Background
His father was first Viscount Wellesley of Dangan and first Earl of Mornington, descended from a family which settled in Ireland in the 16th century and was distantly related to John Wesley.
(This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. T...)
This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ++++ The below data was compiled from various identification fields in the bibliographic record of this title. This data is provided as an additional tool in helping to ensure edition identification: ++++ The Principles Of War, Exhibited In The Practice Of The Camp, And As Developed In A Series Of General Orders Of ... The Duke Of Wellington ... In The Late Campaigns On The Peninsula, With Parallel Orders Of George The Second and Others. Arthur Wellesley (1st duke of Wellington.)
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Soldier statesman political figure
His father was first Viscount Wellesley of Dangan and first Earl of Mornington, descended from a family which settled in Ireland in the 16th century and was distantly related to John Wesley.
He was educated at Eton and the military academy of Angers in France, entered the army in 1787, and by 1793 had become a lieutenant colonel, partly by favor, partly by purchase.
In this position he displayed real ability both in his operations against Doondiah, a robber chieftain, and in his negotiations with the Maratha leaders.
In 1802 he became a major general, and in 1803 he carried out a skillful operation that resulted in the restoration to power of England's ally, the Peshwa of the Marathas.
When, as a result, war broke out with the Sindhia and the Raja of Berar, Wellesley won a brilliant but costly victory at Assaye, followed by another at Argaum; in the treaties that followed, the power of the Maratha princes was ended. Returning to England in 1805, Wellesley was knighted and elected a member of the House of Commons; when the Duke of Portland became prime minister in 1807, Wellesley was made chief secretary of Ireland, an office he held for two years.
In 1808, for a short time, he held command of the forces in Portugal and defeated the French at Vimeiro.
After the battle of La Coruña, he returned to Portugal as commander in chief; clearing that country of the French, he advanced on Madrid and defeated them at Talavera, but the incompetency of the Spanish authorities forced his retirement to Portugal, where in 1810 he successfully held the lines of Torres Vedras, which he had prepared.
Although he defeated Marshal André Masséna at Fuentes de Oñoro, it was not until 1812 that he could advance again; he stormed Ciudad Rodrigo and Badajoz, won a brilliant victory at Salamanca, and entered Madrid.
The advance of Marshal Soult forced Wellington again to retire, his failure to pursue the French having allowed them to recover.
After Talavera, Wellesley had been made Viscount Wellington, but he was now raised to the rank of marquis.
The disasters in Russia compelled Napoleon to withdraw some of his best troops from Spain.
Therefore, in May 1813, Wellington again advanced, defeated the French at Vitoria, crossed the Pyrenees in face of Soult's desperate resistance, and by the victories of Orthez and Toulouse in 1814 won the southwest of France.
He represented England at the Congress of Vienna (1814 - 1815).
Wellington immediately insisted that the French restore King Louis XVIII to the throne and fully supported Viscount Castlereagh in the view that France should not be dismembered.
In 1827 he was made commander in chief, and in 1828 he became prime minister at the express desire of King George IV.
He was defeated and resigned but opposed Earl Grey as long as possible.
Wellington's policy became so unpopular that he was obliged to protect the windows of Apsley House, his residence in London, by iron shutters.
(This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. T...)
The more liberal members of his cabinet soon resigned, but much to the disappointment of his fellow Tories, Wellington recognized the pressure of public feeling and agreed to Catholic emancipation in 1829.
He served under Sir Robert Peel as foreign secretary from 1834 to 1835 and as commander in chief from 1841 to 1846; he even deserted his Tory friends to support the repeal of the Corn Laws, because he thought it was essential to the nation's welfare.