On This Day

After a ten-day siege, Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, orders British soldiers of the Light and 3rd Divisions

After a ten-day siege, Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, orders British soldiers of the Light and 3rd Divisions to storm Ciudad Rodrigo during the Peninsular War

Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (né Wesley; 1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852) was a British Army officer and statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures in Britain during the early 19th century, twice serving as Prime Minister. He was one of the British commanders who ended the Anglo-Mysore wars by defeating Tipu Sultan in 1799, and among those who ended the Napoleonic Wars in a Coalition victory when the Seventh Coalition defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.

Wellesley was born into a Protestant Ascendancy family in Dublin, in the Kingdom of Ireland. He was commissioned as an ensign in the British Army in 1787, serving in Ireland as aide-de-camp to two successive lords lieutenant of Ireland.

Historical Significance

Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (né Wesley; 1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852) was a British Army officer and statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures in Britain during the early 19th century, twice serving as Prime Minister.

Key People

Arthur Wellesley

Army officer and statesman

British Army officer and statesman

Arthur Wellesley

Army officer and statesman

British Army officer and statesman

Events Before

  1. US Vice President John C. Calhoun (28) weds Floride Bonneau (19)

    US Vice President John C. Calhoun (28) weds Floride Bonneau (19)

  2. First US colonists on the Pacific coast arrive at Cape Disappointment, Washington

    First US colonists on the Pacific coast arrive at Cape Disappointment, Washington

  3. Venezuelan Declaration of Independence: Seven provinces declare independence from Spain

    The Venezuelan Declaration of Independence (Spanish: Acta de la Declaración de Independencia de Venezuela) is a document drafted and adopted by Venezuela on July 5, 1811, through which Venezuelans...

  4. English Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley (19) elopes to Scotland with 1st wife Harriet Westbrook (16)

    Percy Bysshe Shelley ( BISH; 4 August 1792 – 8 July 1822) was an English writer who is considered one of the major English Romantic poets.

  5. British East India Company force led by Baron Minto conquers Java, then part of the Dutch East Indies. Stamford Raffles

    British East India Company force led by Baron Minto conquers Java, then part of the Dutch East Indies. Stamford Raffles is appointed lieutenant-governor.

Events After

  1. Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" is published by Thomas Egerton in the United Kingdom

    Pride and Prejudice is the second published novel (but third to be written) by English author Jane Austen, written when she was aged 20–21, and later published in 1813. A novel of manners, it follows…

  2. John Tyler (23) later 10th US President, marries 1st wife Letitia Christian Tyler (22)

    John Tyler (23) later 10th US President, marries 1st wife Letitia Christian Tyler (22)

  3. Austrian composer Johann Nepomuk Hummel (35) weds German opera singer Elisabeth Röckel (20) in Vienna, Austria, until hi

    Austrian composer Johann Nepomuk Hummel (35) weds German opera singer Elisabeth Röckel (20) in Vienna, Austria, until his death in 1837

  4. South American independence leader Simón Bolívar enters Mérida, leading the invasion of Venezuela, and is proclaimed El

    South American independence leader Simón Bolívar enters Mérida, leading the invasion of Venezuela, and is proclaimed El Libertador (The Liberator)

  5. American naval commander Oliver Hazard Perry defeats the British in the Battle of Lake Erie

    Oliver Hazard Perry (August 23, 1785 – August 23, 1819) was a United States Navy officer from South Kingstown, Rhode Island.

More from the 1810s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on January 19, 1812?
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (né Wesley; 1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852) was a British Army officer and statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures in Britain during the early 19th century, twice serving as Prime Minister. He was one of the British commanders who ended the Anglo-Mysore wars by defeating Tipu Sultan in 1799, and among those who ended the Napoleonic Wars in a Coalition victory when the Seventh Coalition defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. Wellesley was born into a Protestant Ascendancy family in Dublin, in the Kingdom of Ireland.
Why is After a ten-day siege, Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, orders Briti... significant?
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (né Wesley; 1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852) was a British Army officer and statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures in Britain during the early 19th century, twice serving as Prime Minister.
Who was involved in After a ten-day siege, Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, orders Briti...?
Key figures include Arthur Wellesley (Army officer and statesman), Arthur Wellesley (Army officer and statesman).

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