“In this age, in past ages, in any age, Napoleon!” – Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington, on being asked whom he thought was the greatest soldier of the age He led Britain’s armies across the world, from India to the Iberian Peninsula, and dealt the final defeat to le petit caporal himself, Napoleon. However, was Wellington really the greatest general Britain has ever seen?
This issue’s cover feature explores the full military career of the Iron Duke, from his origins serving in India and the Netherlands, to his gruelling campaign in Spain and Portugal.
Starting on page 28, Dr Huw Davies and Dr Rory Muir discuss the strategic successes and fatal mistakes that helped shape the generalship of Wellington, and how his battlefield brilliance reaffirmed Britain as a force to…
