Arthur Wellesley

Wellington was an early riser who preferred camp beds and cold meat. He disliked extravagance but enjoyed good wine. Despite his stern demeanor, he cared for his men and showed grief after battles. Wellington had many amorous liaisons and a practical nature, once advising Queen Victoria to use sparrowhawks to deal with pests at the Crystal Palace. Often portrayed as defensive, Wellington's army size in the Peninsular War limited strategic offensives.

Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (né Wesley; 1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852) was an Anglo-Irish army officer and statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures in Britain during the late 18th and early 19th centuries, twice serving as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He is among the commanders who ended the Anglo-Mysore Wars when Tipu Sultan was killed in the fourth war in 1799 and among those who ended the Napoleonic Wars in a victory when the Seventh Coalition defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.