"He was born on 1st May 1769 in Ireland, as 'The Honourable Arthur Wesley', the fourth son of Garret Wesley, 1st Earl of Mornington, and Anne, the eldest daughter of Arthur Hill-Trevor, 1st Viscount Dungannon.
In his early life he hated school and showed no aptitude at anything. Then Arthur enrolled in the French Royal Academy of Equitation in Angers, where he progressed significantly, becoming a good horseman and learning French.
After this experience he settled on a military career. With some minor breaks to enter politics his career spanned 28 years and saw him rise from an aide-de-camp to the rank of Field Marshall and for a time was Commander-in-Chief of the forces.
On his return to England he was promoted to lieutenant general. Very soon afterward he again went to war and set sail for Portugal to fight with Spain and Portugal against France which under Napoleon Bonaparte had invaded Portugal and attacked Spain.
Using Portugal as a defensive position Wellesley fought for the next 3 years having a number of victories and reversals. By 1811 the French had started to retreat but still held mountain passes at Ciudad Rodrigo and Badajoz. In July 1811 Wellesley was promoted to be a full General.
In 1812 Wellesley went on to capture both Ciudad Rodrigo and Badajoz, though with heavy losses. After being joined by Portuguese reinforcements he then went on to liberate Madrid after the battle of Salamanca. As a reward he was created Earl and then Marquess of Wellington and was given control of all allied armies in Spain.
In 1813 Wellington led a new offensive and defeated, the then King of Spain, Joseph Bonaparte, the older brother of Napoleon. He was then promoted to field Marshall.
There then followed a series of victories and reversals until news came through of Napoleon’s defeat and victory, and Wellington accepted the French commander Soult’s surrender.
In recognition of his successes Wellington was promoted to Duke in England and given the title Duque de Ciudad Rodrigo in Spain. He became Ambassador to Spain and was first plenipotentiary to the Congress of Vienna, where discussions were held to discuss the future of the European countries that had been involved in war for so long.
In 1815 Napoleon escaped from exile in Elba and regained control of France. Wellington left Vienna and went to Belgium to take command of the British-German army and their allied Dutch-Belgians.
On 18th June the Battle of Waterloo commenced at 12 noon and went on until the early evening. There was much vicious fighting and the battle swung back and forth. The French forces were forced to retreat after the arrival of Prussian forces in support of Wellington’s troops. After the battle Wellington was criticised for his tactics but was adamant that he did not have a clear advantage and had to wait for the Prussian forces under the command of Blucher. Indeed the battle was included in The Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World (1851) by Sir Edward Shepherd Creasy.
On 22nd June Napoleon surrendered for the second time and was exiled to the island of St. Helena.
The battle of Waterloo was the pinnacle of Wellington’s military career, one in which he fought in 60 different battles.
Because Wellington had been away for so long fighting the Peninsular War, there had been no official ceremonies for all the titles he had been awarded. On his return to England he was awarded all his patents of nobility in a unique ceremony lasting a full day.
After his return he decided to re-enter politics and twice became prime minister under the Tory party and oversaw the passage of the Catholic Relief Act 1829. He was prime minister from 1828–30 and served briefly in 1834. He was unable to prevent the passage of the Reform Act 1832 and continued as one of the leading figures in the House of Lords until his retirement. He remained Commander-in-Chief of the British Army until his death in 1852."
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The Statue and column
"The foundations of the monument are in Runcorn sandstone, the pedestal is in granite, and the column itself is in Darley Dale sandstone. The overall height of the monument is 132 feet (40.2 m), the column being 81 feet (24.7 m) high and the statue 25 feet (7.6 m) high. It stands on a stepped base with a square pedestal. On each side of the pedestal is a bronze plaque; at the corners are bronze eagles joined by swags along the sides. Standing on the pedestal is a Roman Doric fluted column. Within the column are 169 steps leading up to a viewing platform. On top of the column is a cylinder surmounted by a cupola on which the bronze statue of the Duke stands. The statue is made from the melted-down bronze from cannons captured at the Battle of Waterloo. The Duke holds a scroll in his right hand, and his left hand rests on the hilt of his sword.
The brass plaque on the south of the pedestal is a relief depicting the final charge at the battle of Waterloo. On the east and west faces, the plaques bear the names of the Duke's victorious battles. The east panel lists the battles of Assaye, Talavera, Argaum, Busaco, Rolica, Fuentes de Onoro, Vimeiro, Cuidad Rodrigo, Oporto, and Badajoz; the west panel Salamanca, Bayonne, Vittoria, Orthez, San Sebastian, Toulouse, Nivelle, Quatre Bras, and Waterloo.
The statue is unusual in that it does not face any major civic building or thoroughfare (as does Nelson's Column in London). The statue was positioned facing south-east so that Wellington would always be looking towards the site of Waterloo - considered his greatest victory."
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