In this compelling book

Richard Holmes tells the exhilarating story of the Duke of Wellington, Britain’s greatest ever soldier.

Following Wellington's journey

Seeing Wellington as a remarkable figure, Holmes follows his career from the ruins of his family seat in Ireland to the plains of India where Wellesley first gained his reputation as a brilliant commander, to the horrors of the Peninsular War and Waterloo.

Holmes' approach

Combining his astute historical analysis with semi-biographical examination, Holmes artfully illustrates the rapid evolution in military and political thinking of the time.