Wellington: The Path to Victory 1769-1814: v. 1 - Hardcover

Muir, Rory

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0300186657 ISBN 13: 9780300186659

Publisher: Yale University Press, 2013

Synopsis

The Duke of Wellington was not just Britain's greatest soldier, although his seismic struggles as leader of the Allied forces against Napoleon in the Peninsular War deservedly became the stuff of British national legend. Wellington was much more: a man of vision beyond purely military matters, a politically astute thinker, and a canny diplomat as well as lover, husband, and friend. Rory Muir's masterful new biography, the first of a two-volume set, is the fruit of a lifetime's research and discovery into Wellington and his times. The author brings Wellington into much sharper focus than ever before, addressing his masterstrokes and mistakes in equal measure. Muir looks at all aspects of Wellington's career, from his unpromising youth through his remarkable successes in India and his role as junior minister in charge of Ireland, to his controversial military campaigns. With dramatic descriptions of major battles and how they might have turned out differently, the author underscores the magnitude of Wellington's achievements. The biography is the first to address the major significance of Wellington's political connections and shrewdness, and to set his career within the wider history of British politics and the war against Napoleon. The volume also revises Wellington's reputation for being cold and aloof, showing instead a man of far more complex and interesting character.

About this title

Review:

'Muir's painstaking recital of facts and descriptions of battles will delight military buffs.'-Lawrence James, The Times -- Lawrence James The Times 'The Wellington biography for our time.'-Gary Sheffield, BBC History Magazine -- Gary Sheffield BBC History Magazine "[E]xtensively researched and anchored in fact, [Muir] gives an invaluable picture of the duke in his early years that will be unfamiliar to many who know only of his military exploits. Muir has researched his subject for 30 years and it shows...[The] second volume - to judge by his first - cannot come soon enough..."-Simon Heffer, New Statesman -- Simon Heffer New Statesman "The first major Life of Wellington since Elizabeth Longford's work of 1969-72, Rory Muir's biography is matched by an extensive commentary online (at www.lifeofwellington.co.uk). Muir comes to his task after long research on the wars against Napoleon, from both political and military perspectives...giv[ing] us an exceptional insight into the struggle, the changes that were necessary to sustain British forces, and the impact made by determined and ambitious individuals."-Chris Woolgar, Times Literary Supplement -- Chris Woolgar TLS 'Mr. Muir provides an authoritative view... an important book.'-Max Hastings, The Wall Street Journal -- Max Hastings The Wall Street Journal Won Second place in the 2014 International Napoleonic Society book award -- Book Award International Napoleonic Society

About the Author:

Rory Muir is visiting research fellow, University of Adelaide. His previously published books include a highly praised study of Wellington's great triumph at Salamanca and the edited letters of Alexander Gordon, Wellington's confidential aide-de-camp. He lives in Australia.

About this edition

• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 0300186657
• ISBN 13: 9780300186659
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 672