Wellington: A Personal History

Rating:
Summary: A Penetrating Look Into Wellington's Life
Review: 'Wellington: A Personal History,' is a wonderful look at the hero of Waterloo. While at times the narrative tends to quickly move over some points in the Duke's life that could do with a bit more analyzation, (the Duke's Indian and Spanish campaigns,) and perhaps relies a little too heavily on reporting court gossip of the time, 'Wellington' nevertheless is a wonderful introduction to the Duke's life written in an entertaining and easy to read style. Where Hibbert's work really succeeds is in it's portrait of the Duke in his years after Waterloo. The look into the Duke as Prime Minister and confedential advisor to George IV, William IV, and Queen Victoria never fail to hold interest and passages reguarding Wellington with his family and children in general are extremly illuminating. The Duke of Wellngton was indeed one of Britain's greatest figures and Hibbert's biography will testify with a great voice to the truth of that.

Rating:
Summary: A Penetrating Look Into Wellington's Life
Review: 'Wellington: A Personal History,' is a wonderful look at the hero of Waterloo. While at times the narrative tends to quickly move over some points in the Duke's life that could do with a bit more analyzation, (the Duke's Indian and Spanish campaigns,) and perhaps relies a little too heavily on reporting court gossip of the time, 'Wellington' nevertheless is a wonderful introduction to the Duke's life written in an entertaining and easy to read style. Where Hibbert's work really succeeds is in it's portrait of the Duke in his years after Waterloo. The look into the Duke as Prime Minister and confedential advisor to George IV, William IV, and Queen Victoria never fail to hold interest and passages reguarding Wellington with his family and children in general are extremly illuminating. The Duke of Wellngton was indeed one of Britain's greatest figures and Hibbert's biography will testify with a great voice to the truth of that.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting personal biography of the Duke
Review: Author Christopher Hibbert concentrates on the personal aspects of Wellington's career, such as his relationships with family and close friends, and skirts over any lengthy analyses of the Duke's many campaigns. The Battle of Waterloo, for instance, is covered in only a few pages and the entire Peninsula War is given short shrift. Wellington's later years as a Tory politician, however, and his subsequent fall from grace with the populace is presented in detail and makes for quite an interesting read. Portraits of Wellington's brothers and other associates are also abundant in this volume and I was surprised as to how many I've never seen before. Hibbert himself is not totally enamored with his subject and portrays him as a very reticent and reserved aristocrat with little tolerance for fools and even less sympathy for the common folk. In this regard, I don't believe Hibbert has been able to lift the mask of command off Wellington and given us the definite look into his character. Wellington was certainly a man of many contradictions and Hibbert merely presents one side of him---the cold and aloof one. Still it's a worthy book with some scattered information not found in other sources. For the best read on this man, it's probably better for one to start with Elizabeth Longford's "Wellington: Years of the Sword". Hibbert's biography would certainly be a most interesting companion piece alongside it.

Rating:
Summary: What a snooze-inducer!
Review: Having just finished McCullough's John Adams, I picked this up, hoping for another wonderfully vivid portrait of a great historical figure. Instead I find a book so crammed with useless details, so choked with irrelevant facts about irrelevant characters in Wellington's life, as to be virtually unreadable. I have no objection to a high level of detail, when properly employed in the advancement of a good narrative. But I can't explain the purpose of the useless details in this book, unless to parade before us the author's exhaustive knowledge.

I fall asleep each night after reading one and a half pages. If you're an insomniac with no real interest in Wellington, this book is for you. Otherwise, don't waste your time.

Rating:
Summary: A Satisfactory Introduction
Review: Hibbert's book, as is typically the case with his work, presents a perfectly satisfactory survey level introduction to the Duke's life and times. His writing is fluid and readable and seldom commits the sins of prolixity or obscurity common in much academic history. The tradeoff, unfortunately seems to be a significant lack of depth or interpretation. The reader familiar with Wellington's career will find little new and is far better served with Lady Longford's two volume work which remains the authoritative piece on the subject. Alternatively, Phillip Guedalla's 1931 biography is still available through out of print searches or otherwise and provides a compromise between length and detail.

Rating:
Summary: Wellington: A Personal History with too many useless facts
Review: I felt that the author, Christopher Hibbert, did a good job describing Wellington's military career and the battles he fought. On the other hand, i feel that too many names were said in this book for a person to be able to recognize a person from Wellington's life without additional information provided beyond the person's name. I also think that the book did not give broad information on major events, such as the Congress of Vienna. In addition to that, i think maps should have been given on his military campaigns and other maps of Europe ( a map of Europe after the Congress of Vienna would have been nice. )

Rating:
Summary: A History Of A Hero
Review: I have always thought of the Duke of Wellington as the Hero of Waterloo, but little else. In "Wellington, A Personal History" I learned that he was much more.

This book is, as the title indicates, a personal history of the man, rather than a history of his times. The reader learns little of the details of Waterloo, nor does he learn much about the impact of his career on the wider world.

Wellington's story is an interesting one. Born the younger son of lower nobility, his dukedom was earned, rather than inherited. His career was diverse. He fought for the Crown in India before his first encounter with Napoleon's armies in Portugal and Spain during the Peninsular War. The possibility of service in America during the American Revolution was mentioned, but did not occur. The glory which he won at Waterloo was merely a stepping stone to higher service.

After the banishment of Napoleon, Wellington entered the diplomatic service in France. This, coupled with his membership in the House of Lords, led to service as Foreign Minister and Prime Minister, among many other appointments. In office, Wellington was, generally, a supporter of privilege and order. Despite his dominant conservatism, Wellington was flexible enough to adjust to prevailing necessities. Although initially opposed to Catholic Emancipation, he supported Emancipation after concluding that the defeat of Emancipation would have led to more social unrest than the issue was worth. He then not only had to persuade opinion among the Lords and Commons, but also had to overcome the strong opposition of the King in order to get Emancipation passed. This is of particular interest to me, as family legend has it that we are descendants of Daniel O'Connell, whose election to the House of Commons forced the issue. Jews, whose potential for disorder was presumably less than that of Irish Catholics, did not enjoy his support when Emancipation for them was suggested.

During his political career, Wellington endured wide swings in popularity. At times he faced the threats of the mob as a result of his policies. He was forced to turn his home into a fortress and to carry pistols while traveling about London. Even when his popularity was at its nadir, his prestige and personal presence were sufficient to insure his safety.

Wellington's relations with his monarchs make interesting reading. Although he held George IV and William IV in low esteem, his relationship with Victoria was warm and close. He became an intimate and trusted advisor on whom Victoria and other politicians relied as an intermediatory.

Wellington's marriage was unhappy and distant and he became a widower at a fairly young age. These facts caused him to seek and enjoy the companionship of many women through his lifetime. These relationships and their effects on Wellington account for a large portion of this book.

As is common among heroes, Wellington's popularity grew as his vigor and involvement in public affairs diminished. Living to an advanced age, Wellington was revered as Britain's greatest hero.

I often gauge a book by how it makes me think beyond the covers. I compared him to American political generals. His political career was more impressive than Grant's, and of longer duration than Eisenhower's. The closest comparison may be with Washington, both as his country's greatest hero and the man to whom his country repeatedly turned in crises.

My only disappointment in this book, as minor as it is, is that it is so personal that one gets a sense of his times only indirectly. Overall it is a good study of this major historical figure.

Rating:
Summary: A History Of A Hero
Review: I have always thought of the Duke of Wellington as the Hero of Waterloo, but little else. In "Wellington, A Personal History" I learned that he was much more.

This book is, as the title indicates, a personal history of the man, rather than a history of his times. The reader learns little of the details of Waterloo, nor does he learn much about the impact of his career on the wider world.

Wellington's story is an interesting one. Born the younger son of lower nobility, his dukedom was earned, rather than inherited. His career was diverse. He fought for the Crown in India before his first encounter with Napoleon's armies in Portugal and Spain during the Peninsular War. The possibility of service in America during the American Revolution was mentioned, but did not occur. The glory which he won at Waterloo was merely a stepping stone to higher service.

After the banishment of Napoleon, Wellington entered the diplomatic service in France. This, coupled with his membership in the House of Lords, led to service as Foreign Minister and Prime Minister, among many other appointments. In office, Wellington was, generally, a supporter of privilege and order. Despite his dominant conservatism, Wellington was flexible enough to adjust to prevailing necessities. Although initially opposed to Catholic Emancipation, he supported Emancipation after concluding that the defeat of Emancipation would have led to more social unrest than the issue was worth. He then not only had to persuade opinion among the Lords and Commons, but also had to overcome the strong opposition of the King in order to get Emancipation passed. This is of particular interest to me, as family legend has it that we are descendants of Daniel O'Connell, whose election to the House of Commons forced the issue. Jews, whose potential for disorder was presumably less than that of Irish Catholics, did not enjoy his support when Emancipation for them was suggested.

During his political career, Wellington endured wide swings in popularity. At times he faced the threats of the mob as a result of his policies. He was forced to turn his home into a fortress and to carry pistols while traveling about London. Even when his popularity was at its nadir, his prestige and personal presence were sufficient to insure his safety.

Wellington's relations with his monarchs make interesting reading. Although he held George IV and William IV in low esteem, his relationship with Victoria was warm and close. He became an intimate and trusted advisor on whom Victoria and other politicians relied as an intermediatory.

Wellington's marriage was unhappy and distant and he became a widower at a fairly young age. These facts caused him to seek and enjoy the companionship of many women through his lifetime. These relationships and their effects on Wellington account for a large portion of this book.

As is common among heroes, Wellington's popularity grew as his vigor and involvement in public affairs diminished. Living to an advanced age, Wellington was revered as Britain's greatest hero.

I often gauge a book by how it makes me think beyond the covers. I compared him to American political generals. His political career was more impressive than Grant's, and of longer duration than Eisenhower's. The closest comparison may be with Washington, both as his country's greatest hero and the man to whom his country repeatedly turned in crises.

My only disappointment in this book, as minor as it is, is that it is so personal that one gets a sense of his times only indirectly. Overall it is a good study of this major historical figure.

Rating:
Summary: A difficult man to pin down
Review: Wellington, I think, is not an easy man to pin down in a biography, and quite a few people have tried to do so in the past. I think Hibbert makes a pretty good stab at this very difficult subject and the worst that could be said about his book is that it is the most recent of the Wellington biographies.

Why is Wellington such a difficult subject? Mostly because he had a long and very active career which spanned a broad range of activities. From rather dreamy and unfocused youth, to extremely focussed, and successful war hero, then finally as politician. Yet underlying this was a man of great contradiction. He had an innate sense of nobility and duty which led him to marry a woman he had not seen for nearly eleven years - yet he treated her appallingly during their marriage. His contradictory nature is also very evident in his career - he hated the very activity in which he made his name, war.

I think Hibbert does a reasonable attempt at coming to grips with Wellington's nature and its contradictions - but I often think the personal side of Wellington - most especially his appalling treatment of his wife and family, are often left unsatisfactorily explained. Probably for three reasons in Hibbert's case - firstly -There is not enough room in 400 pages to fit in everything with sufficient explanation, secondly - there are easier, more public and interesting things to dwell on, and finally I suppose mostly because it would come into the realm of speculation too much. There is little documentary evidence apart from gossip, some letters between Wellington and her, and of course Wellington's infamously indiscreet confessions to Mrs Abuthnot which were later published in her diaries.

I do feel that Hibbert catches much of the public side of Wellington, his love of women, his modesty and quietness and his kindness and loyalty to those loyal to him.

Hibbert has set the book out chronologically and he always makes an easy read of his subjects. Hibbert does muddle up the first and second marchionesses of Salisbury though - he was friends with both - the first Marchioness (also known as Dow Sal) sent him the hunting uniform from her personal hunt. The Duke was good friends with the Second Marchioness, Frances who was also known as the Gascoigne heiress before her marriage.

I do agree with one of the other reviewers on this page, Elizabeth Longford does do a better job of capturing the nature and contradictions of Wellington - but then she can claim some measure of relationship with him - the 1st Duke's wife, Kitty, was a Pakenham which is the Longford family name. Longford does manage to do her biography on the Duke in two substantial volumes. Phillip Guedella has also made a good biography about the man.