Wellington's Charge: A Portrait of the Duke's England

by Berwick Coates (Author)

• Used

  Paperback
  2003

  $3.27

  There were several royal dukes in England after 1815, but when people mentioned 'The Duke', everyone knew who was being talked about. It was Arthur Wellesley, first Duke of Wellington. This instant recognition was a measure of his enormous stature that still resonates today. To understand this rare man, it is necessary to understand the country he served. England was his cause, his love, his master and his responsibility, and he served it unswervingly for the whole of his long, active life. But how did this tiny island come to beat the giant of Napoleonic France? How did we manage to collect the biggest Navy and the biggest empire? Why did we have an Industrial revolution? And why did we have it first? Wellington's Charge offers a unique insight to the story of Wellington's lifetime of service and uncovers themes that still echo today. How do we clean up our cities? How do we fight crime? How do we protect our people from disease? What do we do about our royal family? Having survived the canons of Waterloo Wellington saw himself as servant of the crown - at a time when the scandal and ridicule around royalty threatened to engulf it. He helped it to survive. The concept of public service and the standards Wellington set during his sixty years of servitude have become a benchmark by which all public figures are judged. His reputation has undoubtedly stood the test of time.