Arthur Wellesley: The Iron Duke of Wellington
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- Опубликовано: 7 фев 2025
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Source/Further reading:
“Wellington: the Years of the Sword” Elizabeth Longford, HarperCollins 1971
“Wellington: Pillar of State” Elizabeth Longford, HarperCollins 1972
“Waterloo” Bernard Cornwell, HarperCollins 2015
“Wellington in India” Jac Weller Greenhill 1993
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Can you do one on Joe Medicine Crow. He was a Native American writer, historian and war chief of the Crow Nation and the last Plains Indian war chief, which he managed to achieve while serving in WWII completing all four tasks required to become a war chief: touching an enemy without killing him (counting coup), taking an enemy's weapon, leading a successful war party, and stealing an enemy's horse and this is only part of this True Native American Badass.
Legendary...
Adam why not do a story on Jesus Christ and Mohammed
@@edemyaw5815 He doesnt do fictional characters.
@Anarchy Antz have you watched his geographics of Sherlock Holmes? is he not fictional
He never would have made his name at Talavera if Richard Sharpe hadn't won the French Eagle for him!
Chosen Men!🏴🇬🇧
I am greatly satisfied by the amount of people referencing Sean Bean's best work here.
He wouldn’t have BEEN at talavera if sharpe hadn’t bailed his ass out in Assaye
The old rule of profit over others still works
There are 21 Sharpe novels that describe these events in rather more detail than is managed here no matter how fast the bald guy with the beard talks. I've read all 21 of the Sharpe novels and recommend them. Actually I've read most of them twice and have recently begun reading them all again in order. Good stuff.
“Wise people learn when they can; fools learn when they must”
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Napoleon total war
@@rhelyputra4680 Not really
@@ethanramos4441 Ramo*
Bismark had one better: good men learn from their mistakes, geniuses learn from other men mistakes
Hi
If you want to read about what life was like for an elite soldier of the Duke of Wellington’s army I would recommend reading The Recollections of Rifleman Harris, truly incredible book, short but so full of detail and interest.
Can highly recommend it, one of the few books of the time based on the observations of a common soldier rather than an officer.
Daulat scindiya was Raja of Gwalior
Bhonsale ruled Berar
sumedh ingale Correctly pointed out.
LessCommonKnowledge, You might find Memoirs of a Soldier by Edward Costello who joined as a private in Dublin and finished as an officer in Wellington's Army very interesting.
Totally! Great read
“MAJOR LENNOX ANSWERED WITH HIS LIFE!! AS YOU SHOULD HAVE DONE IF YOU HAD ANY SENSE OF HONOUR!!”
Sounds like soldiering to me!
Leftenant...Gibbons?
@@SantomPh “to be commanded by the newly gazetted captain sharpe!”
The man who loses the Kings colours loses the Kings friendship.
“YOU LOST THE COLOURS OF THE KING OF ENGLAND! YOU DISGRACE US SIR! YOU ASHAMED US SIR! YOU WILL ANSWER!”
"The only thing I am afraid of is fear" - i dont think a quote can get more Iron duke than that
My favorite quote attributed to Wellington about Napoleon at the battle of Waterloo,. “Hard pounding this gentleman, let’s see who pounds the longest.”
That's deeper than first read.
Wasn't that Teddy Roosevelt
It took an irish man ❤❤❤❤
“We have nothing to fear except fear itself.”
1:25 - Chapter 1 - Formative Years
3:50 - Chapter 2 - Indian Proving Ground
6:50 - Chapter 3 - The sepoy general
11:20 - Mid roll ads
12:45 - Chapter 4 - The peninsular war
16:35 - Chapter 5 - War for iberia
20:25 - Chapter 6 - Storming fortresses
23:35 - Chapter 7 - Conquering hero
26:30 - Chapter 8 - The 100 days
29:40 - Chapter 9 - Mister minister
33:00 - Chapter 10 - End of the campaign
Thanks
Beating the Prince Regent for sleeping with his nieces.
Legend
Had to downvote so I could upvote again
I'm so happy to see Sharpe references on here. Don't forget Sergeant Patrick Harper
“God save Ireland!”
@@edipires15, “say it Lynch!”
@@ChaseMcCain81 LOUDER
GOD SAVE IRELAND!
Sharpe references... now that's soldiering
After reading most of the Sharpe books:
"Hey, I've seen this one before!"
I highly reccomend listening to them on Audio book as well. Very well done
@@wannahuckaloogy5 It's a great listen for a long drive
Check out Bernard Cornwall's other books, if you haven't. The Arthur trilogy is great. I'm just finishing the last book in the Last Kingdom series.
The Duke of Wellington praised a great admiration for the Emperor Napoleon. In fact, there are dozens of paintings of Napoleon and his family in his house. There is in particular the famous painting of Napoleon at Waterloo surrounded by the united countries. This one was painted in two versions: a version pushing forward the Duke of Wellington in the landscape and another one pushing forward Napoleon. For his home, the Duke of Wellington chose the one with Napoleon. Because even in his defeat, Napoleon was great. He did not have his high skilled Grande Armée anymore, neither his Generals and he was understaffed. However he fought bravely.
The Emperor Napoleon is still the best General and Emperor that this world has ever known. He created the civil code which is still used in all countries in the world (in Quebec, in the Louisiana state in the US, Italy, Belgium, Portugal…and now China), he created all the modern institutions still used today (Court of Account, Central Bank, High schools and its baccalaureate, Council of State…).
He is not
@@brentw0681 He is my friend, trust me. He was the savior of France against all the European coalitions which didn’t want to see a Republic in Europe. The fact is that today, all countries of Europe adopted the Republic model and the enlightenment ideas spreaded by Napoleon.
Deal with it duke of wellington was greater than nepoleon 😂
Wellington criticized Napoleon's military and political rule, calling him "Buonaparte" to emphasize his non-French origins. He also wrote long memoranda criticizing Napoleon's campaigning techniques
I’m always surprised that even with this many videos there are still so many more massive historical figures to be covered. This channel can really never get old
Oliv
Wellington had what Napoleon called, "the coup d'œil" the strike of the eye, the ability to discern at one glance the tactical advantages and disadvantages of the terrain.
napoléon nothing
wellington 15 battles wins
ok
That was an...odd way of describing the Battle of Corunna, Simon. John Moore was a hero who saved the army from destruction, achieving a tactical victory for a strategic loss. And Marshal Soult was in charge of the French for that battle, not Napoleon.
Surprised at how little was mentioned of Sir John
@@ronswanson8155
You don't get a Barracks named in your honour if you're not a particularly noteworthy and valiant figure from British military history...
Sir John Moore Barracks in Winchester is home to the ATR. It was supposed to be decommissioned this year thanks to more MOD cutbacks, but it's had a stay of execution till 2024/25.
@@ronswanson8155 maybe if we are lucky he will get his own episode and this was just clumsily phrased so as not to dwell on it.
@@residentelect glad to hear someone saw sense. At least for now.
English are fortunate to have some place to run away (what they always do every time it turns bad). Continental power have no way to escape, it's win or die. That's what I fucking laugh at the English bragging about their so-called "tenacity" and the fact that they "would never surrender", while they are not even threatened in the first place, they can always run away.
Simon, you and the biographics teams uploads are a breath of fresh air every morning. Never stop.
Throughout the years the Quinta das Lagrimas (1730) or Estate of Tears was honored with the visit of several illustrious characters. One of this celebrities was Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington and Commander of the British Corps that helped to counterattack the Napoleonic invasions.
He stayed there because the owner of the house was at that time Antonio Maria Osorio Cabral da Gama e Castro, his aide-de-camp, who fought next to him at the battle of Buçaco. During the time he spent there, Lord Wellington, fell in love with the Quinta and with the legend of Pedro and Ines, and to prove so he offered the stone which is now near the Fonte das Lagrimas, where he transcribed the verses from Lusiadas narrating the death of D. Ines de Castro. The great romance between Lady Ines de Castro and King Pedro of Portugal is one of the most tragic events in the European history of dramatic loves. She was a great beauty and king Dom Pedro (at time still a Prince) was very in love with her. In fact, they had even been married in private. But as she was Spanish, from a noble family with old pretensions to the Portuguese crown, she was secretly assassinated without Dom Pedro knowledge. Of course that Dom Pedro made their killers to pay,... oh yes they pay...but that is another story. Anyway, these are the words that Sir Wellington had engraved in stone:
This act of horror, and black night obscure,
Mondego's daughter long resented deep;
And, for a lasting tomb, into a pure
Fountain transformed the tears which they did weep.
The name they gave it (which doth still endure)
Was Ines' loves, whom Pedro did keep.
No wonder, such sweet streams water those flowers:
Tears, are the substance; and the name Amours.
Translated by Sir Richard Fanshawe estrofe 135 do canto III dos Lusiadas.
He also planted two sequoias, which are now approximately 190 years old and carry his name. The romantic and deeply knowledgeable side of Portugal's history is something that many are unaware of, however I would say that it was fundamental to defeating Napoleon from Lusitanian territory.
Thank you for this video.He was truly a great general who also showed compassion for his troops and sorrow for the casualties.A great human being worthy of respect.
I believe jellicos flag ship at the battle of Jutland was named after Wellington hms iron duke
Let us never forget that he couldn't have done half of his achievements without Sharpe.
Hahah so true Richard Sharpe 😀x
Writing sharpe comments on RUclips, now that’s soldiering
Dont forget Harper Sharpe would have died several times without him.
Hahah love the other comments and Patrick Harper is an amazing character too . Fun fact I use to have a pet rabbit called Harper 😂
Sir Henry Simmerson LOST THE KINGS COLOURS!!!!!
The thing i remember most about Wellington was his cannon duel with a certain prince and his faithful servant Blackadder
Your Majesty
We won.
I live nearby Wellington Avenue, a road lined with over one hundred giant sequoia trees, planted in 1863 as a memorial to the Duke of Wellington!
This and nelsons video are by far the most interesting. I love learning about all sorts of history from asia to europ to america. But i am mostly interested in the people behind the events and find theses videos captivating and fun. Keep up the amazing work.
O'er the hills and o'er the main
To Flanders, Portugal and Spain
King George commands and we obey
Over the hills and far away
Damn, it's going to take another 25 years to get that tune out of my head.
Excellent presentation. You get the impression that he was fundamentally a good man, although clearly a man of his time. Fun fact - after he became Commander-in-Chief of the British Army in January 1827, he further became Constable of the Tower of London in February, a position only open to field marshals or generals. While in this role there was apparently an incident of a serviceman being bitten by a monkey or a lion. You might not think the Tower of London would be the site of a lion biting but it housed the Royal Menagerie, which was kick started in 1235 when Henry III got given 3 of them by the Holy Roman Emperor. Don't ask me how they kept them warm in the winter. Nonetheless they fared much better than the elephant from the King of France and other animals that couldn't handle the cramped conditions. Visitors and keepers alike were also mauled or killed through the years but this final nibble coincided with the opening of London Zoo at Regents Park and the decision to get the bloody animals out of the Tower, sorry, donate them to the finest zoological establishment in Europe, wasn't a difficult one for the Duke.
My vision's not the best, and when I saw the notification I read it as "Arthur Weasley"
That will teach you, you secret Harry Potter fan ;)
@@bazza945 - damn, I've been rumbled! :-D
15 wins again frogs
sir
Literally the busiest man on you tube. Never a bad video either. 👏👏
“It’s fine madam I have seen their backs before”. Probably my favourite quip by the iron duke.
The whole time Simon was explaining about the Spanish attacking the French scouts I honestly imagined the Benny Hill theme in the background
People like Arthur Wellesley are proof that the truth is stranger than fiction.
Big thumbs up! I’ve of course heard of the Duke of Wellington but the look into his military campaigns is fascinating. Please give us more and thank you sir!
I believe the BBC has a mini-series where Sean Bean plays a British soldier who serves under Arthur Wellesley in the Napoleonic Wars.
The series is Sharpe.
Wow, you're sharpe, aren't you?
@@blackmageLightningX thanks! Never watched it but heard its good
@@blackmageLightningX do you recommend it?
@@theawesomeman9821
It's absolutely brilliant Matt, well worth investing your time in.
Last time I checked they had most of the episodes on Dailymotion. The quality isn't great as they are snagged from the original series and not the updated HD versions you can get on Netflix, Prime or Bluray etc.
If you have Netflix there are a couple of the later episodes on there, but It is definitely worth watching them in chronological order to see Sharpe's journey through the ranks.
His story is quite literally like a novel
HBO Duke of Wellington series, someone get on that.
@@michaelsinger4638 yess! Need to focus on cgi for the ships of the line at sea too!
@@michaelsinger4638 complete with Idris Elba as Wellington.
Love to see Wellard from Eastenders play him
@@dtice69 Directed by Steven Spielberg
The three men that shaped the early XIX Century: Sir Wellington, Lord Nelson and Emperor Napoleon
And Thomas Cochrane
Alexander of Russia, Metternich, Marshal Davout, Ioannis Kapodistrias, are four more names much worth mentioning
Talleyrand
Lord Castleriegh
Great episode! I think you should do one on the Russian general, Alexander Suvorov. He's got a remarkable, long military career encompassing the Seven Years' War as well as campaigns in Poland, the Ottoman Empire, and even Italy!
You even speak of the "lines of Torres Vedras" and how he made the Portuguese/ British army to work like a Swiss clock... All of the strategy was just brilliant
I don’t know what effect these men will have upon the enemy, but, by God, they terrify me
"If being born in Ireland makes one Irish, then being born in a barn would make one a horse" Wellington on being made fun of for being born in Ireland in Eton collage.
Lol
based.
No that was what Daniel O'Connell said against him, his political rival. That was said more at dig at his political allegiance firmly to the GB and the union than his distant roots in England.
He never said that, that quote, like many of his “anti Irish” quotes, was invented by Irish Nationalists
That's a Daniel O'Connell quote
I have lived in the large village of Boxtel for 25 years and I never heared of this battle before?! How is this possible? This man is above famous...
I literally was searching for this guy on your channel. Glad that you finally made a video on him. Wanted to know about his defensive military tactics.
Bro I just realized the scope of your videos it’s really impressive your grind is truly amazing and thank you for sharing your videos
If I should fall to rise no more, as many comrades did before, ask the pipes and drums to play, over the hills and far away... O'er the hills and o'er the main
, through Flanders, Portugal and Spain, King George commands and we obey, over the hills and far away.....
Wow
So beautiful
I always enjoy your content, very thorough look at Wellingtons career.
Every one knows that if you can shoot 3 rounds a minute you can break a French column.
You have literally the best vocal cadence on RUclips. I hope your channel growth never ends! Thanks for doin’ you! cheers? Signed dumb American
You missed the fact that Almeida was blown up and that it was probably the worlds largest explosion at that time. A lucky shot from the French besiegers hitting an unlucky trail of black powder. The point where the video showed an Arial shot of Almeida - look in the top left of the screen. You can see the outline of the cathedral which was vaporised by the explosion and it also demolished the medieval castle too.
Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed to just one soul .One of the greatest commanders there ever was. India was made British due to this man and hardly anyone rates him. The battle of Assaye is one of the most amazing stories and Napoleon pales in comparison. his legacy.... logistics is how modern wars are fought. He literally invented military logistics. Duke of Marlborough was another one. But not quite the scale of Wellington. The one general Napoleon couldn't beat. 'IT IS FOR YOU TO SAVE THE WORLD AGAIN' Tsar Nicholas to Wellington.
napoleon was beating him in spain before his attention was needed elsewhere due to austria gearing for war yet again
@@CAM8689yeah, if Napoleon has a skill sheet he'd have a 100 cuz 100 is the highest
And Wellington would have a very solid 99.
Wellington might the best British general at the time but Napoleon was THE EMPEROR, the leaded of a new Empire that brought Europe to its knees.
@@rabbiama2940Didn’t matter at Waterloo , Nosey had him beat
@@CAM8689Wellesley was already back in England by the time Napoleon himself arrived in Spain. Sir John Moore commanded the British Army by then. Wellesley and Napoleon never faced each other in Iberia. Wellesley wouldn’t return to the Peninsular until April 1809
@@charliereader3462 have to look that up brits have a tendency to lie to make themselves look better....in anycase his forces were driven back....
One of history's great generals for sure.
Yes my personal hero!!! The most underrated general ever, the "Sepoy general" as Napoleon put it.
Wellington considered the Battle of Assaye to be his most brilliant victory.
But a horribly tone deaf politician in later years and on a personal level apparently a bit of a jerk.
There's a huge big structure called " The Wellington Monument" in Dublin's Phoenix Park, to commemorate him. Well worth a look at. Children love to run around it, there's strange slanted steps and it is quite a tall monument.☘
@@petrairene he passed one of the most important legislations in British history despite all his faults. He emancipated Catholics in Ireland from the penal laws.
I knew it was coming: I knew someone would see fit to call him underrated. Simon could do a bio of Jesus or Mohammad and someone would refer to them as underrated. Wellington was underestimated by Napoleon, yes, but beyond that he was as far from "underrated" as it was possible to be, and he remains so to this day. What do you think "underrated" means, anyway.
Battle of Assaye is the peak of his career. He himself written in his diary that this battle was tough to win as compared to Waterloo.
My wife's ancestor, Bowser, was imprisoned by the Tipu Sultan for 4 years. The prison was a bit of a hell hole. The prisoners treated rather badly. Many unable to father children afterward. A reference to which can be found in Bronty books. Or so I am led to believe. The archives include a letter from Bowser to Welsley asking for extra pension on account of the deprivations. Bowser ended up a Govenor of Madras/Chennai.
Did he then kidnap a princess then was beaten by an italian Plummer?
@@Baileaf11 not in this universe.
@@cavramau in another
@@Baileaf11 everything is possible in one or another of the multiverses.
@@cavramau in theory yes but then why hasn’t multi universal travel been made yet and why haven’t people from an alternate universe visited us yet? So I think that there isn’t an infinite amount of alternate universes because then why haven’t we been visited by an alternate universe?
Anyone looking for a good biography of Wellington should look at the two-volumes by Elizabeth Longford. As a relative of Wellington she had access to source material that others didn't.
One thing that Wellington did that was reflective of modern warfare methods was to insist his armies pay for supplies taken locally, even in France. It was the opposite of Napoleon's live-off-the-land approach that created so much additional opposition to the French army.
I was waiting for this video for so long. Thank god it's finally here.
Blackadder the third did a excellent depiction of the iron duke!!😂😂
Just remember that "When a man soils a Wellington, he puts hid foot in it!".
I've only recently come across your channel. I am a huge history buff, I finding I am liking your vids.
You should do one for either Crazy Horse or Geronimo.
There isn't many biographics on any native american historical figures.
Geronimo would be great!
Do both! Do both!
Do Sitting Bull, too!
10 Bears.
Cry about it
The notion that the Duke of Wellington could have been sent to fight in the War of 1812 is kind of terrifying, ngl.
British rule restores to their former colonies
@@narcisoferreira9976 that’s not what the war was about
it's also amazing that Arthus Wellesley still makes this popular beef dish "Beef Wellington" all these years after his death
Funny. I want to note that so many sources have a hard time establishing the origin of beef Wellington. But it seems clear to me that it epitomizes the dear duke: he was crusty on the outside, but wonderfully tender and delicious, delightful underneath😊
Truly a man of his times, the epitome of a 19th century aristocrat.
Now you *have* to do Blücher. He's too interesting to not be featured here
Really well done video. I can see the effort put into it. Keep it up.
“Stop that useless noise! You’ll hurt yourself.”
-Arthur Wellesley
A very timely upload, just started re-reading the Sharpe series. 👍
I've just bought the first book
Looks like I have a long way to go haah
I've just finished a reread. They're still great! Enjoy.
does it have pictures? nude pictures?
@@bigpanda307 🎵through Flanders, Portugal and Spain🎵, at the very least 😆. I hope you enjoy it, it's one of my favorites.
It's crazy to think how different history could've been if multiple things had happened to send a strong army with competent generals like Wellington to stop the American Revolution, or even if smarter people had been in charge and simply didn't tax them so much.
One of Wellington's chief advantages in the Peninsular Campaign was an officer who was also a commoner, George Scoville. Stop me if this seems familiar, but Scoville who had organized a force of Portuguese and Spanish irregulars to intercept French message riders and capturing their enciphered messages. The French thought their cypher unbreakable but Scoville broke it. Every morning Wellington received a briefing on French positions and plans. In fact, since the 3 French Marshalls in Spain did not trust each other and share information, Wellington had a more complete picture of the French plans than the French did.
I've been waiting for this one for a while.
While most of the old British connection is forgotten by people in today's Toronto, Canada (most people in the city have only a vague idea that Canada had some connection to Great Britain in the remote past), there are some reminders of Wellington's 19th century fame. There is both a Wellesley Street (which I live on) and a Wellington Street, as well as a good brewer in a nearby town, Wellington Brewery, which produces a strong ale called Iron Duke, which I favour. However, I like even more Rebellion Lager, produced by a rival brewer, which commemorates the 1837 Canadian rebellion against British rule. Since the city's early history was dominated by the Scots and the Irish, and the old centre of the city was focused on a statue of Robbie Burns and NOT Queen Victoria, it's all part of the city's confused historical symbolism.
Damn! 4:36 is amazingly realistic, it looks like a photograph.
Great piece of work!
A bio on Talleyrand would be nice. It would complement Metternich's bio.
Dont know where youve been for a week, but this is an epic return
hey biographics could you do a video of paddy mayne one of the originals of the SAS he never gets talked about much on RUclips he is a fascinating person and could give him more recognition he's called the bravest man never to get a Victoria cross.
Thank you for another upload Biographics. If I could make a request... Would it be possible if you could do a Biographic look at Pharaoh Narmer (Menes) and his unification of both upper and lower Egypt. I get how details might be a little scarce as not much is known about him but you guys always seem to be really informative and uncover details I didn't know.
Thanks again Simon and the Biographic's team!
Makes me immediately think of Sharpe.
Half a shipload of Blackadder 3 references with Stephen Frys hilarious uptake on the big nosed Duke. Starting with:
Now I know you're interested in the latest news of the war!
We won! Signed: Wellington😂😂😂😃
Still so proud to be related to Wellington
Best video yet. Cheers Biographics
Great video, recommendation for the next one: Sir William slim and the Army in Burma
👏👏👏👏👏👏👏(applause)
Outstanding presentation!
A man to be massively revered for many decades or centuries to. Come!
He was also defeated in the cotiote war by pazhassi raja and left for Europe in 1803. Pazhassi raja was one of the allies of Wellesley during the war with Tipu.
മലയാളി 👍👍👌👏
@@deepakm.n7625 pinne ala evanmark charithram paranju kodaka enn vicharichu.
I am proud to say that I live on Wellington Rd. In Ridgewood, NJ. And my favorite NY Giants owner was Wellington Mara. 👍🤓
Can you do one on Alfred the Great
The second tallest Obelisk in the world is the Wellington monument in Dublin Ireland, and the Wellington bridge is one of Dublin's most famously popular bridges from 1816, known as the Ha'penny Bridge..
After Spain, there’s no stopping this chap
wow epic vid.... i think this gives more insight into the napoleonic wars than the Napoleon one which i'll have to watch again now.... i like your other channels but i think Biographics has it for me
Wellington's Peninsula army would have retaken the US
Yeah i agree, over 130,000 veterans Wellington had. A juggernaut compared to the small forces the British deployed to America.
Imagine if it was Wellington at New Orleans and Plattsburgh instead of Edward Pakenham,
I dunno about that he was a good general but he was signifcantly better in defensive battles and in offense he was more cautious in general.
@@CAM8689 He could also attack. The Battle of Vitoria 1813 during the Peninsula Campaign was not a defensive battle, neither was the Battle of Salamanca.
yea but generally speaking he was better on defense@@mattwordsworth9825
Making a video on the Duke of Wellington?
Now that’s soldiering..
Chosen man Simon..
I never knew that Wellington fought for Catholic emancipation.
And from within the Tory Party as well!
Great video.
Thanks from Ireland 🇮🇪.
Love your content.
Keep 'em coming.
Really interesting video, thank you ,thoroughly enjoyed it
You know, i just realised that Charles Dance could do an excellent performance as an elder Wellington if there was ever a need for one..
You're right! And Hugh Fraser made a great Wellington in the 'Sharpe" series.
@@davidkachonik1885 oh there is no doubt about that
@@davidkachonik1885 Christopher Plummer, for my money, was the best. Fantastic performance in the Movie Waterloo.
I love this channel. There's a lot of things they never taught us in school that I never knew.
Yes! I've been waiting for this one. Napoleon gets all the ink, but the Duke won their encounters.
One encounter and it wasn’t a one vs one fight.
@@fredbarker9201 I was counting the Peninsular War. I know it wasn't head to head but Wellington defeated armies that were following Napoleons strategic orders.
But Wellington only fought directly against Napoleon once, at Waterloo, and without the Prussians he would have had to retreat...
napoleon was driving the british back his very brief time in spain before his attention was needed elsewhere so not quite@@raka522
1 encounter and with major prussian help....also the dutch
Thanks for the video!
Most of my knowledge of Wellesley comes from the Sharpe series starring Sean Bean.
Fantastic presentation!
Everybody always forgets that he was Prime Minister as well!
It was because prime minister wasn't as great post in 1800s as it is today
Such an interesting piece of history 👍🏻
" I see napoleons troops would like to meet us on the field in the same old style and we sought them out in the same old style"
Unfortunately for Napoleon it wasn't the same old staff by his side. His new 2nd wasn't used to the way things worked and failed to send the right orders at the right time. We'll never know if he'd have won as he claimed if his old staff had returned to his side as he'd expected.
But without Blücher Wellington doesn’t win and could easily lose. So people exaggerate the fact Napoleon didn’t think much of Wellington (which Is dumb from him) but where nap thought he would sweep him aside, without Blücher he may well have swept him aside.
@@fredbarker9201 the fact that Nay didn't return as he'd expected was possibly the biggest blow to Napoleon. He did lack enough respect for Wellington but would still have acted the same to any opposition that he faced. He always attacked it was just his way. Without Nay there though to send, interpret and ensure his orders were received in time and acted on at the right time really hurt him. Apparently in h own mind the reason he lost was due to Nay staying with the Royals and not going back to him. Probably not totally true but it's interesting to speculate about what would have happened if he had.
@@itarry4 Nay? Who's that? You mean Marshal Berthier, Napoleon's original Chief of Staff?
@@fredbarker9201
Without Blucher s assurance that he would join the British on the 18th June, Wellington wouldn't have fought at Waterloo at all. It was hardly a surprise rescue. In fact, Wellington held on for a lot longer than he anticipated he might have to. Still a great achievement, especially with the forces he had.
He was reported to have said that if he'd had his Peninsular army, he'd have advanced and swept the field. An exaggeration, but he was making a point.
Your channel is truly great
Thank you Simon for this story and for introducing me to a real and true Legendary Hero or shall I simply say Legend. As an American I am kinda glad the Duke was occupied with that little Frenchman and wasn't sent to America to aid in the revolutionary war.
Napoleon was Corsican. Secondly, the Revolutionary War ended more than 3 decades before the Battle of Waterloo.
Call up your history teachers and demand a refund.
@@themaskedman221 Napoleon was French dude,
@@rajkaranvirk7525 He was Corsican, an island annexed by France the year he was born. His family origins were in Genoa and Tuscany.
@@themaskedman221 Yeah but he was Still French, he was born and raised it.
@@rajkaranvirk7525 He was French by allegiance and nationality, and certainly figures prominently in French history (although he began his political life as a Corsican nationalist, like his father, but then flipped). Interesting little fact: he didn't learn French until he was about 10 years old, and never could get rid of his Corsican accent.
I enjoy how you say words.
His name was also used for a small town in outback nsw Australia the town of Wellington and it three mountains mount Arthur mount Wellesley and mount duke
And New Zealand's capital city. We also have a Marlborough (region), just like one of the english generals in this story. Come to think of it, we have a lot of places named after famous english blokes
Aussie!. Warning: the Aussies refer to any hillick over 399 feet as a "mountain". Although it could be... over 299 feet.
I’ve been waiting for this one