- born in Ireland on May 1st 1769
- after his education in Eton he went to a military college in France before entering service as officer of the British army in India.
- There he got the command over his own division in 1799 and was commander in the British campaign against native Indian rebels in 1803.
- After his Indian service he was Member of Parliament, between 1807 and 1809 Chief Secretary for Ireland and led the campaign for Copenhagen against the Danes in 1807.
- He was made a Lieutenant-General in 1808 and was sent to Portugal to assist the revolt against the French, who had occupied the whole Iberian peninsula.
- He was superseded in command in the same year but returned one year later in order to lead the British peninsula campaign against French-occupied Spain, where he managed to win the battle of Talavera for which he was given a viscountcy.
- His further victories in the battles of Salamanca and Vittoria in 1812 were very important for the defeat of the French forces in Spain one year later.
- For his benefits he became an Earl in February 1812 and a Marquess in October of the same year.
- In 1813 Wellington pushed the French General Soult back through the Pyrenees into France and received the news of Napoleon's abdication in Toulouse in January 1814.
- After the allied victory over Bonaparte he was given the title "Duke of Wellington" in May and was British embassador in Paris and at the congress of Vienna.
- When Napoleon returned from Elba March 1st 1815, Wellington was appointed commander in chief of the British forces on the continent. Wellington and Bonaparte had different qualities in leading a battle. Napoleon was keen on opening a battle and in manoeuvering his enemies out, while Wellington's qualities were more shown during a battle. He made the red-coated army not only a formidable fighting machine, but a disciplined one as well - disciplined also by the lash and the fear of the gallows.
- During Napoleon's 100 days campaign Wellington found himself out manoeuvered by his opponent - "Humbugged" as he called it - but managed to hold off the French long enough to stabilize his defensive line in front of Bruxelles at Waterloo.
- The Battle of Waterloo on June 18th 1815 was the only battle where Wellington had to face an army let by Bonaparte himself. The Allied forces (the British, the Dutch and the Prussians) were superior in number. There were at least 2 to 3 Allied soldiers against one French. Bonaparte's strategy was to separate the English and Dutch army led by Wellington from the Prussian army led by Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher and to attack them separately. This strategy was successful in the beginning when Bonaparte attacked Wellington, who then got support by a Prussian corps under General Bülow. After an exhausting battle with many losses on both sides the French were going to push the Allies back. But night fell on the battlefield and just in this moment Blücher's troops, the main Prussian army, entered the battle. They were able to save the Allied victory because the French General Grouchy, whose objective was to pursue Blücher and to prevent ladder's army from joining the Allied forces on battlefield, didn't carry out his orders properly. That led to a great disorder and confusion of Napoleon's troops which weren't able to hold the ranks against the fresh Prussian soldiers entering the battle. The French were defeated, Napoleon had to abdicate once again and was made British prisoner on St. Helena by Wellington.
- After his victory Wellington remained commander in chief of the British forces.
- He became British Prime Minister in 1828 but lost office in 1830 due to his unpopularity and the lack of support of his tory party wich opposed his policy of Catholic emanzipation in Ireland. In the following years he served as ministry in leading government positions. A conservative and an aristocrat in nature he opposed any form of democratic parliamental reforms.
- The Duke of Wellington died September 14th 1852 after being made commander in chief for life ten years before. He is buried in St. Paul's Cathedral. He is also known as "Old Hookey" (because of his nose), "Our Atty" (Arthur) and "the Bugger that Beats the French".
