Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington

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Field marshal Wellington (left) and Generalfeldmarschall Fürst Blücher von Wahlstatt (de) congratulate each other after their victory over Napoleon on 18 June 1815 shortly after 9 p.m. south of the dairy near the inn "La Belle Alliance" (which fittingly is translated as "the beautiful alliance") a few miles south of Brussels.

Arthur Wellesley, since 1814 1st Duke of Wellington (b. 1 May 1769 in Dublin, Ireland; d. 14 September 1852 in Walmer Castle, Kent), was a British officer and the 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). He also served as a politician during and after his military career.

Wellington was an honorary Generalfeldmarschall of the Prussian Army. After his death, he was buried with both an English and a specially made Prussian marshal's baton. He was also a Field Marshal of the Imperial Russian Army, the Austro-Hungarian Army, as well as of Portugal and the Netherlands.

Life

Arthur Wellesley 1st Duke of Wellington is today more famous as a soldier than as a politician. In fact, as the Prime Minister, he was known for his measures to repress reform, and his popularity sank a little during his time in office. The Duke of Wellington was born in Dublin to the Earl and Countess of Mornington. Fatherless at an early age, and neglected by his mother, he was a reserved, withdrawn child. He failed to shine at Eton, and instead attended private classes in Brussels, followed by a military school in Angers. Ironically, the young duke had no desire for a military career. Instead he wished to pursue his love of music. Following his mother’s wishes, however, he joined a Highland regiment. He fought at Flanders in 1794, and directed the campaign in India in 1796, where his elder brother was Governor General. Knighted for his efforts, he returned to England in 1805. In 1806 he was elected Member of Parliament for Rye, and within a year he was appointed Chief Secretary of Ireland by the Duke of Portland. He continued with his military career despite his parliamentary duties, fighting campaigns in Portugal and France, and being made commander of the British Army in the Peninsular War. He was given the title Duke of Wellington in 1814, and went on to command his most celebrated campaigns in the Napoleonic Wars, with final victory at Waterloo in 1815. When he returned to Britain he was treated as a hero, formally honoured, and presented with both an estate in Hampshire and a fortune of £400,000. After the Battle of Waterloo, he became Commander in Chief of the army in occupied France until November 1818. He then returned to England and Parliament, and joined Lord Liverpool’s government in 1819 as Master General of the Ordnance. He undertook a number of diplomatic visits overseas, including a trip to Russia. In 1828, after twice being overlooked in favour of Canning and Goderich, the Duke of Wellington was finally invited by King George IV to form his own government and set about forming his Cabinet. As Prime Minister, he was very conservative; known for his measures to repress reform, his popularity sank a little during his time in office. Yet one of his first achievements was overseeing Catholic emancipation in 1829, the granting of almost full civil rights to Catholics in the United Kingdom. Feelings ran very high on the issue. The duke persuaded the King only by his threat of resignation. Lord Winchilsea, an opponent of the bill, claimed that by granting freedoms to Catholics Wellington “treacherously plotted the destruction of the Protestant constitution”. As a result, he and Winchilsea fought a duel in Battersea Park in March 1829. They deliberately missed each other in firing, and honour was satisfied. The duke had a much less enlightened position on parliamentary reform. He defended rule by the elite and refused to expand the political franchise. His fear of mob rule was enhanced by the riots and sabotage that followed rising rural unemployment. His opposition to reform caused his popularity to plummet to such an extent that crowds gathered to throw missiles at his London home. The government was defeated in the Commons, and the duke resigned, to be replaced by Earl Grey. He continued to fight reform in opposition, though he finally consented to the Great Reform Bill in 1832. Two years later he refused a second invitation to form a government, and instead joined Sir Robert Peel’s ministry as Foreign Secretary. He later became Leader of the House of Lords, and upon Sir Robert Peel’s resignation in 1846, retired from politics. In 1848 he organised a military force to protect London against possible Chartist violence at the large meeting at Kennington Common. ‘The Iron Duke’ died in September 1852 after a series of seizures. After lying in state in London, he was buried in St Paul’s Cathedral, London. The Wellington Arch still stands in London’s Hyde Park. He also gave his name to the humble Wellington boot.[1]

Awards, decorations and honors (excerpt)

  • Knighthood (1804)
  • Knight of the Order of the Garter
  • Order of the Elephant
  • Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
  • Order of Ferdinand, Grand Cross
  • Knight of the Spanish Order of the Golden Fleece
  • Order of the Tower and Sword, Grand Cross
  • Order of Saint Andrew, Grand Cross
  • Knight of the Order of the White Eagle
  • Order of the Sword, Grand Cross
  • Military Order of William, Grand Cross
  • Knight of the Order of the Holy Spirit
  • Order of Saint Ferdinand and Merit, Grand Cross
  • Knight of the Order of Saint January
  • Knight of the Order of the Annunciation

Orders from German Lands

  • Knight of the Royal Saxon Order of the Rautenkrone
  • Knight of the Baden Order of Loyalty
  • Knight Grand Cross of the Guelph Order
  • Order of St. George (Hanover), Grand Cross
  • Order of the Black Eagle
  • Order of the Red Eagle, Grand Cross
  • Military Order of Max Joseph, Grand Cross
  • Military Order of Maria Theresa, Grand Cross
  • Military Merit Order (Württemberg), Grand Cross
  • House Order of the Golden Lion, Grand Cross
  • House Order of the White Falcon, Grand Cross

Honorary Colonel and Regimental Commander

  • Honorary Colonel of the Royal British Grenadier Regiment of Foot (Grenadier Guards) 1827–1852
  • Colonel-in-Chief (Oberstinhaber) of the Rifle Brigade 1820–1852
  • Commander of the Imperial Russian Smolensk Infantry Regiment
  • Commander (Regimentsinhaber) of the Imperial and Royal Austrian Infantry Regiment No. 42
  • Commander (Regimentschef) of the 28th Prussian Infantry Regiment 18 April 1826 to 14 September 1852

External links

Encyclopedias

References

  1. ↑ Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
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