(continued on back flap)
ARCHITECTS
of EMPIRE
THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON
AND HIS BROTHERS
J o h n S e v e r n
ARCHITECTSofEMPIRE
THEDUKEOFWELLINGTONANDHISB...
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ARCHITECTS
of EMPIRE
THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON
AND HIS BROTHERS
J o h n S e v e r n
ARCHITECTSofEMPIRE
THEDUKEOFWELLINGTONANDHISBROTHERS
S e v e r n
ISBN-13: 978-0-8061-3810-7
ISBN-10: 0-8061-3810-6
9 7 8 0 8 0 6 1 3 8 1 0 7
A SOLDIER AND STATESMAN
for the ages, the Duke of Wellington is
a towering figure in world history. John
Severn now offers a reconsideration of
the man born Arthur Wellesley to show
that his career was very much a family
affair, a lifelong series of interactions
with his brothers and their common
Anglo-Irish heritage. The untold story of
a great family drama, Architects of Empire
paints a new picture of the era through
the collective biography of Wellesley
and his siblings.
Severn takes readers from the British
Raj in India to the battlefields of the
Napoleonic Wars to the halls of Parlia-
ment as he traces the rise of the five
brothers from obscurity to prominence.
Severn covers both the imperial Indian
period before 1800 and the domestic
political period after 1820, describing
the wide range of experiences Arthur
and his brothers lived through.
Architects of Empire brings together in a
single volume a grand story that before
now was discernible only through
political or military analysis. Weaving
the personal history of the brothers into
a captivating narrative, it tells of sibling
rivalry among men who were by turns
“A fresh look at the first Duke of Wellington. John Severn places
him in the midst of a great family drama and argues successfully
that the duke’s career owed as much to fraternal prompting and
largesse as it did to inspired talent. Severn reveals a fascinating
family of five brothers who both engage and repel with their mix-
ture of virtues and vices. This is humanity in full.”
B E R N A R D C O R N W E L L
author of Sharpe’s Fury
generous and supportive, then insensi-
tive and cruel. And as the brothers
found themselves on opposing sides of
national issues—Catholic Emancipation
and Parliamentary Reform—they knew
antipathy that was to be tempered only
by old age.
Whereas other historians have mini-
mized the importance of family ties,
Severn provides an unusually nuanced
understanding of the Duke of Welling-
ton. Architects of Empire casts his career in
a new light—one that will surprise those
who believe they already know the man.
JOHN SEVERN, Associate Professor
of History and Associate Provost at the
University of Alabama in Huntsville, is
the author of A Wellesley Affair: Richard
Marquess Wellesley and the Conduct of Anglo-
Spanish Diplomacy, 1809–1812.
On the front: Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington,
by Alfred D’Orsay. Courtesy of the National
Portrait Gallery, London.
Jacket design by Tony Roberts
Architects of Empire
Architects of Empire
The Duke of Wellington
and His Brothers
John Severn
University of Oklahoma Press : Norman
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Severn, John Kenneth, 1948–
Architects of empire : the Duke of Wellington and his brothers / John Severn.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-0-8061-3810-7 (alk. paper)
ISBN-10: 0-8061-3810-6 (alk. paper)
1. Wellington, Arthur Wellesley, Duke of, 1769–1852—Family. 2. Wellesley
family. 3. Great Britain—History—18th century. 4. Great Britain—History—
19th century. 5. Politicians—Great Britain—Biography. 6. Gentry—Ireland—
Biography. I. Title. II. Title: Duke of Wellington and his brothers.
DA68.12.W4S48 2007
941.07'0922—dc22
2006028181
Text Design by CF Graphics
The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and durability of
the Committee on Production Guidelines for Book Longevity of the Council
on Library Resources, Inc. ∞
Copyright © 2007 by the University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, Publishing
Division of the University. All rights reserved. Manufactured in the U.S.A.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Also by John Severn
A Wellesley Affair: Richard Marquess Wellesley and the Conduct of
Anglo-Spanish Diplomacy, 1809–1812 (Tallahassee, 1981)
For Debbie
Contents
List of Illustrations ix
Preface xi
1. The Wellesleys of County Meath 3
2. Richard Takes Charge 24
3. The India Adventure Begins 65
4. Tiger Hunt 92
5. Arthur: From Mysore to the Maratha War 119
6. Henry Steps Forward 138
7. End of the First Act: The Maratha War 160
8. Entr’acte I 195
9. Toil and Trouble 223
10. The Wellesleys in Spain: The First Phase 252
11. The Wellesleys at War 291
12. Reversal of Fortunes 328
13. Waterloo 359
14. Entr’acte II 384
15. Encore for the Wellesleys 404
16. Irreconcilable Differences 435
17. View from Across the Aisle 464
18. The Final Years 502
Notes 541
Bibliography 577
Index 589
vii
Illustrations
Plates
Modern Ruins of Dangan Castle, County Meath 275
Anne, Countess of Mornington 276
Richard Colley, Marquess Wellesley 277
The Hon. William Wellesley-Pole 278
Lieutenant-Colonel the Hon. Arthur Wellesley 279
Rev. the Hon. Gerald Valerian Wellesley 280
The Hon. Henry Wellesley 281
William Pitt Speaking Before the House of Commons 282
William Grenville...