Wellington and Waterloo: The Duke, The Battle and Posterity 1815-2015

 

From the publishers:
 
The Battle of Waterloo was a defining moment in world history. Rightly, the battle has been immortalised and 2015 sees the bi-centenary of the battle. Wellington and Waterloo is the first book to analyse and trace how perceptions of the battle have changed over two hundred years. Waterloo made didn't just make nations and history. Waterloo also made a man. In the aftermath of victory, Wellington was the most feted man in Europe. Despite this, Wellington lived much of his life in the shadows of supposedly greater men. Wellington spent much of his life compared with his brother in India, Napoleon on the battlefield and Lord Liverpool and Sir Robert Peel in the Tory party.
 
Wellington and Waterloo merges two crucial historical disciplines; military history and the historical biography. The end product is a fascinating and necessary restoration of the Duke's reputation as a commander, politician and a man. Foster proves that Wellington remains as important to history as the battle he won.
 
• Explores how the battle defined the man, both in private and public
• Includes previously unpublished sources, offering fresh insight into the great leader