Duke of Wellington (title)
The Dukedom of Wellington, derived from Wellington in Somerset, is a hereditary title in the senior rank of the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The first holder of the title was Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (1769–1852), the noted Irish-born career British Army officer and statesman, and unqualified references to the Duke of Wellington almost always refer to him. He is most famous for, together with Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher, defeating Napoleon Bonaparte at Waterloo in Brabant (now Walloon Brabant province, Belgium). The Wellesley family is, in origin, an Anglo-Irish aristocratic dynasty.
History
The titles of Duke of Wellington and Marquess Douro were bestowed upon Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, on 11 May 1814. The subsidiary titles of the Duke of Wellington are: Marquess of Wellington (1812), Marquess Douro (1814), Earl of Mornington (1760 – but only inherited by the Dukes of Wellington in 1863), Earl of Wellington (1812), Viscount Wellesley (1760 – inherited in 1863), Viscount Wellington (1809), Baron Mornington (1746 – also inherited in 1863), and Baron Douro (1809). The Viscountcy of Wellesley and the Barony and Earldom of Mornington are in the Peerage of Ireland; the rest are in the Peerage of the United Kingdom.
Apart from the British titles the Dukes of Wellington also holds the titles of Prince of Waterloo (Prins van Waterloo, 1815) of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo (Duque de Ciudad Rodrigo, 1812) of the Kingdom of Spain, and Duke of the Victory (Duque da Vitória, 1812), with the subsidiary titles Marquis of Torres Vedras (Marquês de Torres Vedras, 1812) and Count of Vimeiro (Conde de Vimeiro, 1811) of the Kingdom of Portugal. These were granted to the first Duke as victory titles for his distinguished services as victorious commanding general in the Peninsular War (in Spain and Portugal) and at the Battle of Waterloo (in what is now Belgium).
The family seat is Stratfield Saye House, near Basingstoke, Hampshire. Apsley House, in London, is now owned by English Heritage, although the family retain an apartment there.
Dukes of Wellington (1814)
- Other titles: Prince of Waterloo (Netherlands, 1815), Duke of the Victory (Portugal, 1812), Marquis of Torres Vedras (Port., 1812), Marquess of Wellington (UK 1812), Marquess of Douro (UK 1814), Count of Vimeiro (Port., 1811), Earl of Wellington (UK 1812), Viscount Wellington, of Talavera and of Wellington and Baron Douro, of Wellesley in the county of Somerset (UK 1809)
- Other titles (1st–6th Dukes): Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo (Spain, 1812)
- Other titles (2nd Duke onwards): Earl of Mornington and Viscount Wellesley, of Dangan Castle (Ireland, 1760) and Baron of Mornington (Ireland, 1746)
- Arthur Richard Wellesley, 2nd Duke of Wellington (1807–1884), eldest son of the 1st Duke, died without issue
- Henry Wellesley, 3rd Duke of Wellington (1846–1900), second son of Major-General Lord Charles Wellesley, himself second and youngest son of the 1st Duke, died without issue
- Arthur Charles Wellesley, 4th Duke of Wellington (1849–1934), third and youngest son of Major-General Lord Charles Wellesley
- Arthur Charles Wellesley, 5th Duke of Wellington (1876–1941), eldest son of the 4th Duke
- Henry Valerian George Wellesley, 6th Duke of Wellington (1912–43), only son of the 5th Duke, died without issue
- Other titles (7th Dukes): Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo (Esp, 1812, held 1949–1968)
- Other titles (7th & 8th Dukes): Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo (Esp, 1812, held from 1949–2010)
Title succession
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Arthur Wellesley,
1st Duke of Wellington,
1st Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo
1769–1852 |
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Arthur Richard Wellesley,
2nd Duke of Wellington,
2nd Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo
1807–1884 |
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Lord Charles Wellesley
1808–1858 |
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Henry Wellesley,
3rd Duke of Wellington,
3rd Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo
1846–1900 |
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Arthur Charles Wellesley,
4th Duke of Wellington,
4th Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo
1849–1934 |
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Arthur Charles Wellesley,
5th Duke of Wellington,
5th Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo
1876–1941 |
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Gerald Wellesley,
7th Duke of Wellington,
8th Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo
1885–1972 |
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Anne Rhys,
7th Duchess of Ciudad Rodrigo
1910–1998 |
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Henry Valerian George Wellesley,
6th Duke of Wellington,
6th Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo
1912–1943 |
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Arthur Valerian Wellesley,
8th Duke of Wellington,
9th Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo
b. 1915 |
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Arthur Charles Valerian Wellesley,
Marquess of Douro,
10th Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo
b. 1945 |
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Arthur Gerald Wellesley,
Earl of Mornington
b. 1978 |
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Arthur Darcy Wellesley,
Viscount Wellesley
b. 2010 |
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Line of succession
- Arthur Charles Valerian Wellesley, Marquess of Douro (b. 1945) (eldest son of the 8th Duke)
- Arthur Gerald Wellesley, Earl of Mornington (b. 1978) (eldest son of Lord Douro)
- Arthur Darcy Wellesley, Viscount Wellesley (b. 2010) (only son of Lord Mornington)
- Lord Frederick Charles Wellesley (b. 1992) (second and youngest son of Lord Douro)
- Lord Richard Gerald Wellesley (b. 1949) (second son of the 8th Duke)
- Lord John Henry Wellesley (b. 1954) (third son of the 8th Duke)
- Gerald Valerian Wellesley (b. 1981) (only son of Lord John)
- Lord James Christopher Douglas Wellesley (b. 1965)[1] (fourth and youngest son of the 8th Duke)
- Oliver Valerian Wellesley (b. 2005) (only son of Lord James)
- Thomas Richard Henry Wellesley (b. 2000) (great-grandson of Lord George Wellesley, fourth and youngest son of the 4th Duke)
See also
References
- ^ {{cite book | last = Wellesley | first = Jane | authorlink = Jane Wellesley | title = A Journey Through My Family | publisher = [[Weidenfeld & Nicolson | series = | year = 2008 | doi = | isbn = 978-0-297-85231-5}}
External links