Arthur Wellesley (General) - On This Day

Full Name: Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Profession: General, Statesman and British Prime Minister

Biography: Commonly known as the Duke of Wellington, Wellesley was a leading military and political figure of the 19th century. His defeat of Napoleon in 1815 at Waterloo made him a heroic national figure and top military hero in British history.

He was less successful as prime minister, though he did pass the Catholic Relief Act of 1829. He served two terms - between 1828 and 1830, and for one month in 1834.

Born: May 1, 1769
Birthplace: Dublin, Kingdom of Ireland
Star Sign: Taurus

Died: September 14, 1852 (aged 83)

Articles and Photos

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  Siege of Ciudad Rodrigo

  British infantry storm the Spanish fortress of Ciudad Rodrigo during the Peninsular War
  January 19, 1812
• 

  Battle of Waterloo

  'Wellington at Waterloo', by Robert Alexander Hillingford, depicting Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington, during the final confrontation against Napoleon
  June 18, 1815

Military Career

• 1808-08-21 Battle of Vimeiro: British and Portuguese forces led by General Arthur Wellesley defeat French force under Major-General Jean-Andoche Junot near the village of Vimeiro, Portugal, the first Anglo-Portuguese victory of the Peninsular War.
• 1810-09-27 Battle of Bussaco: Arthur Wellesley's Anglo-Portuguese Army defeats a larger French force led by Marshal André Masséna with the French suffering 4,500 dead and wounded
• 1812-01-19 Peninsular War: After a ten day siege, Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, orders British soldiers of the Light and third divisions to storm Ciudad Rodrigo
• 1812-07-22 Duke of Wellington defeats French at Battle of Salamanca, Spain
• 1812-08-12 Duke of Wellington's troops enter Madrid
• 1812-10-22 Duke of Wellington seizes Burgos, Spain
• 1815-06-16 Battle at Quatre-Bras: Duke of Wellington's English forces engage the French in a preliminary battle two days before the Battle of Waterloo
• 1815-06-18 Battle of Waterloo; Napoleon Bonaparte and France defeated by British forces under Duke of Wellington and Prussian troops under Field Marshall von Blücher
• 1827-01-17 Duke of Wellington appointed British supreme commander
• 1830-09-15 Duke of Wellington opens George Stephenson's Liverpool and Manchester Railway
• 1852-11-18 State funeral of Duke of Wellington is held at St Paul's Cathedral in London

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