Death of Arthur Wellesley, Alias the Duke of Wellington

Death of Arthur Wellesley, better known as the Duke of Wellington, occurs on September 14, 1852, at the age of 83. Born in Dublin in 1769, Wellington rose to fame as one of Britain’s greatest military leaders, most notably for his defeat of Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.

Before his military acclaim, Wellesley served as Member of Parliament for Trim (Co. Meath) in the Irish House of Commons. He later became a prominent Tory statesman, serving twice as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1828–1830 and briefly in 1834). His government oversaw the passage of the Catholic Emancipation Act in 1829—despite his own reservations.

Wellesley’s legacy endures as both a military hero and a complex political figure, bridging Irish birth and British imperial power.