portuguese base, defeating Marshal André Masséna at Bussaco on the way (September 27, 1810). He had secretly fortified the famous “lines of Torres Vedras ” across the Lisbon peninsula. Masséna’s evacuation of Portugal in the spring of 1811 and the loss of Fuentes de Oñoro (May 3–5) triumphantly justified Wellington’s defensive, scorched-earth policy and confirmed his soldiers’ trust in him. He was nicknamed “nosey” by his men, and “the beau” by his officers, for his slim five feet nine inches, the perfectly cut civilian clothes he preferred to wear, his wavy brown hair, and brilliant blue eyes.

Britannica Lists & Quizzes Editor Picks: Exploring 10 Types of Basketball Movies His slowly growing army was not strong enough to capture the Spanish fortresses of Ciudad Rodrigo and Badajoz until 1812. Then, having defeated “40,000 Frenchmen in 40 minutes” at Salamanca (July 22), he entered Madrid (August 12). His siege of Burgos failed and his army retreated again to Portugal, from which it was launched for the last time into Spain in May 1813. After a dash across the peninsula, he brought the French to bay at Vitoria , routing them and capturing all their baggage (June 21). This glittering prize was too much for the victors, who let the French escape into the Pyrenees, while Wellington denounced his drunken troops as “the scum of the earth.” The victory at Vitoria gave impetus to the European alliance against Napoleon, and Soult’s initial success in the Pyrenees could not prevent Wellington from taking San Sebastián and Pamplona .

When dry weather came, Wellington invaded France, crossing the river lines one after another until on April 10, 1814, he stormed into Toulouse, thus ending the Peninsular War . (Four days earlier Napoleon had abdicated.) Already marquess and field marshal, he was now created a duke, with the nation’s gift of £500,000 and later of Stratfield Saye in Hampshire to keep up his position. British commander Arthur Wellesley overseeing the removal of the French flag after his forces … © Photos.com/Thinkstock Facebook Twitter YouTube Instagram Pinterest With Napoleon on Elba , Wellington was appointed ambassador to the restored Bourbon court of Louis XVIII . In February 1815 he took the place of Viscount Castlereagh, the foreign secretary, at the Congress of Vienna , but, before delegates could finish their peacemaking, Napoleon had escaped, landing in France (March 1) to begin his Hundred Days . The victory of Wellington and the Prussian field marshal Gebhard Leberecht Blücher on June 18 at Waterloo established the duke as Europe’s most renowned—if not most jubilant—hero.

“I hope to God that I have fought my last battle,” he said, weeping for the fallen. “It is a bad thing to be always fighting.” His hope was fulfilled. As commander in chief during the occupation of France, he opposed a punitive peace, organized loans to rescue French finances, and advised withdrawal of the occupying troops after three years. For these policies he won the gratitude of the peace congress, returning home in 1818 with the batons (symbol of field marshal) of six foreign countries. British commander Arthur Wellesley doffing his hat to another officer in the thick of the Battle of … © Photos.com/Thinkstock Role in the cabinet Wellington’s experiences abroad prevented him from ever becoming a party politician. Though he joined the earl of Liverpool’s Tory cabinet as master general of the ordnance, he exempted himself from automatically opposing a subsequent Whig government: “a factious opposition,” he argued, “is highly injurious to the interests of the country.” His identification with the party of law and order, however, increased when postwar discontent boiled over in the Peterloo Massacre at a Manchester demonstration for parliamentary reform and the Cato Street Conspiracy , a plot to murder the cabinet.

The popular George Canning succeeded Viscount Castlereagh as foreign secretary in 1822. Despite Canning’s antipathy to the congress system, Wellington himself overbore George IV ’s personal objections to him, believing that the system was by now unshakably established. When Canning extricated Britain from its European commitments, Wellington was left to bitter self-reproach. His own diplomatic failures at the Congress of Verona (1822), at which he vainly sought to heal dissension among the European allies, and in Russia (1826) increased his chagrin . Straightforward to a fault, Wellington was unsuited to carrying out Canning’s subtle policies, but he gained respect abroad as an honest man. Trending Topics Eyjafjallajökull volcano In 1825 Wellington turned to Ireland ’s problem, formulating it as a basic dilemma: political violence would end only after the Catholics’ claim to sit in Parliament, known as Catholic Emancipation , had been granted; yet the Protestant Ascendancy, or establishment, must be preserved.

He worked privately at a solution, by which a papal concordat to ensure at least minimum control of Catholic clergy would be the precondition of Emancipation. When Canning, an unqualified Emancipator, became prime minister in April 1827, however, Wellington felt that Protestant Ascendancy was in jeopardy. He and Robert Peel headed a mass exodus from the government, Wellington also resigning his command of the army. This action was interpreted as pique at the king’s choosing his rival for prime minister. In denying the allegation, Wellington rashly asserted that he, a soldier, would be “worse than mad” to consider himself fit for the premiership. After Canning’s death that August , he resumed his army command. Within five months Canning’s successor, Viscount Goderich, had given up the task, and on January 9, 1828, the king summoned the duke of Wellington. Years as prime minister The duke’s aim was to achieve a strong and balanced government by reuniting the Tory Party.

Having reluctantly resigned again as commander in chief, he invited the Canningites, headed by William Huskisson , to serve, while dropping the ultra-Tories as incompatible with his policy of moderation. With the right wing thus alienated, a chasm began to open on the left. The opposition’s demand for extensive reforms met with sympathy from Huskisson’s group. Wisely, the duke retreated, first on a church issue, himself reforming the Test and Corporation Acts that penalized Nonconformists, and again on a Corn Law (prohibiting importation of cheaper foreign grains) question, introducing a more liberal reform than he and the agricultural interest desired. Shortly afterward, however, he collided head-on with the Huskissonites on parliamentary reform; the whole group resigned in May. A further crisis immediately arose during the by-election in Clare, Ireland, where William Vesey-Fitzgerald, Huskisson’s ministerial successor, defending his seat, was defeated by Daniel O’Connell , the Irish Catholic leader. The defeat of Vesey-Fitzgerald, a popular pro-Catholic, carried an alarming moral for the duke: until Emancipation was granted, no Tory would win in southern Ireland. There might well be civil war.

In August 1828 Wellington therefore undertook the most exacting political duty of his career—the conversion of George IV, Peel, who was now leader of the Commons , and a majority of Tories to Catholic Emancipation, a reform that they had hitherto regarded as anathema . It took six months of indefatigable persuasion behind closed doors to win over the king. Peel’s position was equally problematic—as a publicly declared Protestant, he clung to the idea of supporting Emancipation only from the back benches—but finally Wellington’s patience and Peel’s generosity prevailed, and he agreed to continue leading the Commons. A number of ultra-Tories defied to the last Wellington’s order to “right-about face,” but the majority of the party obeyed. So in April 1829, though the Tories were split, Catholic Emancipation became law, the duke’s greatest political victory, with melodrama being added by his fighting a duel with an abusive ultra-Tory, the earl of Winchilsea. Wellington has sometimes been criticized for inconsistency. It now appears that he was merely secretive in not taking the public into his confidence much earlier.

His willingness for some form of Emancipation by 1825 might with advantage have been disclosed. A demand for further changes, already stimulated by Wellington’s own achievements, was powerfully reinforced by countrywide hardship during 1829–30 and canalized by Charles Grey , the 2nd Earl Grey, the Whig leader, into fresh moves for parliamentary reform that would allow industrial towns like Birmingham to have a voice in Parliament, in place of pocket boroughs owned by the nobility and gentry. Expression of dissatisfaction with Wellington’s fatalistic attitude toward poverty and unemployment was made possible when the accession of William IV in 1830, following George IV’s death, provided a general election. France’s bourgeois revolution that same year—the July Revolution—greatly encouraged British reformers. Though Wellington’s ministry survived, it was weakened, and Huskisson’s sudden death frustrated tentative plans for reconciliation. Wellington saw parliamentary reform not as a panacea but as constitutional suicide. A fortnight before the opening of Parliament he wrote a letter to a friend denouncing reform as ruinous and disclosing his unalterable decision to oppose it. He staggered Parliament on November 2 with an uncompromising declaration against any reform whatever.

A combination of reformers and vengeful ultra-Tories defeated him on the 15th. Peel made him resign the next day. He was succeeded by Grey. As a soldier, Wellington had shown uncanny ability in guessing what lay “on the other side of the hill.” Through lack of political imagination, however, he saw revolution beyond the hill of reform—“revolution by due course of law.” For this delusion he was deservedly called reactionary. Last years In opposition, the duke proceeded to thwart Grey’s attempts to get a reform bill through the Lords. Wellington’s windows were twice smashed by radical mobs, and his iron shutters helped form the image of an iron duke. The titanic struggle culminated in the crisis of May 1832, which promised to end like the July Revolution of France. The king refused to create enough new peers to overwhelm the hostile Lords, Grey resigned, and Wellington failed to recruit an alternative government. Faced by tumultuous deadlock, Wellington, still opposing reform, then retreated for the sake of the country, persuading his followers to join him in absenting himself from Parliament until the Reform Bill became law in June. He was mobbed nonetheless by an angry crowd on Waterloo Day.

“An odd day to choose” was his only comment. Arthur Wellesley, 1st duke of Wellington, hand-coloured engraving after a portrait by Thomas … © Photos.com/Thinkstock The duke’s abstention had saved the Lords, and, as long as he led the Tory peers, he continued to steer them away from fatal clashes with the Commons. Whenever possible he supported the king’s government. In 1834 William IV dismissed the Whigs by a political coup, summoning the duke to form a ministry, but the 65-year-old duke replied that Peel must be prime minister. This abnegation, most rare in a politician, did not go unappreciated. He served under Peel as foreign secretary (1834–35) and as minister without portfolio (1841–46). He also served as chancellor of Oxford, constable of the Tower, lord-lieutenant of Hampshire, and elder brother and later master of Trinity House, not to mention Queen Victoria’s father figure. He made a mistake in holding the chief command of the army throughout his last 10 years, because he was past initiating the reforms that were later sorely needed.

Nevertheless, he showed a touch of his old genius in 1848, when his calm handling of a threatened Chartist rising prevented any violence. Thanks to his again ordering the peers to “right-about face,” this time over the Corn Laws , he enabled Peel to abolish them. Wellington retired from public life after 1846, though he was still consulted by all parties. Apsley House, his town residence at Hyde Park Corner, was known as No. 1 London . As lord warden of the Cinque Ports , he died at Walmer Castle, his favourite residence, from a stroke in 1852. He was given a monumental state funeral, the last heraldic one in Great Britain, and was buried in St. Paul’s Cathedral. Personal life The phrase “retained servant of King and people” and variants of it were used repeatedly by the duke of himself and aptly suggest the self-dedication for which he is chiefly honoured. Many amusing personal peculiarities in clothes and correspondence, together with a gift for repartee , made him a “character” as well as a hero. “Publish and be damned!” was his famous retort to a blackmailer.

His marriage was not happy: Kitty both feared him and worshipped him to excess. She died on April 24, 1831. Of his two sons, the elder edited his latest Despatches and the younger produced the grandchildren to whom he was devoted, as he was to all children. His intense friendships with Harriet (the wife of Charles) Arbuthnot, Angela Georgina Burdett-Coutts, and others showed that he could have been happy with a clever woman; perhaps he was happiest of all, however, in the camaraderie of his staff—his military family. Some modern historians have objected to the posthumous title Iron Duke on the reasonable grounds that he was neither cold nor hard-hearted. Yet he himself often boasted of his iron hand in maintaining discipline . His engaging simplicity and extraordinary lack of vanity were expressed in a favourite saying, “I am but a man.” BBC - History - British History in depth: The Duke of Wellington: Soldiering to Glory Print this page Early life Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (1769-1852), was probably Britain's greatest military commander, but he was also perhaps one of her worst prime ministers.

Fortunately his premiership was only short-lived, and its failings were more than made up for by the splendour of his wartime career. At a time of peril, when his country most desperately needed victories, this great soldier never lost a battle. Wellesley was born in Dublin, the fourth son of the 1st Earl of Mornington. He always denied being Irish, however, saying that being born in a barn does not make someone a horse. He felt he was not truly Irish because he hailed from the Anglo-Irish aristocratic 'Protestant Ascendancy' that ruled Ireland until the partition of 1922. ...his mother decried the idea of a military career for him, believing him to have no aptitude for soldiering... He was educated first at Eton, where he learned little except perhaps how to use his fists, and then - probably due to lack of funds because of his father's early death - at school in Brussels. He entered the French military academy at Angers, in Anjou, in 1786.

Although his mother decried the idea of a military career for him, believing him to have no aptitude for soldiering, he was commissioned as a lieutenant in an infantry regiment in 1787 and became a captain of dragoons five years later. In the meantime he was elected to a seat in the Irish parliament, but took as little interest in politics as he initially did in soldiering, preferring to idle his life away socialising and playing the violin. Indeed, he might have spent his entire life as a wallflower attending the picnics of the Irish Lord-Lieutenant as an aide-de-camp, had not the French executed King Louis XVI in 1793, prompting Wellesley suddenly to take his life and career seriously. He burned his violin in his fireplace, and became a lieutenant colonel of the 33rd Foot Regiment, in which capacity he saw his first action at Boxtel in the Netherlands campaign in 1794, and then fought again at Geldermalsen the following year. Top Winning victories An oil painting of the storming of Srirangapatna by Sir Robert Ker Porter, 1800.

© The campaign was short-lived and disastrous, though no blame attached to Wellesley, who performed well. The incompetence of the British officers in command, however, prompted him to take up a still closer study of the military arts. When his elder brother Richard became the new Governor-General of India in 1797, Wellesley took the 33rd Foot out there and founded a great reputation for himself as a brilliant but also painstaking commander. His victories in Mysore, at Srirangapatna and over Dhoondiah Waugh won him promotion to major-general. ...Wellesley...founded a great reputation for himself as a brilliant but also painstaking commander. In the Mahratta Wars, in September 1803, Wellesley won the famous victory of Assaye. Subsequently he considered this to be the finest of all the 60 battles he fought in his military career. He was knighted the following year and in 1805 he returned home, stopping off on the way on the remote island of St Helena in the Atlantic Ocean.

In 1806, after having commanded thousands of men and subdued hostile sub-continents, he was given the command of a lowly battalion in Hastings. He was elected MP for Hastings in the same year. An oil painting of the storming of Srirangapatna, by Sir Robert Ker Porter, 1800. One of the regiments was commanded by Wellesley © This time he took politics more seriously, and became Chief Secretary for Ireland in 1807, largely as the result of the influence of his ambitious family, who were prominent Tory politicians. He also found time to take part in the Copenhagen campaign, which was short-lived, though not quite so disastrous as earlier British incursions to Napoleon's Europe. Top Opportunity for glory He told a friend that he would not be chased off the continent as so many other similar forces had been... In 1808, by then a lieutenant-general, Wellesley was at last given an opportunity for genuine glory, when he was - albeit briefly - given command of the British expeditionary force destined for Portugal.

He told a friend that he would not be chased off the continent as so many other similar forces had been, because he had made a study of French tactics, and would not be at any kind of psychological disadvantage in relation to the enemy. 'They may overwhelm me but I don't think they will outmanoeuvre me', he said. 'First, because I am not afraid of them, as everybody else seems to be; and secondly, because if what I hear of their system of manoeuvre is true, I think it a false one against steady troops. I suspect that all the continental armies were more than half beaten before the battle was begun - I, at least, will not be frightened beforehand.' It was a brave boast, but fully justified by subsequent events. The Iberian Peninsular campaign started off well after victories at Rolica and Vimeiro. Soon afterwards, however, Wellesley was superseded in command by two generals, Sir Harry Burrard and Sir Hew Dalrymple, who signed an armistice with the French that allowed the defeated enemy safe passage home, with all their arms and booty and even transportation in Royal Navy vessels.

Back in Britain there was outrage at the terms of what was called the Convention of Cintra, and an 'inquiry' (which was effectively a court-martial) was heard in the Great Hall of the Royal Hospital at Chelsea. After several weeks, Wellesley was finally acquitted. Soon after the Cintra inquiry closed, Wellesley returned to the Peninsula, once again in command. In one of history's great coincidences, however, the time he had spent in England had coincided with the two months that Napoleon had campaigned in Spain. So the two men missed confronting one another, and only came face to face for the first and last time at the battle of Waterloo six years later. The leadership Wellesley showed in the Peninsular campaign was exemplary... Having resumed command in Portugal in 1809, Wellesley - aided at all times by the Portuguese army and the Spanish guerrillas - spent the next five years trying to expel the French from the Peninsula. He took not one day's leave as he campaigned backwards and forwards across Portugal and Spain, occasionally being forced to retreat because of the pressure of numbers opposing him, but never losing a battle or even so much as a single cannon.

He was almost always outnumbered by the huge French forces that were occupying Spain in the name of Napoleon's brother, King Joseph of Spain. The leadership Wellesley showed in the Peninsular campaign was exemplary; he won a reputation for expecting the best from his men, and for being a harsh disciplinarian when he did not get it. Yet his troops also knew he never risked their lives unnecessarily. Top Battle of Waterloo A painting of the Battle of Waterloo by M Dubourg © Wellesley - who by now had been created Duke of Wellington - had crossed the Pyrenees into France before Napoleon abdicated for the first time in 1814, and after this he became British Ambassador in Paris. He was then appointed British plenipotentiary to the Congress of Vienna. He was in Vienna when, in March 1815, the news arrived that the ex-Emperor Napoleon had escaped from exile on the island of Elba. Pausing only to declare Napoleon an international outlaw, Wellington went to take up command of the Anglo-Allied army in Brussels.

This was made up of an ungainly mix of units of British, Dutch, Belgian and some German soldiers, a large proportion of whom were raw recruits. It was far removed from the seasoned army Wellington had moulded into a crack fighting unit in Spain and Portugal. In June 1815 Napoleon suddenly marched north into present-day Belgium, making for Brussels. On 16th June he simultaneously attacked the Anglo-Allied army at Quatre Bras and the Prussian army under Field Marshal Prince von Blucher at Ligny, routing the latter. Wellington was forced to retreat to the easily defended slopes of Mont St-Jean, three miles south of his headquarters at Waterloo. Only three-and-a-half miles wide, the battlefield was protected by woods and villages on the flanks, and by two well-defended farms - Hougomont and La Haie Sainte - in the centre. ...The Duke was everywhere on the battlefield... The French attacked before noon on Sunday 18th June, but after repeated assaults they failed to break Wellington's line. The Duke was everywhere on the battlefield, encouraging his men and giving orders about how best to repulse the French attacks. He later described the battle as 'a close run thing'.

By the afternoon, Prussian corps that had survived the Battle of Ligny - and that unbeknown to Napoleon had marched northwards rather than eastwards back towards Prussia - began appearing on Wellington's left flank. Napoleon was forced to draw off many of the troops he had hoped to employ against Wellington, in order to deal with them. By 7pm, after his famed Imperial Guard had also failed to break Wellington's line, Napoleon was routed. A month later he had abdicated for the second time and surrendered to the British, who exiled him to the remote island of St Helena in the Atlantic Ocean. Top Covered in honours Wellington was covered in honours by Britain and by all the European powers, but instead of retiring he entered the British Cabinet in 1818, staying there as Master-General of Ordinance until 1827. The following year he became prime minister and in 1829, despite being a reactionary Tory, and against his private inclinations, he helped pass the Catholic Relief Act, with the aid of Sir Robert Peel. He resigned in 1830 when it became clear that he could not prevent parliamentary reform from being enacted.

...nothing can detract from the untarnished glory he earned as the conqueror of Napoleon. As commander-in-chief of the British Army between 1827 and 1828, and from 1842 until his death in 1852, Wellington was a force for conservatism, and it has been argued that the lack of army reform under his leadership led to the British army being ill-prepared for the Crimean War. But even if his political and administrative career was distinctly less impressive than his military and diplomatic achievements, nothing can detract from the untarnished glory he earned as the conqueror of Napoleon. Along with the 1st Duke of Marlborough, he stands as one of the finest two soldiers Britain has ever produced.

Wellington: a personal history by Christopher Hibbert (HarperCollins, 1998) Wellington by Richard Holmes (HarperCollins, 2002) Napoleon and Wellington by Andrew Roberts (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2001) Wellington by Elizabeth Longford (Abacus, 2001) Places to visit Apsley House Home of the first Duke of Wellington and the London home of the Dukes of Wellington ever since. The house is open to the public all year. [The BBC is not responsible for the content of external websites.] Top About the author Andrew Roberts is author of The Holy Fox, Eminent Churchillians, Salisbury: Victorian Titan and Napoleon and Wellington. He also appears regularly on British television and radio, and writes for The Sunday Telegraph.

Question: What was the family name of the Duke of Wellington
Answer: Wellesley