Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington, was the outstanding British
individual of the nineteenth century. His victories at Seringapatam and
Assaye extended British control in India and his famous campaign in
Spain and Portugal helped to drive Napoleon into exile. Wellington is,
of course, mostly remembered for defeating Napoleon at Waterloo and his
prestige after that epoch-changing event saw him becoming Prime Minister
of Great Britain on two occasions.
These are the commonly known facts about the Iron Duke, but in this
remarkable investigation into the life of Britain's greatest general, we
learn so much more about Wellington as a person, through the objects,
large and small, that marked key episodes in his personal, military and
public life. Renowned historian Gareth Glover details Wellington's
family background in Ireland, his early military career, his
one-and-only meeting with Nelson, his campaigns in Flanders, the Iberian
Peninsula and Waterloo. What we also learn is of his difficult
marriage - and his scandalous womanizing, even bedding the same woman as
Napoleon - and his strained relationship with his two boys.
His political career was a controversial one, including his fight to
pass the Catholic Emancipation Bill and of a period of three months when
he ran the government by himself because he refused to appoint any
Cabinet ministers!
Packed with more than 150 full-color photographs, The Duke of
Wellington in 100 Objects will show the world the objects he touched,
or which touched him, in the life of one of the most outstanding
characters Britain has ever produced.
