The Duke of Wellington: Difference between revisions

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Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, [[Knight Fever|1st Duke of Wellington KG KP GCB GCH PC FRS]], was one of the leading military and political figures of the nineteenth century. He is often referred to as one of the greatest English generals of all time, except that he was Irish. His supposed response (not recorded until after his death) to people pointing out his Irish birth was something along the lines of 'If a man is born in a stable, that doesn't make him a horse', a sentiment which didn't stop him marrying an Irish woman or the Irish building a [[wikipedia:Wellington Monument, Dublin|200 ft tall monument in his honour]]. To be fair his comments stemmed from a dislike of the Protestant and often power-abusing Irish Nobility rather than the "normal" Irish.

He will also wear any kind of trousers he likes, '''damn you.'''

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* [[Stephen Fry]] does a most awesome depiction of him in ''[[Blackadder]] The Third'' as an ignorant, bellowing, violent bully, who sees tactical ability and inspired leadership as entirely secondary to the truly important quality needed for an army: shouting.

* Obviously we see him in ''[[Sharpe]]''.

* ''[[The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage]]'' takes place in an alternate timeline where the duke became Prime Minister on account of his superior bone structure and entertainment value.

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* [[Appropriated Appellation]]: Kind of; the name "Iron Duke" was an insulting one given to him years later by parliamentary reformists for the shutters on his windows, but is usually misremembered as describing him as a [[Badass]] on the battlefield. [[Insult Backfire]]?

* [[Badass]]: He never lost a battle. Never. And fought only one with superior numbers (Vitoria).