Read Wellington: The Years of the Sword

Wellington: The Years of the Sword

Elizabeth Harman Pakenham Longford

4.9/5 (30912 ratings)

Description:For most of us Wellington equals Waterloo. But Waterloo was one peak only in the career of this phenomenal man, and it is the achievement of this major biography that it reveals the subtlety and full variety of Wellington's genius as well as the fascinating complexity of England in his time.He was born Arthur Wesley, third son of the Earl of Mornington, in 1769--the same year as Napoleon. His family, which belonged to the ruling caste of Englishmen in Ireland, was long on the tradition of proud service to the King and chronically short of funds. Neither his childhood nor his years at Eton were happy; but when he went to Anjou at seventeen, to study at France's Royal Academy of Equitation, he came into his own, learned well, and emerged qualified and cosmopolitan.He joined the British Army as an ensign and, for the next few years, rose through the ranks. He courted Kitty Pakenham but her family would not allow his suit--his family was not rich enough-- so he went to India at the age of twenty-seven still a bachelor.It was in India that he made his name. There he became a scholar and a soldier. He returned a Knight of the Bath, a major-general, a hero to his countrymen and acceptable, at last, to the Pakenhams. (He had courted Kitty by post over the twelve intervening years; it was scarcely surprising that the woman he married proved different indeed from the charming girl he had left.)When he was forty, the youngest lieutenant-general in the army, he took command of the allied armies in the Peninsular War. With Napoleon's downfall, abdication and exile to Elba, the hero of Europe began a gay career as ambassador to Paris. All the ladies, from the formidable Madame de Staël to the melting Signora Grassini, vied--often successfully--for his favors. His behavior with them and as a diplomat caused some disquiet, and there was evident relief when he was dispatched to the Congress of Vienna. When word came of Napoleon's escape, Wellington took command once more, and after the spectacular eve-of-battle ball in Brussels, led the British and Dutch-Belgian armies to triumph at Waterloo.Lady Longford's unique biography draws on new material from private papers and Wellington's own uninhibited correspondence. Wellington: The Years of the Sword is a worthy successor to her superb Queen Victoria: Born to Succeed.We have made it easy for you to find a PDF Ebooks without any digging. And by having access to our ebooks online or by storing it on your computer, you have convenient answers with Wellington: The Years of the Sword. To get started finding Wellington: The Years of the Sword, you are right to find our website which has a comprehensive collection of manuals listed.
Our library is the biggest of these that have literally hundreds of thousands of different products represented.

Pages: 552

Format: PDF, EPUB & Kindle Edition

Publisher: Harper & Row, Publishers

Release: —

ISBN: 0831756462

Description: For most of us Wellington equals Waterloo. But Waterloo was one peak only in the career of this phenomenal man, and it is the achievement of this major biography that it reveals the subtlety and full variety of Wellington's genius as well as the fascinating complexity of England in his time.He was born Arthur Wesley, third son of the Earl of Mornington, in 1769--the same year as Napoleon. His family, which belonged to the ruling caste of Englishmen in Ireland, was long on the tradition of proud service to the King and chronically short of funds. Neither his childhood nor his years at Eton were happy; but when he went to Anjou at seventeen, to study at France's Royal Academy of Equitation, he came into his own, learned well, and emerged qualified and cosmopolitan.He joined the British Army as an ensign and, for the next few years, rose through the ranks. He courted Kitty Pakenham but her family would not allow his suit--his family was not rich enough-- so he went to India at the age of twenty-seven still a bachelor.It was in India that he made his name. There he became a scholar and a soldier. He returned a Knight of the Bath, a major-general, a hero to his countrymen and acceptable, at last, to the Pakenhams. (He had courted Kitty by post over the twelve intervening years; it was scarcely surprising that the woman he married proved different indeed from the charming girl he had left.)When he was forty, the youngest lieutenant-general in the army, he took command of the allied armies in the Peninsular War. With Napoleon's downfall, abdication and exile to Elba, the hero of Europe began a gay career as ambassador to Paris. All the ladies, from the formidable Madame de Staël to the melting Signora Grassini, vied--often successfully--for his favors. His behavior with them and as a diplomat caused some disquiet, and there was evident relief when he was dispatched to the Congress of Vienna. When word came of Napoleon's escape, Wellington took command once more, and after the spectacular eve-of-battle ball in Brussels, led the British and Dutch-Belgian armies to triumph at Waterloo.Lady Longford's unique biography draws on new material from private papers and Wellington's own uninhibited correspondence. Wellington: The Years of the Sword is a worthy successor to her superb Queen Victoria: Born to Succeed.We have made it easy for you to find a PDF Ebooks without any digging. And by having access to our ebooks online or by storing it on your computer, you have convenient answers with Wellington: The Years of the Sword. To get started finding Wellington: The Years of the Sword, you are right to find our website which has a comprehensive collection of manuals listed.
Our library is the biggest of these that have literally hundreds of thousands of different products represented.

Special Offer | $0.00

Special Offer! | $0.00

Wellington: The Years of the Sword

Wellington: The Years of the Sword

More Books

Winston Churchill; a pictorial life story authorized by the Winston Churchill Foundation by Elizabeth Harman Pakenham Longford (1974-08-05)

Winston Churchill; a pictorial life story authorized by the Winston Churchill Foundation by Elizabeth Harman Pakenham Longford (1974-08-05)

Wellington: A New Biography

Wellington: A New Biography

Eminent Victorian Women by Elizabeth Harman Pakenham Longford (1981-05-03)

Eminent Victorian Women by Elizabeth Harman Pakenham Longford (1981-05-03)

Victoria R. I by Elizabeth (Harman) Pakenham Longford (1973-01-01)

Victoria R. I by Elizabeth (Harman) Pakenham Longford (1973-01-01)

The Life of Byron (Library of World Biography) by Elizabeth Harman Pakenham, Countess of Longford (1976-11-05)

The Life of Byron (Library of World Biography) by Elizabeth Harman Pakenham, Countess of Longford (1976-11-05)

Wellington: The Years of the Sword (v. 1) New edition by Longford, Elizabeth Harman Pakenham, Countess of (1982) Paperback

Wellington: The Years of the Sword (v. 1) New edition by Longford, Elizabeth Harman Pakenham, Countess of (1982) Paperback

Wellington

Wellington

Victoria R.I

Victoria R.I

Queen Victoria: born to succeed,

Queen Victoria: born to succeed,