Description

Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, (1st May 1769 – 14th September 1852), was an Anglo Irish soldier and Tory statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures of 19th Century Britain, serving twice as prime minister. He ended the Napoleonic Wars when he defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.

Wellesley was born in Dublin. He was commissioned as an ensign in the British army in 1787, serving in Ireland as aide-de-Camp to two successive lords lieutenant of Ireland.
He was a Colonel by 1796 and saw action in the Netherlands and in India, where he fought in the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War at the Battle of Seringapatam. He was appointed governor of Seringapatam and Mysore in 1799 and as a newly appointed Major-General, won a decisive victory over the Maratha Confederacy at the Battle of Assaye in 1803.

Wellington is famous for his adaptive defensive style of warfare, resulting in several victories against numerically superior forces while minimizing his own losses. He is regarded as one of the greatest defensive commanders of all time, and many of his tactics and battle plans are still studied in military academies around the world.