In the next few weeks, you’ll be hearing a lot about the Duke of Wellington and the Battle of Waterloo
The reason, of course, is because we are about to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the battle – one of the most important in European history – which took place on 18 June 1815 when Napoleon was finally defeated.
Interestingly the Prussian leader Blücher wanted to call the battle La Belle Alliance after the farmhouse where he met the Duke of Wellington, the leader of the British and other allied troops; the French called the conflict the battle of Mont St Jean after the place where it was in fact fought; but it was Wellington who decided to name it after his own headquarters some two and a quarter miles away.
I have just finished reading an interesting biography of Wellington which I have reviewed here. Some time ago, I read a fascinating comparison of Wellington and Napoleon which I have reviewed here.