| Date | 1828 |
|---|---|
| Reference | EPM-0008 |
| Volume | Eton Prime Ministers, Volume 1 |
| Collection | Eton Prime Ministers |
| Born: | 1 May 1769 |
| Died: | 14 Sept 1852 |
| Affiliation: | Tory |
| PM: | 22 Jan 1828 to 16 Nov 1830 17 Nov 1834 to 9 Dec 1834 |
| Length: | 2 years, 320 days |
| Title: | 4 Sep 1809 – 14 Sep 1852: Baron Douro of Wellesley 4 Sep 1809 – 14 Sep 1852: Viscount Wellington of Talavera and of Wellington 28 Feb 1812 – 14 Sep 1852: Earl of Wellington 3 Oct 1812 – 14 Sep 1852: Marquess of Wellington 11 May 1814 – 14 Sep 1852: 1st Duke of Wellington |
| At Eton: | 1781 to 1784 |
| Constituencies: | 1 Apr 1806 – 4 Nov 1806: Rye 15 Jan 1807 – 12 May 1807: Mitchell 21 May 1807 – 27 Jul 807: Tralee |
| Timeline: | 1769: Born in Dublin to the Anglo-Irish aristocratic Wellesley family. 1781: Attended Eton College, but did not excel academically. 1786–1787: Studied at the Royal Academy of Equitation in Angers, France, preparing for a military career. 1787: Commissioned as an Ensign in the British Army. 1794–1795: Served in the Flanders Campaign during the French Revolutionary Wars. 1796–1805: Served in India: fought in 1799 in the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War, helped defeat Tipu Sultan, and in 1803 won the Battle of Assaye during the Second Anglo-Maratha War. Gained fame as a brilliant commander. 1805: Returned to Britain as a Major-General. 1807: Briefly appointed Chief Secretary for Ireland. 1808–1814: Leads British forces in the Peninsular War (part of the Napoleonic Wars). Major victories at Vimiero, Talavera, Salamanca, Vitoria, and others. Forced Napoleon’s allies out of Spain and into France. 1814: Napoleon abdicated. Wellesley is made the Duke of Wellington. 1815: Commanded allied forces at the Battle of Waterloo, defeating Napoleon once and for all. 1815–1818: Served as British ambassador to France and then Commander-in-Chief of the Army. 1828–1830: Served as Prime Minister. Known for his reluctance to reform, but ultimately oversaw the Catholic Emancipation Act (1829). Faced major unrest and opposition to his resistance to parliamentary reform. 1830: Resigned after defeat on a parliamentary reform motion. 1834: Briefly served as Interim Prime Minister following the fall of Lord Melbourne’s government. 1842–1852: Served as Commander-in-Chief of the British Army again. 1852: Died at Walmer Castle, aged 83. Buried with full national honours in St Paul’s Cathedral. |
| Notable: | He was a Military Hero whose victory at Waterloo ended the Napoleonic Wars. He was a key supporter (though reluctantly) of Catholic emancipation and a symbol of conservative stability and national pride. |
| Sources: | History of the UK Government The Victorian Web Britannica Eton College National Portrait Gallery Museum of Prime Ministers Wikipedia Hansard (1803–2005 ) |
| Windlesora: | ‘The Road to Waterloo‘, by Dr Brigitte Mitchell, published in Windlesora 31 |