Arthur Wellesley: The Iron Duke of Wellington Who Beat Napoleon

Undoubtedly one of Britain’s greatest heroes, Arthur Wellesley, the 1st Duke of Wellington, is known mainly for his victory over Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, which ended over seven centuries of conflict between England and France.

His influence, however, spread beyond the fame of Waterloo. Wellesley was largely responsible for Britain’s victory during the entirety of the Napoleonic Wars, after which he served two terms as Prime Minister. In essence, the Duke of Wellington’s influence shaped and characterized Britain during the first half of the 19th century.

Born into aristocracy on May 1, 1769, his mother was Anne, Countess of Mornington, and his father was Garret Wesley, 1st Earl of Mornington. He was of Anglo-Irish origin and was born in Dublin, although the exact place is subject to debate. He was the sixth of nine children.

He spent most of his childhood in his family’s two homes, one in Dublin and the other, a stately home named Dangan Castle (now in disrepair) in County Meath.

In 1781, Arthur’s father died, and his eldest brother Richard inherited the bulk of Garrett’s estate, including the title of Earl. He went to several schools during his childhood before enrolling at Eton College in London.

Arthur was extremely unhappy during his time at Eton. He was lonely and did not perform well at school. With financial troubles looming, his mother decided to move with her family to Brussels. Despite the change, Arthur showed little sign of improving his academic abilities until 1786, when he enrolled in the French Royal Academy of Equitation in Angers.

At this school, he took to horsemanship with eagerness, and he learned French. His progress was such that his mother was pleasantly surprised. Arthur seemed to have found more purpose in life.

Arthur was also interested in music and began considering a career as a musician.

Arthur Joins the Military

Arthur returned to Ireland, and in 1787, with his brother’s help, he got a post as an ensign in the 73rd Regiment of Foot. Within a few months, he was the aide-de-camp to Lord Buckingham, the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland. This was a promising start to what would become an illustrious military career. On January 30, 1791, he was promoted to captain and was transferred to the 58th Regiment of Foot, and in October, he was transferred again to the 18th Light Dragoons.

During this time, Arthur began to consider marriage prospects and proposed to Catherine “Kitty” Pakenham, the daughter of Edward Pakenham, 2nd Baron Longford. Her brother, Thomas, intervened and refused to allow his sister to marry Arthur, whom he thought had poor prospects. In a fit of rage and despair, Arthur gave up on his ambitions to become a musician and burned his violins.

He decided to devote himself to a military career and purchased the rank of major in the 33rd Regiment, after which he purchased his lieutenant colonelcy. His first taste of war would soon follow.

During the War of the First Coalition (1792–1797), Wellington and the 33rd Regiment were sent to the Low Countries to fight the French in what would turn out to be a disaster for the British. The Coalition forces, which included the British, were defeated. Wellesley’s first taste of battle came at the Battle of Boxtel on September 15, 1794. In temporary command of the 33rd, he successfully held off the enemy, providing time for an orderly retreat of British forces.

Although the campaign was a failure, Wellesley learned many lessons, mostly about what not to do. He also learned about line formations, tactics that would serve him well throughout his career, and very notably, at Waterloo.

Wellesley in India and Denmark

In 1796, Arthur Wellesley sailed to India, where his brother had been appointed Governor-General of Bengal.

During the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War, Arthur led the 33rd at the battles of Malavelly and Seringatapam. The latter was a major battle that saw the fall of the Mysore Sultanate.

In 1802, he was promoted to major general and commanded forces during the Second Maratha War, which lasted from 1803 to 1805 and involved the British East India Company and the Maratha Empire. He captured the fort of Ahmednagar in August 1803 before winning his first major victory at Assaye in September, which he followed up with victories at Argaon and Gawilghur.

Through these battles, Wellesley proved that he was a competent leader, and despite his exemplary record, Napoleon would later describe him as nothing more than a “sepoy” general.

When not on campaign, Wellington invested himself in politics. When he returned to England in 1806, he took up the position of Tory member of parliament for Rye. After a short stint in this position, he returned to command forces in the Gunboat War against Denmark-Norway, an ally of France. During this war, Wellesley distinguished himself further by winning the Battle of Køge, where he led British troops against Danish militia.

Having proved his worth, Wellington’s prospects were greatly improved, and in 1806, he married Kitty Pakenham.

From 1807 to 1814, the Peninsular War broke out between France and Portugal, supported by Spain which had been France’s ally. France transited through Spain to attack Britain’s ally, Portugal, and in the process, occupied Spain. Napoleon deposed the Spanish king and installed Joseph Bonaparte, his brother, on the throne. Angered by this move, the Spanish fought back against their French overlords.

Britain came to the aid of Portugal and Spain and fought the French all over the Iberian Peninsula.

In 1808, Wellesley was promoted to lieutenant-general and was sent to command forces in Portugal. He did so with competence and cunning. He won the Battle of Roliça and followed it up with a victory at Vimeiro, where he became famous for Wellesley’s ingenious use of the reverse slope tactic.

Wellesley wanted to pursue the French, but the arrival of two officers who superseded his rank caused a change in the plan. They preferred to follow the Convention of Cintra (1809) and allowed the French forces to withdraw from Portugal. Wellesley’s vocal opposition to this was a case for him to be court-martialed, but he was acquitted of any wrongdoing.

He returned to Ireland, where he campaigned for further British intervention in Iberia. His case for holding Portugal gained traction, and he was returned to Portugal to renew hostilities against the French.

Renewed Offensives

Landing on the coast, he surprised the French, captured Oproto, and pursued the French into Spain. Wellington won a narrow victory at Talavera, but the Anglo-Spanish offensive failed. For his efforts, he was awarded a peerage and became Viscount Wellington.

Outnumbered, Wellington and his army retreated back to Portugal but won a significant victory against the French at Bussaco in the process. Wellington then occupied the prepared defensive line of Torres Vedras across the Lisbon Peninsula and forced the French to withdraw to Spain in March 1811.

Despite being heavily outnumbered, he defeated the French at Fuentes de Onoro as they tried to relieve the besieged town of Almeida. Wellington then marched on Ciudad Rodrigo. Expecting a lengthy siege, the French were caught completely off guard when, after the British blasted two breaches in the fortress walls, they stormed the defenses on January 19, 1812 and routed the French. Wellington received an Earldom for his victories and proceeded to besiege Badajoz in March, finally defeating the French garrison on April 6.

On July 22, 1812, Wellington, in command of British, Portuguese, and Spanish forces, won a spectacular victory at Salamanca, a battle that lasted just forty minutes. He then laid siege to Burgos but failed to breach the French defenses and chose to retreat back to Portugal and prepare for another offensive.

In May 1813, Wellington launched the offensive and marched across Spain to defeat the French at Vitoria. The French fled Spain, and the following year, Wellington invaded France and defeated the French at Toulouse.

Wellington’s victories in the later years of the Peninsular War helped garner optimism from France’s enemies. With Napoleon’s defeat in Russia, much of Europe rose against Napoleon, defeating the French armies and exiling Napoleon to Elba.

Wellington was given the title of duke and hailed as a national hero. His fight with Napoleon, however, whom he had never actually met in battle, was far from over.

In February 1815, Napoleon escaped from Elba in the Mediterranean and landed on the coast of France on March 1. From there, French support grew. Looking on with great concern, the British, the Prussians, and other French enemies knew they would have to take military action once again.

Wellington was called upon to defeat the armies of Napoleon. At the head of a coalition of forces, Wellington held his position at Waterloo against the might of Napoleon’s army. Wellington’s forces stood firm. With bravery, discipline, and Wellington’s strategic genius, the British and their allies were able to hold their defensive positions until the Prussians, under the command of Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher, arrived and finally routed the French.

For all three commanders, it was their last battle. Napoleon was exiled to St. Helena in the Atlantic Ocean. Blücher, after a few months in Paris, retired to his residence in Silesia, while Wellington took control of the occupation forces in France. He was against any punitive measures on France and helped organize loans to restore the French economy. After three years, he returned home a hero, with the title of Field Marshal bestowed upon him by six foreign nations, as well as a slew of other titles and honors.

The Duke of Wellington, Prime Minister of Great Britain

Already having made strides in a political career, Wellington returned to politics after concluding his days on the battlefields.

After returning to England in 1819, Wellington joined Lord Liverpool’s government as Master General of the Ordnance and went on a number of diplomatic visits to the continent. His political style was unsuited to the subtleties required for the particular situation in which he found himself, yet he acquired a reputation for honesty and was well respected.

In 1828, King George IV asked Wellington to become Prime Minister and form a cabinet. During his time in office, Wellington was known for his conservative leanings and opposed most attempts at reform. He did, however, lead the way in Catholic emancipation and granted Catholics almost full civic rights.

Lord Winchilsea, opposing the bill, feared that Wellington’s move in this direction threatened the Protestant constitution, and the resultant altercation led to the two men fighting a pistol duel. They both purposefully missed.

His first term as Prime Minister, however, did not endear him to the common people. He defended the rule of the elite, and during his tenure, unemployment in the rural sector was on the rise. Such was the displeasure his governance caused that crowds gathered outside his home to protest.

Wellington resigned from his post and was replaced by Earl Grey. He continued to serve in government until 1846 when he retired from politics.

During this time, his wife, Kitty, the Duchess of Wellington, fell gravely ill and passed away. She was 58 at the time of her death. Despite his long periods abroad, Arthur had been devoted to her. He constantly wore an armlet that she had given him earlier in their marriage, and her last act was to take it from his arm and hold it as she died.

After retiring from public life, Wellington was still held in high regard and continued to be consulted by all parties on political matters. After a series of seizures, Wellington died from a stroke in September 1852 at the age of 83. At the time, he was at Walmer Castle, his favorite residence.

His body lay in state for a month before the funeral was held. His final send-off was a monumental occasion and was the last heraldic funeral held in Great Britain. His body was finally laid to rest in St. Paul’s Cathedral.

Like Horation Nelson before him, Wellington raised the hopes and spirits of the British people during a time of uncertainty. His efforts earned him huge respect throughout Europe, and the countries that suffered under Napoleon’s rule viewed him as a liberator.

His military achievements were remarkable, far beyond what could reasonably be expected of any commander. His controversial governance as Prime Minister could not mar the fact that Wellington was the man who defeated Napoleon once and for all.