Wellington: A Personal History

The Iron Duke (1769-1852), Napoleon's greatest antagonist, finally ended his global ambitions at the battle of Waterloo in 1815. British historian Christopher Hibbert cogently chronicles Wellington's achievements as a military strategist and Tory prime minister, but his probing biography is even more notable for its shrewd and subtle assessment of the duke's layered personality. Famous for his sardonic wit and towering temper, an indifferent husband and severe father, forbiddingly aloof yet capable of enormous charm, Wellington the private man is as fascinating as the public one in this smoothly written, solidly researched account.