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Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington Facts & Worksheets

Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington was an Anglo-Irish soldier and a well-known Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

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Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, was an Anglo-Irish soldier and a well-known figure in the United Kingdom. He had reached two peaks of fame when he joined the war, defeated Napoleon, and became the prime minister of Britain. Wellesley’s life story is full of experiences that anyone can learn a lesson from. 

See the fact file below for more information on Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, or you can download our 28-page Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

EARLY LIFE

  • Arthur Wellesley was born in Dublin, Ireland, on May 1, 1769. His family belonged to an aristocratic class. His parents were Anne Wellesley, Countess of Mornington, and Garret Wesley, 1st Earl of Mornington. The latter died when Arthur was 12.
  • Insufficient funds because of his father’s death and his lack of achievement at Eton College pushed the family to move to Brussels in Belgium to enroll in private classes.
  • Wellesley could play the violin, so he wanted to follow his desire for music. However, his mother demanded he be in the army despite his having no interest in taking military endeavors.
  • For this, he was enrolled at the Academy of Equitation at Angers in France for military preparation.

MILITARY CAREER

  • Richard, Arthur’s elder brother, asked the Duke of Rutland to consider his commission to the army in March 1787.
  • In 1794, Arthur Wellesley, on his 33rd Foot, had his first experience of battle at the Battle of Boxtel during the Battle of First Coalition as a part of the Flanders Campaign in the Netherlands.
  • The Battle of First Coalition was a set of wars against France’s radicalization.
  • At a glance, the French Revolution gave way to abolishing monarchy to liberalize the people. 
  • However, this move alarmed other European countries as the fate of King Louis XVI in France also threatened other European monarchs. 
  • To respond to this, European countries formed the coalition of Spain, Holland, Austria, Prussia, England, and Sardinia. 
  • The Battle of Boxtel was a part of the Flanders Campaign (this campaign rose only as King Louis XVI of France was executed and aimed to invade France). The battle happened when French forces captured the town of Boxtel in the Netherlands, where the position of indifferent quality of the army was. 
  • After the Flanders campaign, Arthur directed in India in 1796, where he spent five months before going on an expedition to the Philippines. 
  • When he returned, Richard, his eldest brother, was appointed governor-general, while Henry, the younger one, was his secretary. 
  • In 1798, as part of the campaign to further the British possessions in India, the  Fourth Anglo-Mysore War sparked against Tipu Sultan, the Sultan of Mysore. 
  • Tipu Sultan asked for help from the French, yet Richard Wellesley already made a response to prevent such alliances.
  • In the battle of Seringapatam, the British claimed victory leaving Tipu dead during the battle. 
  • When the battle ended, Arthur Wellesley remained in Mysore until November 1802, having the rank of major-general. He was commander in the Second Anglo-Maratha War.
  • On September 23, Wellesley and his army attacked the Marathas, and the Battle of Assaye began. Again, Wellesley’s team claimed the win against the empire. 
  • Months later, the army then encountered forces near Argaum and in Gawilghur. This series of wars garnered a massive number of casualties that troubled Arthur. 
  • He returned to England in 1805. In 1806, he became a member of Parliament for Rye. Later, Arthur Wellesley was appointed as Chief Secretary of Ireland.
  • In 1808, Arthur Wellesley finally participated in the Peninsular War. This war extended the effects of the French Revolution of 1789, including the War of First Coalition. Part of this was the Peninsular war which commenced in 1806. 
  • The French had obtained supremacy in Europe and wanted to attack Britain’s force through its economy. For this, the French forced nations to close their ports which would directly affect Britain’s economic activity.
  • Britain and France had a long history of complicated relationships with each other. The attack of the French in the Peninsular War could also be seen as retaliation against the British, as they defeated the French in the Battle of the Nile headed by Napoleon Bonaparte.
  • However, with Portugal disregarding the order and continued trading with Britain. France and Spain invaded Lisbon in Portugal in 1907. A year later, France occupied its previous ally, Spain, in Madrid. 
  • As Wellesley was present in the conflict, the French faced defeats in the Battle of Rolica and Vimeiro in August 1808. 
  • In 1809, Wellesley’s forces united with the Spanish through General Cuesta in light of the invasion of the French in Madrid. With this, they could crush forces commanded by Joseph Bonaparte, the placed king of Spain by Napoleon, as they invaded Spain. 
  • The victory made him the Viscount Wellington of Talavera and Wellington.
  • However, these wins did not stop the French empire from its acts. Wellington still fought in 1810 as the French forces invaded Portugal headed by Marshal André Masséna. 
  • Despite several attacks of the French on Wellington, the latter’s army fell to the Lines of Torres Vedras, which Wellington took advantage of by destroying roads and other options the French could have. This resulted in a more vigorous defense for Wellington’s side, and months later, Masséna’s army starved until they retreated. 
  • By 1813, Wellington took the offensive side, which destroyed Joseph Bonaparte’s army in the Battle of Vittoria, which promoted him to field marshal. After this, Wellington invaded Southern France and defeated Marshal Soult.
  • Marshal Soult’s ceasefire was not solely because of Wellington’s successful encounter but also because of Napoleon’s stepping down from his position caused by his loss in his campaign in Russia.
  • 1815 was one of the most memorable years for Arthur Wellesley, as he came face-to-face with Napoleon Bonaparte. Napoleon was the one who led different campaigns in Europe, such as Spain, Portugal, Italy, etc. 
  • Napoleon was the leader and first consul of the French Republic. He continued the after-effects of the French Revolution, which was coined the Napoleonic Wars.
  • After escaping from exile, Napoleon immediately returned to his power in March 1815 and aimed at victory by breaking coalitions in Europe against his empire. Prussian army and allied forces by Wellington gathered in the Netherlands.
  • Napoleon planned to beat the two separately, a winning strategy against them. He succeeded in the first, which were the Prussians that pulled Wellington to retreat despite crushing the other part of the French army on his side.
  • Wellington retreated to the village of Waterloo. On June 18, he strongly decided to fight again against Napoleon with the backing of the Prussians as reinforcements since their defeat did not hugely affect their army’s strength and integrity. 
  • The battle commenced at 11:30 AM; Napoleon let out his diversionary attack. After hours, he attacked the Allied forces, yet the British charged heavier than the French. Then, the Prussians arrived as reinforcements, yet the opponent called for more troops. 
  • As the French believed that Wellington was weakening, they finally released their finest troops, the Imperial Guards, to sever Wellington’s force. However, the light infantry of the British managed to defeat them, which dictated the victory of Wellington against Napoleon. After the defeat, Napoleon was forced to step down and be exiled to St. Helena. 

POLITICAL CAREER

  • When Wellington was appointed Master-General of the Ordnance, he stepped in to join politics again in 1818 under a Tory Government.
  • Toryism is a political philosophy based on the British view of conservatism that favors the royal power and the church. This view also aims to preserve the traditional political structure and is not open to reforms.
  • Wellington did not accept a position when Canning became the prime minister. When the latter finished his term, Wellington took his place.
  • As he followed Toryism, he opposed reforms except for Catholic Emancipation.
  • The reason why he still approved emancipation was because there was a tendency for a revolution to happen.
  • Moreover, Wellington also opposed the reforms proposed by the Whigs in changing the electoral system of the parliamentary. This attempt went on a second proposal, but as the House was Tory-driven, this reform failed.
  • Another failing proposal was the Jewish Civil Disabilities Repeal Bill, and he justified his position through the argument of being in a Christian country following a Christian legislature.
  • After Wellington’s term, another Tory follower Robert Peel became the next prime minister, in which the ideology of the parliament strengthened and became more conservative.
  • When Wellington stepped down and Peel came into his seat, the former wanted to be a part of the House of the Lords as he thought it would create more changes.
  • He became the Foreign Secretary under Peel.
  • Later, he accepted the seat of the leader of the House of Lords.
  • After a short period of time, he was re-appointed as the commander-in-chief of the British in August 1842 before his retirement.
  • Many thought of him as a confused reactionary by some of his decisions, but the late 20th century saw him as sharp, only masked by his image of being a poorly informed soldier.
  • He also changed the trajectory of the Lords to have political control and land aristocracy.
  • His political life was full of huge moves that changed the political history of the United Kingdom, as he also controlled the elections in Scotland and Ireland. Those elections resulted in 44 elected officials to further the Tory domination in the parliament.

LATER LIFE

  • Wellington was married to Kitty Pakenham by his clergyman brother, Gerald. They had two children, Arthur and Charles, born in 1807 and 1808. Their marriage failed, so they separated.
  • Years passed, and Kitty died of cancer, which affected Arthur despite the separation and was followed by his diarist, which hit hard on his well-being. 
  • Wellington left politics in 1846 yet remained Commander-in-Chief and helped to form a force to protect London during the European revolution of 1848.
  • Wellington died at 83 of a stroke on September 14, 1852.

Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle that includes everything you need to know about Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington across 28 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use worksheets that are perfect for teaching kids about Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, who was an Anglo-Irish soldier and a well-known Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

Complete List of Included Worksheets

Below is a list of all the worksheets included in this document.

  1. Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington Facts
  2. Arthur then
  3. Finely Define
  4. Battle Rattle
  5. Today is Tomorrow’s History
  6. HEXplain it!
  7. Decrypt it!
  8. Uncoat the Quote
  9. Image Ain’t Age
  10. Analypic
  11. Make it Personal

Frequently Asked Questions

What did the Duke of Wellington accomplish?

The Duke of Wellington is an actual figure in history. He is most famous for winning the Battle of Waterloo against Napoleon Bonaparte. People still respect him today because he was very good at defensive strategies and tactics. Many militaries around the world use his ideas as part of their training.

What did Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, do?

The 1st Duke of Wellington, Arthur Wellesley, is renowned for his military expertise rather than the political measures he took while Prime Minister. During this period in office, public approval of him decreased due to the repressive reforms he enforced. He was born into a prestigious family as the son of Earl and Countess Mornington in Dublin.

How many battles did the Duke of Wellington win?

The illustrious 1st Duke of Wellington, Arthur Wellesley, was unparalleled in battle. He won over 32 battles in his career and never suffered a single defeat – an impressive feat! After the conclusion of Waterloo, where he defeated Napoleon for the final time, The Duke wept at all lives lost during it and swore to himself that war would be something avoided by him always.

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