Cultural depictions of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington

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Portrait of the Duke of Wellington by Francisco Goya (1812-1814) Francisco Goya - Portrait of the Duke of Wellington.jpg
Portrait of the Duke of Wellington by Francisco Goya (1812-1814)

Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, was an Anglo-Irish soldier and Tory statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures of 19th-century Britain, commanding the British Army during the Napoleonic Wars and serving twice as prime minister. He has frequently been depicted in various cultural media.

Contents

Art

Equestrian Portrait of the 1st Duke of Wellington by Francisco Goya (1812) Goya Equestrian Portrait of the 1st Duke of Wellington.jpg
Equestrian Portrait of the 1st Duke of Wellington by Francisco Goya (1812)
The central section of The Meeting of Wellington and Blucher after the Battle of Waterloo, in a print of 1879 Wellington & Blucher ANC-14.86 2 (central crop).jpg
The central section of The Meeting of Wellington and Blücher after the Battle of Waterloo , in a print of 1879

Literature

Literary works in which Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, appears:

Film

Waterloo (1970) poster showing Christopher Plummer as Wellington Waterloo 1970 Poster (cropped).jpg
Waterloo (1970) poster showing Christopher Plummer as Wellington

Radio

Television

Arthur Wellesley, painted by
Sir Thomas Lawrence Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington by Thomas Lawrence.jpg
Arthur Wellesley, painted by
Sir Thomas Lawrence

Music

Video games

Video games Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, appears in:

Miscellaneous

See also

Related Research Articles

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Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, was an Anglo-Irish military officer and statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures in Britain during the late 18th and early 19th centuries, serving twice as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He is among the commanders who ended the Anglo-Mysore Wars when Tipu Sultan was killed in the fourth war in 1799 and among those who ended the Napoleonic Wars in a victory when the Seventh Coalition defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.

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Duke of Wellington is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The name derived from Wellington in Somerset. The title was created in 1814 for Arthur Wellesley, 1st Marquess of Wellington, the Anglo-Irish military commander who is best known for leading the decisive victory with Field Marshal von Blücher over Napoleon's forces at Waterloo in Brabant. Wellesley later served twice as British prime minister. In historical texts, unqualified use of the title typically refers to the 1st Duke.

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Apsley House is the London townhouse of the Dukes of Wellington. It stands alone at Hyde Park Corner, on the south-east corner of Hyde Park, facing towards the large traffic roundabout in the centre of which stands the Wellington Arch. It is a Grade I listed building.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prince of Waterloo</span> A title in Dutch and Belgian nobility

Prince of Waterloo is a title in the Dutch and Belgian nobility, held by the Duke of Wellington. The title was created by King William I of the Netherlands for Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington as a victory title in recognition of defeating Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. The Duke of Wellington and all his descendants along the male line belong to Dutch and Belgian nobility, in which all the descendant dukes carry the title of "Prince of Waterloo" with the style "Serene Highness". The rest of his family retain the Dutch honorific Jonkheer or Jonkvrouw.

<i>Sharpes Waterloo</i> 1990 historical novel by Bernard Cornwell

Sharpe's Waterloo is a historical novel in the Richard Sharpe series by Bernard Cornwell. Originally published in 1990 under the title Waterloo, it is the eleventh novel of the Sharpe series and the twentieth novel in chronological order. Cornwell stated that he intended to end the series here, but later changed his mind.

Kempton Cannon Bunton was a disabled British pensioner and unemployed bus driver who confessed to taking Francisco Goya's painting Portrait of the Duke of Wellington from the National Gallery in London in 1961. The story of Bunton and the painting was the subject of the October 2015 BBC Radio 4 drama Kempton and the Duke, and the 2020 film The Duke.

George IV of the United Kingdom has been depicted many times in popular culture.

<i>The Iron Duke</i> (film) 1934 film

The Iron Duke is a 1934 British historical film directed by Victor Saville and starring George Arliss, Ellaline Terriss and Gladys Cooper. Arliss plays Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington in the events leading up to the Battle of Waterloo and beyond.

<i>Portrait of the Duke of Wellington</i> (Goya) Painting by Francisco de Goya

The Portrait of the Duke of Wellington is a painting by the Spanish artist Francisco de Goya of the British general Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, during the latter's service in the Peninsular War. One of three portraits Goya painted of Wellington, it was begun in August 1812 after the subject's entry into Madrid, showing him as an earl in an all-red uniform and wearing the Peninsular Medal. The artist then modified it in 1814 to show him in full dress uniform with black gold–braided lapels and to add the Order of the Golden Fleece and Military Gold Cross with three clasps.

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The Wellington Collection is a large art and militaria collection housed at Apsley House in London. It mainly consists of paintings, including 83 formerly in the Spanish royal collection, given to Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, who was Prime Minister as well as the general commanding the British forces to victory in the Napoleonic Wars. It also includes his collection of furniture, sculpture, porcelain, the silver centrepiece made for him in Portugal around 1815, and many other artworks and memorabilia relating to his career.

<i>Waterloo: The History of Four Days, Three Armies and Three Battles</i> 2014 nonfiction history book by Bernard Cornwell

Waterloo: The History of Four Days, Three Armies and Three Battles is a history book written by Bernard Cornwell, first published in Great Britain by William Collins on 11 September 2014, and by Harper Collins Publishers on 5 May 2015 in the United States. It is Cornwell's first work of nonfiction, after publishing more than forty novels in the historical fiction genre, including the popular Richard Sharpe series taking place during the Napoleonic Wars. The book recounts the Battle of Waterloo on 18 June 1815, including preceding events from the campaign of the same name and The Hundred Days.

<i>The Duke</i> (2020 film) 2020 British comedy-drama film

The Duke is a 2020 British comedy drama film directed by Roger Michell, with a screenplay by Richard Bean and Clive Coleman. It is based on the true story of the 1961 theft of the Portrait of the Duke of Wellington by Francisco de Goya. The film stars Jim Broadbent, Helen Mirren, Fionn Whitehead, Anna Maxwell Martin and Matthew Goode. It was Michell's penultimate film before his death on 22 September 2021.

<i>Portrait of the Duke of Wellington</i> (Lawrence) Painting by Thomas Lawrence

Portrait of the Duke of Wellington is a portrait painting by the English artist Thomas Lawrence of the Anglo-Irish soldier and politician the Duke of Wellington. It was begun in early 1815 following Wellington's success in the Peninsular War and shortly before his victory over Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo and the subsequent allied occupation of France under Wellington's command. It is now in the collection of Apsley House, the Duke's London residence. Wellington is shown in military uniform displaying various honours including the Order of the Garter, the Order of the Golden Fleece and the Order of the Bath. He has been described as "impassive and aloof" in the painting. Lawrence's depiction of Wellington was used on the British five pound note between 1971 and 1991.

<i>The Battle of Waterloo</i> (Pieneman painting) Painting by Jan Willem Pieneman

The Battle of Waterloo is a large history painting by the Dutch artist Jan Willem Pieneman completed in 1824. It portrays the Battle of Waterloo on 18 June 1815 which marked the final defeat of Napoleon's French Empire and the end of the Napoleonic Wars. It focuses on the Allied commanders led by the Duke of Wellington. Following the success of his 1818 work The Prince of Orange at Quatre Bras the artist chose to depict another scene from the Hundred Days campaign. He traveled to London in February 1821 where he received assistance from the Duke of Wellingon who let him establish a temporary studio in Apsley House and posed for his own portrait. He also arranged sittings with other senior figures present at Waterloo and in addition had his horse Copenhagen brought to London so that Pieneman could capture its likeness. After spending nearly nearly four months in London the artist returned to Amsterdam where he also painted the Prince of Orange in preparation for the work.

References

  1. "The Meeting of Wellington and Blucher after the Battle of Waterloo". UK Parliament. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  2. Staff. "Warhorses of Letters". BBC. Retrieved 9 February 2012.
  3. "The Duke | Sony Pictures Classics".
  4. "Kempton and the Duke on BBC Radio 4".