Revolution, War and Peace
Europe faces a terrifying threat to its established order as revolutionary France seeks to overthrow monarchs and build an empire. Inspired by radical politics, its vast armies — led by …
Course: Wellington and the Battle of Waterloo
What else can I learn at the University of Southampton?
The University of Southampton combines academic excellence with an innovative and entrepreneurial approach to research, supporting a culture that engages and challenges students and staff in their pursuit of learning. …
Extended reading
If you would like to take your interest in this week’s topics further, the books listed below are recommended reading. For some of them, you will probably need access to …
Your questions answered
In this final video (11 minutes) Chris and Karen answer three of the questions you asked – about the distribution of ‘prize money’ to the Allied troops that fought at …
The Duke of Wellington’s State Funeral in 1852
The Duke of Wellington died on 14 September 1852, aged 83, at Walmer Castle in Kent. ‘On this day Arthur, Duke of Wellington, perhaps the greatest man that ever drew …
Popular recognition and memorialisation
Although Wellington’s reputation was forever linked to Waterloo, his victories in the Peninsular War had already made him a household name. From 1810 onwards his likeness began to appear on …
The Wellington Arch
Built in 1825–7, the Wellington Arch at Hyde Park Corner, London, was intended as a victory arch to commemorate the British victories in the Napoleonic wars. Both the Wellington Arch …
Gurwood’s Dispatches of Field Marshal, the Duke of Wellington
It was not long after the end of the war that military conflict was succeeded by paper warfare. The 1820s, in particular, saw major publications on the Napoleonic Wars, from …
The Duke of Wellington After the Battle of Waterloo
After Waterloo, Wellington was in the public eye as never before. He was both a military man and one who had a political role for the remainder of his life. …
Wellington: the Great Briton
The Duke of Wellington continued his military and political career after Napoleon’s defeat, and was Prime Minister between 1828 and 1830. Despite events that tarnished his reputation, when he died …
The Battle of Waterloo in Thackeray’s Vanity Fair
William Makepeace Thackeray (1811–63) was born in Calcutta to Anglo-Indian parents. He came to Britain in 1817 to attend school and then spent two years at Cambridge. Thackeray studied art …
Achilles and the ladies of England
In the period after Waterloo, there were many proposals for monuments to the Duke of Wellington, most of which did not come to fruition. The nation’s gratitude to Wellington had …
Philippoteaux’ The Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was to prove a popular subject for pictorial representation. Many paintings which used it as a subject were produced in the two or three decades after …
Your questions answered
In this video (10 minutes) Chris answers four of the questions you asked – about the aftermath of the battle, Wellington’s role in the peace deliberations, the treatment of soldiers …
History of Art: Sir David Wilkie’s Chelsea Pensioners
In 1816 the Duke of Wellington commissioned Sir David Wilkie (1785–1841) to paint a picture to commemorate the Battle of Waterloo. The Scottish painter had trained in Edinburgh and moved …