View source for Arthur Wellesley, 2nd Duke of Wellington

{{short description|British soldier and politician (1807–1884)}}
{{EngvarB|date=April 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2015}}
{{Infobox Officeholder
| honorific-prefix    = [[Grace (style)|His Grace]]
| name                = The Duke of Wellington
| honorific-suffix    = [[Order of the Garter|KG]] [[Privy Council of the United Kingdom|PC]]
| image               = Arthur Wellesley, 2nd Duke of Wellington.jpg
| caption             = The Duke of Wellington, {{circa|1870}}
| order1              = [[Master of the Horse]]
| term_start1         = 21 January 1853
| term_end1           = 21 February 1858
| monarch1            = [[Queen Victoria]]
| primeminister1      = [[George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen|The Earl of Aberdeen]]<br />[[Henry Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston|The Viscount Palmerston]]
| predecessor1        = [[George Child Villiers, 5th Earl of Jersey|The Earl of Jersey]]
| successor1          = [[Henry Somerset, 8th Duke of Beaufort|The Duke of Beaufort]]
| office2             = Member of the [[House of Lords]]<br/>[[Lords Temporal|Lord Temporal]]
| term_start2         = 14 September 1852
| term_end2           = 13 August 1884<br/>[[Hereditary peer|Hereditary Peerage]]
| predecessor2        = [[Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington|The 1st Duke of Wellington]]
| successor2          = [[Henry Wellesley, 3rd Duke of Wellington|The 3rd Duke of Wellington]]
| office3             = [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]]<br/>for [[Norwich (UK Parliament constituency)|Norwich]]
| term_start3         = 24 July 1837
| term_end3           = 7 July 1852
| predecessor3        = [[William Murray, 4th Earl of Mansfield|William Murray]]
| successor3          = [[Edward Warner (1818–1875)|Edward Warner]]
| office4             = [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]]<br/>for [[Aldeburgh (UK Parliament constituency)|Aldeburgh]]
| term_start4         = May 1829
| term_end4           = 8 December 1832
| predecessor4        = [[Wyndham Lewis (politician)|Wyndham Lewis]]
| successor4          = ''Constituency abolished''
| birth_date          = {{birth date|df=yes|1807|2|3}}
| birth_place         = [[Harley Street]], [[Soho]], London, England
| death_date          = {{death date and age|df=yes|1884|8|13|1807|2|3}}
| death_place         = [[Brighton railway station]], [[Brighton]], Sussex
| party               = 
| alma_mater          = [[Christ Church, Oxford]]<br />[[Trinity College, Cambridge]]
| spouse              = {{Marriage|[[Elizabeth Wellesley, Duchess of Wellington|Lady Elizabeth Hay]]|1839}}
| parents             = [[Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington]]<br />[[Catherine Wellesley, Duchess of Wellington|Hon. Catherine Pakenham]]
}}
[[File:Shield of arms of Arthur Wellesley, 2nd Duke of Wellington, KG, PC.png|thumb|Quartered arms of Arthur Wellesley, 2nd Duke of Wellington, KG, PC]]
[[Lieutenant-General]] '''Arthur Richard Wellesley, 2nd Duke of Wellington''', {{post-nominals|country=GBR|sep=,|KG|PC}} (3 February 1807 – 13 August 1884), styled '''Lord Douro''' between 1812 and 1814 and '''Marquess of Douro''' between 1814 and 1852, was a British soldier and politician. The eldest son of [[Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington]], victor of [[Battle of Waterloo|Waterloo]] and [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]], he succeeded his father in the dukedom in 1852 and held minor political office as [[Master of the Horse]] from 1853 to 1858. In 1858, he was made a [[Order of the Garter|Knight of the Garter]].

==Background and education==
Wellesley was born at [[Harley Street]], [[Marylebone]], London, the eldest son of [[Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington]], and the Honourable [[Catherine Wellesley, Duchess of Wellington|Catherine Sarah Dorothea "Kitty" Pakenham]], daughter of [[Edward Pakenham, 2nd Baron Longford]]. [[Lord Charles Wellesley]] was his younger brother and [[Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley|Lord Wellesley]], [[William Wellesley-Pole, 3rd Earl of Mornington|Lord Mornington]] and [[Henry Wellesley, 1st Baron Cowley|Lord Cowley]] his uncles. He was educated at [[Temple Grove School]], [[Eton College]], [[Christ Church, Oxford]], and [[Trinity College, Cambridge]].<ref>{{acad|id= WLSY825AR|name=Wellesley, Arthur Richard, Marquess of Douro}}</ref> He became known by the [[courtesy title]] Lord Douro when his father was created Earl of Wellington in 1812 and as Marquess of Douro in 1814 after his father was elevated to a dukedom.

==Military career==
Lord Douro became an [[ensign (rank)|ensign]] in the [[81st Regiment of Foot]] in 1823<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=17911|page=540|date=5 April 1823}}</ref> and in the [[71st (Highland) Regiment of Foot]] in 1825,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=18147|page=1071|date=18 June 1825}}</ref> a [[Cornet (military rank)|cornet]] in the [[Royal Horse Guards]] in 1825,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=18147|page=1068|date=18 June 1825}}</ref> a lieutenant in the Royal Horse Guards in 1827,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=18381|page=1589|date=24 July 1827}}</ref> a [[captain (land)|captain]] in the Royal Horse Guards in 1828 and in the [[King's Royal Rifle Corps]] the same year,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=18493|page=1494|date=5 August 1828}}</ref> a major in the King's Royal Rifle Corps in 1830 and in the [[Rifle Brigade]] in 1831,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=18832|page=1562|date=2 August 1831}}</ref> a [[lieutenant-colonel]] on the unattached list in 1834,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=19181|page=1480|date=12 August 1834}}</ref> a brevet [[Colonel (United Kingdom)|colonel]] in 1846,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=20660|supp=1|page=3990|date=10 November 1846}}</ref> a lieutenant-colonel in the Victoria (Middlesex) Rifle Volunteer Corps in 1853 and a [[major-general (British Army)|major-general]] in 1854.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=21564|page=1933|date=22 June 1854}}</ref>

Wellesley was known as one of the foremost advocates of the [[Volunteer Force|Volunteer movement]], and served as lieutenant-colonel of one of the earliest of the volunteer rifle corps, the [[Queen Victoria's Rifles|Victoria Rifles (Middlesex)]].<ref name=timesobit/>

==Political career==
Lord Douro was elected to Parliament for the [[Rotten and pocket boroughs|rotten borough]] of [[Aldeburgh (UK Parliament constituency)|Aldeburgh]] in 1829, a seat he held until its abolition by the [[Reform Act 1832]].<ref>{{Rayment-hc|a|1|date=March 2012}}</ref> He was out of Parliament until 1837, when he was returned for [[Norwich (UK Parliament constituency)|Norwich]].<ref>{{Rayment-hc|n|3|date=March 2012}}</ref> In 1852 he succeeded his father in the dukedom and entered the [[House of Lords]]. In early 1853 he was sworn of the [[Privy Council of the United Kingdom|Privy Council]]<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=21409 |date=8 February 1853 |page=330 }}</ref> and appointed [[Master of the Horse]] in [[George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen|Lord Aberdeen]]'s [[Coalition Government 1852–1855|coalition government]],<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=21404 |date=21 January 1853 |page=163 }}</ref> a post he retained when [[Henry Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston|Lord Palmerston]] became prime minister in 1855. He resigned along with the rest of the Palmerston government in 1858. The latter year he was made a [[Order of the Garter|Knight of the Garter]].<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=22118 |date=26 March 1858 |page=1575 }}</ref>

In 1863, Wellington inherited the [[Earl of Mornington|earldom of Mornington]] on the death of his cousin [[William Pole-Tylney-Long-Wellesley, 5th Earl of Mornington]]. From 1868 to 1884 he was [[Lord-Lieutenant of Middlesex]].

==Family and personal legacy==
[[File: Arthur Wellesley Vanity Fair 22 June 1872.jpg|thumb|right| "The son of Waterloo". Caricature by [[Adriano Cecioni|Cecioni]] published in [[Vanity Fair (British magazine)|''Vanity Fair'']] in 1872]]
Wellington married [[Elizabeth Wellesley, Duchess of Wellington|Lady Elizabeth Hay]], daughter of [[Field Marshal (United Kingdom)|Field Marshal]] [[George Hay, 8th Marquess of Tweeddale]], in 1839. They had no children. The marriage was not a happy one although Lady Elizabeth was a great favourite with her father-in-law.<ref>[[Elizabeth Pakenham, Countess of Longford|Longford, Elizabeth]]. ''Wellington-Elder Statesman''. Weidenfeld & Nicolson London 1972.</ref> On succeeding his illustrious father he was said to have remarked: "Imagine what it will be when the Duke of Wellington is announced, and only I walk in the room."{{Cite quote|date=January 2009}} The relationship between father and son is often described as the classic case of the son of a famous father who cannot match such fame.<ref>Longford op.cit.</ref> Wellington died at [[Brighton railway station]], [[Brighton]], Sussex, in August 1884, aged 77, and was buried at the family seat [[Stratfield Saye House]], Hampshire. His probate was resworn six years later at {{GBP|171356|1884|round=-5|about=yes|long=no}}.<ref name=probate>https://probatesearch.service.gov.uk Calendar of Probates and Administrations</ref> He was succeeded by his nephew, [[Henry Wellesley, 3rd Duke of Wellington|Henry]]. The Duchess died at Bearhill (Burhill) Park (House), [[Hersham]], [[Surrey]], in August 1904, aged 83, and was buried at Stratfield Saye. Her probate left assets of £13,997.<ref name=probate/>

He owned 19,000 acres of these 15,000 acres in Hampshire.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/greatlandownerso00bateuoft/page/469/mode/1up The great landowners of Great Britain and Ireland]</ref>

==In literature==
The [[Brontë family]] portrayed the first Duke of Wellington and his two sons in their imaginary games about the colonisation of Africa. They wrote many stories about Arthur, with Charlotte assuming the character of Charles as the "author" of these stories. As Charlotte and Branwell moved into their teenage years and used [[Lord Byron]]'s writings as inspiration, they focused on Arthur as a romantic, heroic figure. He was known to them as the Duke of Zamorna, and later as Emperor Adrian of Angria. Elements of his character formed the basis for [[Edward Rochester]] in ''[[Jane Eyre]]''.<ref>Elizabeth Gaskell, ''[http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1827 The Life of Charlotte Brontë]''. Smith & Elder, 1857. Entire text online at Gutenberg.</ref><ref>Fannie Elizabeth Ratchford, ''Legends of Angria''. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1933.</ref><ref>Fannie Elizabeth Ratchford, ''The Brontës' Web of Childhood''. Columbia University Press, 1941.</ref><ref>Charlotte and Branwell Brontë, ''Miscellaneous and Unpublished Writings''. Shakespeare Head edition, 1932.</ref>

[[Thomas Raikes (dandy)|Thomas Raikes]] ("the Younger"), a British merchant banker, dandy and diarist, was a close childhood friend, travelling and gambling companion of Arthur Wellesley, 2nd Duke of Wellington. His journals ''Two volumes of Private Correspondence with the 2nd Duke of Wellington and other Distinguished Contemporaries'' were published in 1861.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}}

==Styles==
*'''3 February 1807 – 26 August 1809''': Arthur Richard Wellesley, Esq.
*'''26 August 1809 – 28 February 1812''': Hon. Arthur Richard Wellesley, Esq.
*'''28 February 1812 – 3 May 1814''': Lord Douro
*'''3 May 1814 – 14 September 1852''': Marquess of Douro
*'''14 September 1852 – 7 February 1853''': ''His Grace'' [[Substantive title|The]] Duke of Wellington
*'''7 February 1853 – 25 March 1858''': ''His Grace'' The Duke of Wellington PC
*'''25 March 1858 – 13 August 1884''': ''His Grace'' The Duke of Wellington KG, PC

His obituary gives the Duke's name and title as:

:Arthur Richard Wellesley, KG., Duke and Marquis of Wellington (Somerset), Marquis of Douro, Earl of Wellington (Somerset), Viscount Wellington of Talavera and of Wellington, and Baron Douro of Wellesley, both in the same county, in the Peerage of the United Kingdom; Earl of Mornington, Viscount Wellesley of Daugan Castle, and Baron Mornington, of Mornington, county Meath, in the Peerage of Ireland; Prince of Waterloo in the Netherlands, Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo, and a Grandee of Spain of the 1st Class, Duke of Vittoria, Marquis of Torres Vedras, and Count Vimiera, in Portugal.<ref name=timesobit>'Death of the Duke of Wellington'; ''[[The Times]]'',  August 1884</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
*{{Hansard-contribs  | marquess-of-douro |  Arthur Wellesley, 2nd Duke of Wellington }}

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{{s-bef | before = [[Wyndham Lewis (politician)|Wyndham Lewis]]<br />[[Joshua Walker (MP)|Joshua Walker]] }}
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 | with   = [[Joshua Walker (MP)|Joshua Walker]] 1829
 | with2  = [[Spencer Kilderbee]] 1829&ndash;1830
 | with3  = [[John Wilson Croker|John Croker]] 1830&ndash;1832
 | years  = 1829&ndash;1832
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{{s-non | reason = Constituency abolished }}
{{succession box
 | title  = Member of Parliament for [[Norwich (UK Parliament constituency)|Norwich]]
 | with   = [[Robert Scarlett, 2nd Baron Abinger|Robert Scarlet]] 1835&ndash;1838
 | with2  = [[Benjamin Smith (British Whig politician)|Benjamin Smith]] 1838&ndash;1847
 | with3  = [[Morton Peto]] 1847&ndash;1854
 | before = [[William Murray, 4th Earl of Mansfield and Mansfield|Viscount Stormont]]<br />[[Robert Scarlett, 2nd Baron Abinger|Robert Scarlet]]
 | after  = [[Samuel Morton Peto|Sir Samuel Peto]]<br />[[Edward Warner (1818–1875)|Edward Warner]]
 | years  = 1837&ndash;1852
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{{succession box |after=[[Henry Wellesley, 3rd Duke of Wellington|Henry Wellesley]] | before=[[Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington|Arthur Wellesley]] | title=[[Prince of Waterloo]] | years=1852&ndash;1884}}
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{{succession box |after=[[Henry Wellesley, 3rd Duke of Wellington|Henry Wellesley]] | before=[[Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington|Arthur Wellesley]] | title=[[Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo]] | years=1852&ndash;1884}}
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{{succession box |after=[[Henry Wellesley, 3rd Duke of Wellington|Henry Wellesley]] | before=[[Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington|Arthur Wellesley]] | title=[[Duke of Victoria]] | years=1852&ndash;1884}}
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{{Wellesley}}
{{Dukes of Wellington}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wellington, Arthur Wellesley, 2nd Duke Of}}
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